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limblining for catfish #6505695
03/30/19 04:25 PM
03/30/19 04:25 PM
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
L
loosegoose Offline OP
trapper
loosegoose  Offline OP
trapper
L

Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
So I've decided I'd like to try my hand at limblining for catfish this year; I only live 3 blocks from the river, so I'm looking for some advice. First off, I'm assuming it's probably too early in the year to start? My idea for a setup is 5 feet of 3/4" pvc pipe, hammered 2 feet into the mud, 5-ish feet of line with a weight, swivel, another foot of line, and a 5/0(?) hook of some sort, either kahle or circle hook. This is similar to setups I've seen in the river already. Cutbait or liver or nightcrawlers for bait. Not looking for monsters, just eaters. Thoghts? Suggestions? Is it like trapping where I can just check once day, or do I need to check more often? I'm completely new to this.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505707
03/30/19 04:32 PM
03/30/19 04:32 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,747
williamsburg ks
D
danny clifton Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
danny clifton  Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
D

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,747
williamsburg ks
I check more often. check your bait too not just look for a bent pole. its not to early. snell your hooks. you will catch more


Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505722
03/30/19 04:39 PM
03/30/19 04:39 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,958
St. Louis Co, Mo
B
BigBob Offline
trapper
BigBob  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,958
St. Louis Co, Mo
Check your states laws, in Mo all rig's like that left unattended must be labeled with your name/addy, I use a trap tag.


Every kid needs a Dog and a Curmudgeon.

Remember Bowe Bergdahl, the traitor.

Beware! Jill Pudlewski, Ron Oates and Keven Begesse are liars and thiefs!
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505733
03/30/19 04:44 PM
03/30/19 04:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 613
Northern Missouri
Northmocats Offline
trapper
Northmocats  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 613
Northern Missouri
What Danny Said... Check more often , I rebait mine sometimes 3 times a Night and have taken nice fish off the same pole in one night..
Snell knot also like he said.. Had good luck with all the Hooks J, Kahle and Circle.

Last edited by Northmocats; 03/30/19 04:44 PM.
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505875
03/30/19 07:02 PM
03/30/19 07:02 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
I
il.trapper Offline
trapper
il.trapper  Offline
trapper
I

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
IMO 5 ft aint long enough. I use 8 ft. and at times I am wishing for longer. Depends a lot on how steep the bank is.

Also I use to use #5 hooks. Now I use #7 or larger. They still catch smaller cats but won't break when a biggun gets on the line.

I also almost always use live bait on limb lines. I have caught a lot of fish with cut bait, but live bait has proven to be better.

I don't know your river or the type fish in it. But you may be very surprised at how many larger fish you can catch right along the bank. I have caught 80+ lb. flatheads and blues in less than 2 feet of water.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: BigBob] #6505905
03/30/19 07:27 PM
03/30/19 07:27 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 11,269
Indiana
B
brianmall Offline
trapper
brianmall  Offline
trapper
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 11,269
Indiana
Originally Posted by BigBob
Check your states laws, in Mo all rig's like that left unattended must be labeled with your name/addy, I use a trap tag.



It's important to know laws!

Here is how I do it.

12 Mechanical Fisher's Yo Yo Fishing Reels (Flat Trigger Model) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AM4K6K8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_.R.NCbM7PB784

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: il.trapper] #6505948
03/30/19 08:11 PM
03/30/19 08:11 PM
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
L
loosegoose Offline OP
trapper
loosegoose  Offline OP
trapper
L

Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
Originally Posted by il.trapper
IMO 5 ft aint long enough. I use 8 ft. and at times I am wishing for longer. Depends a lot on how steep the bank is.

Also I use to use #5 hooks. Now I use #7 or larger. They still catch smaller cats but won't break when a biggun gets on the line.

I also almost always use live bait on limb lines. I have caught a lot of fish with cut bait, but live bait has proven to be better.

I don't know your river or the type fish in it. But you may be very surprised at how many larger fish you can catch right along the bank. I have caught 80+ lb. flatheads and blues in less than 2 feet of water.

The section of river I'm thinking of is around 6 feet deep. I'm thinking of trying baits on the bottom and just under the surface? Do you make sure yours reach the bottom, or somewhere else in the water column? The river does have some big fish, I've seen them on other people's limblines (I look but never touch, trying to learn from their setups). Our state won't let you use a live fish caught in one body of water in another body of water, not that it hurts anything, but the laws the law, and I don't know if I want to try keeping bluegills alive, unless it's super easy. If I can catch some in the river,can I just stick them in a tank with some water for a couple days? Interesting about using bigger hooks, I just assumed that a smaller fish wouldn't hook itself on a bigger hooks.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505956
03/30/19 08:19 PM
03/30/19 08:19 PM
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 3,554
North central Iowa
B
Bob_Iowa Offline
trapper
Bob_Iowa  Offline
trapper
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 3,554
North central Iowa
Big thing to remember is cats have a big mouth, when just regular fishing cats in the river I sometimes use night crawlers, because they’re handy, when I use a small hook I have caught carp.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505958
03/30/19 08:20 PM
03/30/19 08:20 PM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
trapperkeck Offline
trapper
trapperkeck  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
When I trapped the Missouri River by Santee, NE, the cat guys were running lines as soon as the ice went out. Most were using creek chubs, bluegills or crawdads.


"The voice of reason!"
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6505970
03/30/19 08:28 PM
03/30/19 08:28 PM
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 11,771
Amite county Mississippi
Wolfdog91 Offline
trapper
Wolfdog91  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 11,771
Amite county Mississippi
Here's a video showing how I make mine. Their 3/8' fiberglass 8' long and so far they have been doing pretty well on these creek channels !



Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506049
03/30/19 09:16 PM
03/30/19 09:16 PM
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 195
ontario
K
k9-hunter Offline
trapper
k9-hunter  Offline
trapper
K

Joined: May 2017
Posts: 195
ontario
Originally Posted by loosegoose
Originally Posted by il.trapper
IMO 5 ft aint long enough. I use 8 ft. and at times I am wishing for longer. Depends a lot on how steep the bank is.

Also I use to use #5 hooks. Now I use #7 or larger. They still catch smaller cats but won't break when a biggun gets on the line.

I also almost always use live bait on limb lines. I have caught a lot of fish with cut bait, but live bait has proven to be better.

I don't know your river or the type fish in it. But you may be very surprised at how many larger fish you can catch right along the bank. I have caught 80+ lb. flatheads and blues in less than 2 feet of water.

The section of river I'm thinking of is around 6 feet deep. I'm thinking of trying baits on the bottom and just under the surface? Do you make sure yours reach the bottom, or somewhere else in the water column? The river does have some big fish, I've seen them on other people's limblines (I look but never touch, trying to learn from their setups). Our state won't let you use a live fish caught in one body of water in another body of water, not that it hurts anything, but the laws the law, and I don't know if I want to try keeping bluegills alive, unless it's super easy. If I can catch some in the river,can I just stick them in a tank with some water for a couple days? Interesting about using bigger hooks, I just assumed that a smaller fish wouldn't hook itself on a bigger hooks.

what do you mean" Our state won't let you use a live fish caught in one body of water in another body of water, not that it hurts anything,"a lot of harm can happen from transferring fish from one water system to another you ever here of evasive species that how we ended up with zebra mussels,rusty crayfish,gobeys even the carp are evasive

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506060
03/30/19 09:25 PM
03/30/19 09:25 PM
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
L
loosegoose Offline OP
trapper
loosegoose  Offline OP
trapper
L

Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
k9-hunter I know there's all kinds of problems with playing "bucket biologist". I meant that there's certainly already blugill in the river, just not that I've ever caught, and all the local lakes drain to the river, so they likely already share the same diseases and such, so its highly unlikely that an errant bluegill or two would cause a problem. Not to mention a lot of the bank lines I see in the river have a bluegill or green sunfiah for bait, so it's already being done. But in any case, I don't plan on using live bait unless I can manage to catch some and learn a super easy way to keep them alive for a couple days.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506072
03/30/19 09:34 PM
03/30/19 09:34 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
I
il.trapper Offline
trapper
il.trapper  Offline
trapper
I

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
I myself always use fish caught in the same body of water as bait. Unless it is store bought minnows or such.

Depth depends on time of year, current, and what type cat I am targeting. For Flathead I use live gills, or bullheads. I want them right near the top of the water.

For blues I use cut bait or live shad and gills. Cool water gills a little warmer shad. If the current is running I want them towards the top. If no current I will sometimes sett them deeper. Either way I keep them as near cover as possible without them getting tangled.

For channels I use cut bait most anytime. Depth don't seem to matter as much but setting on the edge of cover makes a big difference.

I set mostly in creeks. Some as far up the creek as I can get. Just below where a creek dumps into the river can also be a good place for limb lines.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506168
03/30/19 11:03 PM
03/30/19 11:03 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,971
Oklahoma
M
Matt28 Offline
trapper
Matt28  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,971
Oklahoma
There is no way I could catch enough bait out of the same body of water I fish. If you run 20 lines in the river with it bank full you need 20 baited every time you run the lines and some times you need 30 per run. To take fish off on the way back down the river. If you run lines 2 times In the day and 3 times at night that's 100 baits in 24 hours. I run 3 or 4 big perch traps in the best bait ponds I have all summer then put the bait in a bait tank to keep till used.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506172
03/30/19 11:12 PM
03/30/19 11:12 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
I
il.trapper Offline
trapper
il.trapper  Offline
trapper
I

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
Ya'll don't have shad? A cast net and you can catch 100's most anytime. hard to keep alive yes, but doable.

I don't limb line alot. usually it is a long weekend or a camping trip with a few kids around wanting to fish. they are my best bait catchers.......LOL

I'll try and put something together showing my bait tanks. And how I build them. I have built several over the years. Some pretty easy, some take awhile.

Give me some time though, I am swamped right now with ADC work and opening another biz.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506204
03/30/19 11:44 PM
03/30/19 11:44 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,971
Oklahoma
M
Matt28 Offline
trapper
Matt28  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 2,971
Oklahoma
There is shad in the big lakes but that's a 30 min drive away. No shad in the river that I know of. I like live bait for flat head, I don't mind catching blue cat ms but I dont care for channel cat I give them away.

Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506283
03/31/19 06:34 AM
03/31/19 06:34 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,747
williamsburg ks
D
danny clifton Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
danny clifton  Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
D

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,747
williamsburg ks
if you catch bait in the same drainage how can it not be the same body of water since all are connected? if ticketed I would have to take that one to court.


Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506285
03/31/19 06:40 AM
03/31/19 06:40 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,747
williamsburg ks
D
danny clifton Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
danny clifton  Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
D

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,747
williamsburg ks
easiest bait tank is a small metal stock tank under a shade tree. a big aerator and water filter. a 2x4 frame with 1/4 inch hail screen over the top to keep sunfish from jumping out.

a five gallon bucket and lid with a hundred or so holes drilled in it and trot line string tied to the handle works good to. keep them in a creek or river where there is a gentle current


Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506339
03/31/19 08:19 AM
03/31/19 08:19 AM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
trapperkeck Offline
trapper
trapperkeck  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,780
St. Cloud, MN
I wouldn't worry about whether or not your bait comes from the same body of water. Pretty much, every body of water in Nebraska was one big ocean a couple of weeks ago. All of these microbiology experiments at the state level are doing little if anything, to stop the spread of invasive species. Good Lord, one big rain or a flock of migrating geese will, totally, wipe out any positive affects we are taking at a human level. The ridiculousness ranks right up there with "The Green New Deal". Curious, do you guys wash all of your traps, stakes and wire when you move to a new rat Marsh???


"The voice of reason!"
Re: limblining for catfish [Re: loosegoose] #6506382
03/31/19 09:02 AM
03/31/19 09:02 AM
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
L
loosegoose Offline OP
trapper
loosegoose  Offline OP
trapper
L

Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,739
Beatrice, NE
I agree that it's kinda silly about not transfering live fish, especially in a river system, and when it's perfectly acceptable to use dead cutbait from another body of water, but it's not worth the hassle to me, I don't think. There's only a couple of lakes here where we can use cast nets,and only to catch shad, but they can't be used in a river. I called a CO one time when I saw about 1,000,000 Asian carp swimming in a different river if I could cast nets them, and was told that the only legal way was to arrow them or hook-and-line them. Not very helpful if you ask me, but I'm not going to pay the ticket for it either.

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