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 ! ! ! !

Too hot - but still have fish story

Too hot to worry about doing much fishing but I still have a fish story. Today just before noon - I was looking at the lake (as always) - and I noticed a lot of fish jumping close to shore / near bank end of my fishing pier. So I decided to go see if it was a bunch of bream playing - and I could get some bait.

Well I fished for a short time (very short time - was another 100F day) - Anyway the little girl from down the street walked up - then she said she saw a really big fish - and when I looked up - she was right - it was a VERY big fish - looked like a catfish in about 1 ft. of water - so I knew what was scaring the small fish to make them jump - too bad I didn't have a catfish hook and bream for bait.

Anyway I know a big fish was working the shallow water and that is what made the fish jump - btw: the fish was too big / too long to be bass - besides it looked brown when it turned and slowly swam away

I went out to eat tonight with my best friends but I still got a few bait fish but not enough to bait the trotline

Bad Week

My ankle injury turned out to be a deep bruise on my foot that made it hard for me to walk for the past week - then on top of that I pulled my back (again) (probably torn my gut adhesions that I have i.e. my gut trouble causes severe back pain at times

Anyway - I've not felt like running trotline - I did keep it partial baited but only got turtles - and my yoyo fishing is feeding gars - just not my week with the 100F temperatures making things worst

End of bitch - I may get back in the spirit tonight - if we get a little breeze to go with the predicted 101F temperature (and I get plenty of bream to bait the trotline - I made up some new hooks - line is really 'coated with crap' :)

Hope I'm back in the game tomorrow - ankle is no longer swollen up so bad (I can now get on my shoe without crying :)

My back is better - still a little tender so I may not 'pull on the trotline' if it's not easy by dark.

Besides I must have caught all the turtles - gar and the few catfish in this lake - cause last night - I didn't even have to rebait the few yoyo's but a couple of times (the heat has probably put the turtles - gar - catfish on a lazy streak and they are trying to find a deep hole where it's cool so they don't venture close to my hooks :( They are probably in a deep cool hole making fun of me soaking wet with sweat just trying to catch bream (for bait)

Full Story previous video (BTW: video shows how I fillet catfish)

I lost the whole long post - now I'm pissed - had to retype - and post got longer and more 'rambling'

The previous post (with video) and my youtube page sorta explain how I got the 6.5lb channel catfish but long story is:

For past few nights little catfish and turtles (various size) keep me busy re-baiting the trotline and the few yoyo's I put on my fishing pier. All I've been getting past few nights are small channel catfish, turtles and pollywog (bullhead catfish).

So for past two night I got lazy - and stopped baiting trotline (feeding the turtles). Also it's been so hot I've not spent much time catching bream (bait). So yesterday PM - I threw my net a few times and I got two shiners - 1 bream - and two baby shad (about 1" long)

I've started wrapping magic bait (stink bait) in cheese cloth to make it harder for the turtles and little catfish to steal the bait. So I baited my three noodles with the shiner and the one bream - then I baited 3 yoyo's with the cheese cloth / magic bait - then I put the two shad on two other yoyo's - all this was just at dark (around 9PM) - so when I went back at 10PM I figured all the bait would be gone and it almost was. All noodles were stripped so I put them up - didn't want to use up the cheese cloth / magic bait I had left - I put cheese cloth / magic bait on the 4 empty yoyo's - and on the fifth yoyo there was about 1/2 of the 1" shad

Then when I went back about 1.5 hours later - just before I went to bed - the only bait left was one little tiny piece of the shad - in fact it was just one side of it's little head with one eyeball

I was tired and only re-baited the 4 empty yoyo's and said the heck with the shad eye ball - since I was low on bait

When I woke in middle of night I said screw it and didn't even look out with my big light to see if I had any fish.

So when I got up at 5:45AM - I saw that the yoyo with the tiny piece of shad had something swimming around with the yoyo - but it was barely moving so I limped (I hurt my ankle) out to the yoyo and about that time the line took off - and I realized I had a keeper (wasn't sure yet what it was but saw from the run it was big n strong)

Well I ran (limping and crying from pain) to the boat house which was locked and to the net which was in the boat - by time I got in the boat and really had my ankle screaming - I figured with my luck it might just be a cypress trout (grinnel) so I slowly limped back down the fishing pier - the pain in my ankle cause me to calm down

When I started gradually pulling in the yoyo and got a hold of the line past the spring loaded yoyo - I knew I was in for a fight - and wished I had got in my boat to bring this one in (that is best way and what I do when I know it's a big catfish - cause the handle on my big net is not very long since I have to reach over the top rail (I have kid safe wire on the pier and can't reach down from the walkway of the pier

Anyway - I laid half way over rail and was glad I didn't fall all the way over - I had to slowly work the fish closer - he had run off all the line on the yoyo - and when I got him close I was lucky - I only missed him once and got him on second try. The hook was under his eye and hard to remove so as long as the line didn't he was 'caught'

I cleaned him early - didn't even bleed him out i.e. got pink meat - because the temperature is going to 100F today and I didn't want to wait until later in the day (It takes about 1.5 hours to let them die slow / bleed out)

One theory I have is that the shad eye ball caught a small catfish (channel or pollywog /bullhead) and the bigger catfish went after the smaller fish (just a theory - cause the belly of the 6.5lb Channel catfish did not have any fish ) Maybe shad eye balls are a special treat for Channel cats but I'm amazed that a 6.5lb Catfish was (could be) taken on a piece of shad about 1/4" long - and one eye

It's still going to be hard to be motivated again tonight with all the little (baby) channels - turtles - pollywog's I've been catching. Another 100F day so not sure I'll try to catch any bait

I may try catalpa / catawba worms in cheese cloth on 3 yoyo's - and magic bait on 3 yoyo's - those I can bait in short time and turtles are not picky :(

Check out the video in previous post to see how I cleaned the fish. What the video does not show is that my ankle is still sore but I just played 'tough guy' and cleaned the catfish - thru all the pain - I hope my brother enjoys this fish (I'm cleaning them for him - since he's in Washington and he's catch crab to bring back to me - e.g. I'd feel guilt if I let him bring me those fresh crab and I was giving away or letting the catfish go free - like I do a lot times.

Rambling over :)

6.5lb Channel catfish on shad eyeball

At 11PM last night - I was too lazy to rebait a yoyo - there was one tiny piece of a 1" shad - in fact it was just a piece of his head with one eyeball

This AM - I had a 6.5lb channel catfish to clean

How To Fillet A Catfish

I like this video for cleaning small catfish - this is how I clean them - except I use an electric fillet knife. One of these days I may get someone to help run the camera while I make my own 'how to fillet a catfish using an electric fillet knife'

Haven't been posting in last couple days but I keep catching little ones (mainly from my fishing pier) but feeding so many turtles didn't bait trotline tonight.

Had computer / internet connection trouble last two days - didn't report my catch (or the one (about 3-4lbs) that got away while I watched - when I saw it the hook was barely in one lip and before I could get the net - bye bye catfish

Saved a life

It's 3AM and I woke up to 'save a life' - a couple of my yoyo's were set too high and the little 1 lb channel catfish on one of them was barely alive. I spent 10 minutes keeping it in water to make sure it was going to live - then I let it go (to grow up and come back next year for me to catch)

While I was doing this and rebaiting the other 4 yoyo's - I heard at least 3 splashes that sounded like turtles ducking under the water with a smile on their face (cause they could see the 'cap light' I use to rebait - and knew they were getting another free meal of magic bait (I swear I could see their pearly whites shinning in the beautiful moon light (it is so pretty out tonight - I could even see those 'shitty' geese sitting on the bank down the street - at least now I know where I'll have to wade thru the goose shit in the AM

I love living on the lake - especially on a pretty night when it's so nice outside that I don't mind having to rebait for the turtles (and maybe a catfish - I hope :)

Addendum: 10 minutes after I got back in the house I decided to look out at yoyo's with my 12volt spot light - yep - I had another channel catfish and had to go let it go (this one was closer to 1.5 lbs.

At 6AM - I had a polywog on a yoyo and nothing on the trotline except two left over bream
Footnote to people that know me: my crohn's reminded me why my trotline is close to my house - but still not close enough - was not pretty ending to a pretty night :( :( nuff said

One got away - one didn't

When I got to the middle weight of the trotline - a big fish almost pulled the line out of my hand - and it turned the boat. It must have been on the first or second hook past the weight - but as I turned to reach the net it made another run - and it kept going i.e. I lost the big boy

As I continued on down the line I figured it just wasn't my day - and I was right - cause on the next to last hook I got a Channel Catfish that just barely made my cut off for cleaning i.e. it was 2 lbs 4 oz (so I'm suppose to clean it - but I'm going to cheat and let it go - unless I see some hungry fishman that wants it - they have until noon then the lucky catfish is going free cause he looks nice and lively i.e. he is going to live to grow up cause I got the hook out clean and put him in my live pen

BTW: I'm not sure what bait got the big catfish that got away but I think it was on the second hook past the weight which used bream bait. The 2 lb channel catfish was on hook using magic bait (yep chicken liver / chicken blood - I now have about 10 packages after having various people pick up bait when they go shopping at Wal Mart.

Magic bait is still catching fish at rate of at least one a night (around my fishing pier) - but on a few nights I don't get one cause the turtles get the bait - so I started using magic bait treble hooks with a spring that helps hold the bait. It helps - for example night before last I got 2 turtles and 3 catfish off my pier - using 4 yoyo's that I rebaited about 10:30PM and 3AM. Two of the catfish were about 1 lb each - and the other catfish was an albino with blue eyes - about 1/2 pound. So all went free

I know the fishing nursery (stock) pond for Lake Conway was raising channel catfish this year so I suspect all these 1 lb catfish are from the nursery i.e. lake must be full of these future lunkers - based on how many I keep catching :)

addendum:

Dock Spider

I have the big dock (fishing) spiders in my boat house - one of these days I'm going to catch one to make my own video - to show what I have to walk around when I check my yoyo's at night :)

Here is the followup video of one of my friendly spiders

Still catching em

BTW: still catching catfish on magic bait - but too small to report

Flathead 8 lb 4oz using bream

Well just when I 'thunk' I wouldn't be making very many more catfish video (getting bored making channel catfish video so stopped making video of each fish) - I got a nice 8lb flathead

4.5lb King Channel on Magic Bait (again)

I should change my name to 4.5lb John when I use magic bait. This 4.5lb Channel came off the trotline - using chicken blood / chicken liver magic bait.

I also got two small (1 lb) channel on the 4 yoyo's I put on my fishing pier (used a mix of beef blood magic bait and the chicken blood magic bait e.g. I put one cube of beef blood with one cube of chicken blood bait - mainly cause I'm running out of the chicken blood / chicken liver magic bait

On last trip to Wal Mart - they only had 4 packages of chicken flavor and the local bait shop didn't have any - this 'flavor' is hard to find at times (must work for others also :)

Previous night I used chicken livers / magic bait combination i.e. I put a piece of chicken liver on the hook and then a cube of magic bait to help hold the liver on the hook - this should work but sad to say the turtles really like this combination - and they get the bait before the poor hungry catfish has a chance

Oh I almost forgot - I got about a 7-8 pound soft shell turtle on the trotline - but he was already dead and I was afraid it would be spoiled so I didn't keep it. (yep I should be running line (rebaiting) ever couple hours but then I'd get too many fish to clean e.g. feeding turtles by baiting early has it's rewards - you don't have to clean as many fish :)

catalpa / catawba worm update

I forgot to mention that I was watching a tree last Thursday - until Sunday - waiting for the hundreds of babies to grow up. On Sunday - I put 5 dozen catawba worms in the freezer and had a dozen to fish with. I was only keeping / using the fully grown worms.

Then I went back on Monday cause I knew that the tree was still loaded - I put 9 more dozen in the freezer and had about two dozen left to fish with this week (using a few each night on the yoyo's on my fishing pier - too lazy to go fishing under the bridge with rod n reel :)

Summary: The one good tree around here this year gave up 200 fully grown worms that grew up in 4 days. I figure the birds got about that many of the babies from what I saw.

Now I need another tree around here to 'put out'

More Channel catfish (some polywog's)

Catching more catfish (mostly channel cats) but not always taking time to post about them -- and sure not taking time to make more video - especially if they include polywog's/mud cat/yellow bullhead which I do not even count as fish (they are now legal bait in Arkansas - so I may start using them for bait)

Sidebar: Saw a picture on catfish forum where a guy found two fish in one - seems an (about) 1lb channel got on the line and 12 lb flathead came along and ate the channel - the guy had to cut out the channel and it wasn't fit to eat - but the flathead went to the freezer. He has picture of the fish in a fish on catfish forum :)

For example - I got 3 fish last night - all on yoyo's on my fishing pier.

I've started baiting 6 yoyo's now - instead of three - and last night I had 4 catawb worms and 2 magic bait - - I got one small (not a keeper) on catawba worm when I checked yoyo's 45 minutes after putting them out (9:15Pm - 10PM)

After rebaiting (4) yoyo's - I rechecked at 10:30PM and had to rebait the two with magic bait and 2 with catawba/catalpa - then 30 minutes later I looked out (have 5,000,000 watt spot light and could not see 3 of my yoyo's

Well a 4.2 lb channel had taken the magic bait and ran around so much he hung up two of the other yoyo's

When I checked - I also had another small (not keeper) on the other magic bait i.e. 4 catawba worms and 2 magic bait - and I got two catfish - both on magic bait

So I rebaited 3 with magic bait and 3 with catalpa - this AM - most bait was gone (had one catawba worm left)

Bottom line - taking time to make video has gotten old - especially since if you've seen one 4lb channel - you've seen them all :) Also I'm not sure how current I'll keep this blog - people lose interest if I keep catching 4 lb or less

May not post again until I get another above 4 lb

BTW: I never report how many dam turtles I get - and you know I never cuss them and I promise if they are alive - I will not harm them (much :)