How to trotline (when retired :)

Actually this is more of a tutorial on trotlines for people that do NOT want to catch (or clean) many catfish.

I keep telling my friends and neighbors that I run a trotline as a hobby - something to keep an old retired fart busy so he doesn't sit on his 'butt'

I do a lot of things wrong when I run a trotline :

#1: I put the trotline in area with few stumps/cover - that is very close to my house - in fact I can see it as I type this. This means I can motor out without hitting stumps - then I usually paddle half way back - just for exercise and to miss one minor stump (mainly for exercise but I should paddle all the way back it's that close :) I can paddle / creep along and look around the lake - day dreaming - relaxing as I scull my boat.

Sidebar: It's amazing how few people can scull a boat - they are spoiled and MUST have a trolling motor (which I have one but don't even take it in the boat with me :) I've given lessons to people that can't scull a boat :)

#2: I bait the trotline one time - and it's almost always before the mosquitoes get out i.e. it's still not dark when I bait e.g. I should wait until after dark and I should check it every couple hours to see if the turtles are full and I can put on bait for catfish :)

#3: I don't chum around my trotline any longer (stopped making stinky stuff to haul to the trotline :)

#4: I don't work at catching bream (bait). Also I don't go below dam and get shad like I should. (I do chum with presoaked dog food and throw my cast net from my fishing pier - but this is more for exercise / habit - and I don't throw net if it makes me sweat :)

Sidebar: 3/4 of the fun of running a trotline is catching the bream but it's not work - cause I wait until it's cool (which means I don't have much time before dark - and if they are not biting - I don't bait). I LOVE bream fishing even if it's just the little bait thieves - so this is NOT work but always fun - PLUS it relaxes me - I daydream and fish - and know that I NOW have it made - I'm retired doing what I like when I like - and that means catching little bream as long as they are close to a shade tree :) Besides the little ones bite often and fast - I got 16 in about an hour yesterday - plus I got about 10 golden shinners / bream / shad in my cast net - so I was forced to bait trotline (but I was lucky this AM - I didn't have to clean a catfish :)

I could go on and on about how happy I am just to be bream fishing - and how sometimes I'm sad when I do catch something on the trotline (I HATE to clean fish - in case you haven't figured it out)

Bottom line: Old retired fart does things he loves - not to catch fish on a trotline but to relax - catch a few bream on the side (which is fun)

End of brag ! ! ! !