Trotline Construction

[Ordek Avci]

How do you guys build your trotlines? What kind of string do you use? What kind and how many weights? How far do you space your hooks?

I'm looking to put together one or two and would love to hear the different takes on it.

[Buckwabit]

You need stainless Swivels connected to Number two Stainless hooks, Five feet apart. Use Tar coated (Black Line). 100 Hooks per line.

The rest depends on what kind of line your making. Channel line or Open water line

[MudHog]

I space my hooks every 12"-18" and set the line between two stick (more like small trees) stuck in the mud.

Surely want SS hooks and swivels too.

[hntrpat1]

Use circle hooks.

[Buckwabit]

We tried the circle hooks and they didn't work for us. Some people swear by them though. We use the Stainless Standard Tru Turn. We order ours out of a Bait and Net company in La. I can get you the number if your interested in seeing a catalog. I think they have a website too.

[Odis]

I can't really explain what I'm trying to say but I'll give it a try, I was buying swivels one time to make up some drop lines and the old guy selling them asked what they were for, he said man you don't need swivels, he said, make your drops then off the line, (this is the hard part) the drops consisting of a loop of line then make a loop out of that, slide the shank of the hook through the loop such that the harder something pulls, the tighter then line would get around the shank, the beauty of it is that the shank of the hook will spin inside the line, and you don't need swivels just hooks with big eyes and tarred line and when its time to pull the lines the hooks fall right out, You would think you'd loose your hooks but we probably only lost two or three out of hundreds, caught more fish than when we used swivels and it is much easier, Don't know if I explained how to do right though, its a lot easier to show than to do

[MudHog]

[davidees]

We never used swivels or anything like that. Just a styrofoam bucket and #18 twine and tru turn hooks. (Size depends on the size of fish you are catchin'. Just tie a loop from your main line (It's pictured above somewhere) for your drop line, which I like to be about 12in long. Space the drop lines 36'' apart. As you add hooks, you stick them in the minnow bucket to avoid tangling. If Im fishing in still water, I make a longer drop line for my brick after the first 10 or so hooks, and another one about 10 or so hooks from the end of the line. If I'm fishing in current, I rig "throw lines", which are made the same way, but only about 5 hooks long and one brick tied at the end.

[Buckwabit]

The problem with not using swivels is that when the fish gets on the line he turns, and turns, and turns. So when you check the line, the line is tightly wrapped around the fish or the two main fins and you play hell on a windy day getting it off. Once we started using swivels, never had that problem again.

There are a million ways to do the same thing. Trial and error will tell you more than anyone can tell you. That's where we learned.

[Buckwabit]

Also like I said, It all depends on the Length of the line, Number of hooks, and whether your going in a channel or open water. We fish in open water, but the lines for the channel are tied totally different.

[davidees]

Well, yeah, you're right, Buckwabit, there's several different ways to do it...I have had occasional problems with twisting, but its quick and easy and it works. I don't trotline too much anymore anyways. I mostly grabble, rod and reel fish, and jug fish.

[wilkat7]

I make my lines up as mudhog said. Then instead of a snap swivel I have found that one of these is much easier to use:



Just drop your hooks through the loop in the swivel. When you get ready to take your lines up, just remove the hooks and thread the swivels onto a piece of wire. No more fighting with tangled up lines when you get ready to set them out.

You can order the swivels here. http://www.texastastes.com/p496.htm