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Crawdads on trot lines #7593648
05/28/22 10:57 PM
05/28/22 10:57 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,673
Illinois
foxkidd44 Offline OP
trapper
foxkidd44  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,673
Illinois
Gang, gotta question. Has anyone used crawdads on their trot lines?? I know the majority use cut bait… but I’ve been catching an unusually large amount of crawdads lately and thought about using them on the lines. Was just wondering if anyone here used them and if they had success.


Stand by your principles, Stand by your guns, and victory complete and permanent is sure at last.
Abraham Lincoln
Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7593651
05/28/22 10:59 PM
05/28/22 10:59 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,750
williamsburg ks
D
danny clifton Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
danny clifton  Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,750
williamsburg ks
I have caught channels doing that. I get 6-8 drum though for every catfish. Drum seem to really like them.


Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7593661
05/28/22 11:21 PM
05/28/22 11:21 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 29,750
williamsburg ks
D
danny clifton Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
danny clifton  Offline
"Grumpy Old Man"
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Joined: Dec 2006
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williamsburg ks
Get you a flashlight and go out on cloudy or moonless night. You want too wait till it gets dry. These will be on the banks of ponds. Best channel/blue cat bait I ever found.
[Linked Image]
Bull frogs are a sorry bait.
Shine a light on them and grab them. I put them in a cotton sock and keep the sock wet. I put them in a frog box to keep em. Put a pie pan with water in and set it in the shade. Put a light in to attract bugs at night. Keep that pan full of water and a light on at night they will keep all summer. Top is two pieces of innertube so you can easy get them out.
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
I keep them in a sock for fishing too. Take one out and take it by the legs. Bonk his head on the boat seat. Put the hook into its vent and out the mouth. Put one front leg on the hook . Pull the back legs up the line and wrap thread around them so its all stretched out long.


Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: danny clifton] #7593662
05/28/22 11:23 PM
05/28/22 11:23 PM
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,384
Green County Wisconsin
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GREENCOUNTYPETE Offline
trapper
GREENCOUNTYPETE  Offline
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,384
Green County Wisconsin
Originally Posted by danny clifton
I have caught channels doing that. I get 6-8 drum though for every catfish. Drum seem to really like them.


drum is good eating , I wouldn't turn them down at all

drum do really like small mussels and crustaceans they have the stones in them to grind up the shells

Last edited by GREENCOUNTYPETE; 05/28/22 11:25 PM.

America only has one issue, we have a Responsibility crisis and everything else stems from it.
Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7593708
05/29/22 06:24 AM
05/29/22 06:24 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 253
IA
O
ozark trapper ia Offline
trapper
ozark trapper ia  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 253
IA
I used to try it years ago. We caught catfish smallmouth sheephead and alot of carp that were 12-15 pounds. I should give it a try again because I do find crawdads in catfish when cleaning them.

Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7593746
05/29/22 07:35 AM
05/29/22 07:35 AM
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 905
WI
B
Badger23 Offline
trapper
Badger23  Offline
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 905
WI
Crawdads were our primary bait here on the Miss. river when we ran 300 - 400 hooks on set lines most weekends when I was growing up. Those and the minnows we'd get along with them. My dad made a bait scoop with small mesh wire and we'd go out to the creeks around here and get crawdads and minnows on Friday and Saturday afternoons before we put the lines out..

As was said you're going to get sheephead ( drum) too and probably a few more of them than cats. We always ran our lines on the main channel of the river though so none of our fish were caught in the stagnant backwaters. The sheephead were actually preferred by some people so they thought they were fine. We gave a lot of sheephead away and also smoked quite a few, especially the larger ones, and we got some big ones off the lines.

Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7593769
05/29/22 08:20 AM
05/29/22 08:20 AM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 9,915
Arkansas
J
J Staton Offline
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J Staton  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 9,915
Arkansas
Danny, my dad always told me that when he was a boy a spring frog on a stout can pole jobbed in the bank overnight always produced fish.


James 1: 19-20
Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7594021
05/29/22 04:24 PM
05/29/22 04:24 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,269
West Central Illinois
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il.trapper Offline
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il.trapper  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
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West Central Illinois
Had the best luck using crawdads in the heat of the summer. Like said expect a lot of drum when using them.

On the Cumberland river we also caught several spoonbill cats with them.

Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7594054
05/29/22 05:40 PM
05/29/22 05:40 PM
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,081
NW MO
T
TurkeyTime Offline
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TurkeyTime  Offline
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Posts: 2,081
NW MO
Have caught catfish but also caught a pretty nice bass once.

Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7594128
05/29/22 07:27 PM
05/29/22 07:27 PM
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 1,745
Wisconsin
M
Mad Scientist Offline
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Mad Scientist  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2021
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Wisconsin
Started the year with cut minnows then crayfish whole at first then cut as they got bigger-cut leeches until the baby shad showed up.Hard to beat crayfish.No not this year but back in the late 70s.

Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7594232
05/29/22 09:35 PM
05/29/22 09:35 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,673
Illinois
foxkidd44 Offline OP
trapper
foxkidd44  Offline OP
trapper

Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,673
Illinois
Awesomeness!! Thanks gang


Stand by your principles, Stand by your guns, and victory complete and permanent is sure at last.
Abraham Lincoln
Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7594512
05/30/22 11:15 AM
05/30/22 11:15 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 8,294
Louisiana
Aix sponsa Offline
trapper
Aix sponsa  Offline
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Posts: 8,294
Louisiana
No matter what kind of line I was using, I always had better luck using smaller crawfish, especially softer ones. You may not have this issue where you are, but our crawfish can get really large and develop very hard shells, especially in the summer.

Ditch crawfish and everything else caught there is what I’d like for bait. Crawfish, small sunfish, frogs, small catfish, small amphibians, etc.


I’m no expert, but I pay attention to what people that do something for a living say. For what it’s worth, I’ve heard them say that in spring, frogs and frog parts are one of the best baits you’ll find. In the summer time, insects become a huge part of catfish diets, and if you can get enough for bait, you can really do well.

Good luck

Re: Crawdads on trot lines [Re: foxkidd44] #7594554
05/30/22 12:33 PM
05/30/22 12:33 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,539
Sandhills Nebraska
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Gary Benson Offline
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Gary Benson  Offline
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Sandhills Nebraska
Small green sunfish are the best thing I've used for catfish bait. Hooked at the dorsal fin and right on the surface.


Life ain't supposed to be easy.
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