Yoyo fishing

Anyone use them? I saw them advertised on Amazon one day when looking for something else and since my birthday was coming up I asked for them. Got a 6 pack of them. Rigging them up now and fixing to go set them out tonight with bluegill as bait. We'll see how they do.

I started with them after seeing the locals fishing in Mexico and off the bridges in the Florida keys. I bought some at a tackle shop in Miami and got hooked... so to speak.

A buddy who was a great wooodworker made me one out of African hardwood that was big enough to load with 100 pound mono and I caught grouper, jacks, and even some decent sized dolphin on it. He made a bigger one for himself and I watched him catch a 100 plus pound sailfish in Panama with it.

The whole dynamic changes when you have heavy line and learn how to use the thing. They sell a neat little thing for your index finger to save you from line burns.

Good luck with the cats.

Pete

Not as clumsy as a trotline, easier to set up and take down. I even use them under jugs. Great for an overnight camping trip etc,, don't forget to label them if required.

Yo-yos work extremely well on sacalait (crappie). People always hear how you need invisible line and all that for catching crappie, but when met someone in the wintertime here using yo-yos with an ice chest that couldn’t fit ice or close the lid because they had so many slabs, I decided I’d try it too. He was running 150 yo-yos (3 people, 50 yo-yo limit on that lake). I’ve done it a few times, and it’s a ton of fun. It’s impressive seeing some people run them. Whites auto fishers are worth the price, they have better springs and last better. Sacalait are the perfect fish for them, because big catfish can ruin the yo-yo. You can tear up the catfish with them too, but larger (4lb+) catfish will stress the springs if not on a branch that gives.


They’re really popular here during the winter, in part because garfish and bugs don’t seem to cause as many problems. People hang them from limbs or docks. On lakes without limbs/docks, people mount Ts made with pvc pipe on stumps or even push cane or pvc poles into the substrate on flats. I usually bait them with shiners and set them a few inches deep. Important to keep fresh shiners.


I spray paint mine bright yellow and attach strips of reflective tape. I then tie on small plastic clamps. This allows me to quickly and easily hang them on a branch and keep going. For pickup, wrap them up and clip it back on itself.

LOVE hearing yo-yos going off! Bring a fishing buddy and have fun. Stay close to them or check them every hour or so, leaving them set all night can cost you fish sometimes

I have no clue what Yoyo fishing is, how about some pictures.

It's a mechanical reel. You hang if from a tree, pull out as much line as you need and a little lever keeps the line out. When a fish bites, it trips the little lever and the wheel winds back up the line. So the fish can fight it all it wants, it'll give out line when they run, then reel em back up until they tire out.




So basically, a fish trap, LOL.

These are pictures I was able to find without digging too much. All of my yo-yos are rigged with clips now. So much easier to use with clips.


Some nice sacalait from my first time running some, it was a quick trip.


They say that if there’s a wind, you can catch them on artificial jigs. I haven’t, yet, but I’ve only tried jigs once or twice for a short time

BigBob, I did forget to tag them as I was building them and had to go back and add tags, lol.

When I youtubed them last night, I saw they were catching crappie with them. I never would have thought that. But, that's even better. We live in great crappie area and they eat a lot better than nasty ol catfish!

My brand is Mechanical Fishing Co. If I like them and decide to order more I'll try the White's brand.

Thanks for the tips guys.

NL- check out some of these links- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yoyo+fishing+

Aix, could you explain how the clips work. yours look good. I set some up like this but haven't tried them yet.

Man I haven't used yo yos for 20 years ir so. Ran a bunch of them on the Calcasieu River and bayous feeding it. Good fun.

It must be a southern thing. Most of the States around here limit the number of lines you can run at one time. In WI it is three.

100 hooks here, on a non-commercial license.

Michigan allows 3 as well, and they must be watched the whole time you fish. No unattended lines allowed............bank/limb lines or trot lines are agin the law, attended or otherwise.

That's a dang shame!

I cut those snap swivels off. Then tied a 50lb mono leader with a 3/0 circle hook and a weight. Just got done catching the bluegill from our pond so off we go.

Game wardens seem to find mine too easy at the state parks

The cheap plastic clamps at walmart come four for $4. You affix them to the yoyo and dont have to tie the yoyo to the limb - just open the clamp and affix. I have caught cats to 12 lbs using a plastic clamp. Winter is much better - as said above - because all the bait stealers are less active. Gators in warm weather will run your yoyo’s for you. Crappie and catfish are the main quarry. We can run 30 for each fisherman. If using a string to tie - use a slip knot so you can untie by just pulling the string. Reflective tape on both sides of the yoyo. We label with permanent sharpie. Hang thirty by the hooks on the inside of a bucket. Good times

Not legal here, wish they were.

Why are the game wardens messing with them?

Not legal here at all but...I may or may not have experimented when I was a kid. They catch catfish well.

Very cool devices. You pull out as much line as you need and then "lock" the reel so it doesn't pull the line in. As soon as a fish gives a little tug, the reel unlocks and pulls in the line setting the hook. Set up the line length so the fish is just pulled below the surface of the water and when he pulls on the line, the reel lets him have a little line. When he gets tired and stops fighting, the reel pulls him back in.

MDC outlawed them in a few areas in state. I guess they work well

I'd think a fish of any size would pull out all the line it needed to wrap you up deep under water? Won't live bait trigger them and real your bait out of the water or at least to very surface?

I wondered that about the live bait. I picked the smallest bluegill I could find and am hoping they can't move the weight enough to trip it?

I certainly agree, Miss Angela. I don't know when bank/limb lines and trotlines were outlawed here, but their use , or misuse, was common when I was young (50+ years ago). "Juglines' were legal for years, but no longer. They were simply a couple Clorox jugs with a line between, and 4 droplines off that. You could leave them out all night unattended. All that fun stuff is now history here. I have threatened to take an old pal and runn oft to Iowa or elsewhere to fish Flatheads with bank lines and trotlines, if legal. I'm gunna sneak around and follow ADC to his spots and load up on Flathead belly meat! Shhhhhhh, don't let him know!

I was ignorant about these things. I thought you were talking about what they call Cuban yo-yos.

Looks like a neat way to catch a bunch of fish.

Pete

Dangit, I'm caught.

Hey yote. I've used yoyos when I was a kid.. caught a bunch of cats on bluegill, never had the bait set them off, once you pull tension in the reels to set them the brem aren't strong enough to set them off..

Yoyos are alot of fun . I use them for crappie. Live shiner just under the surface of the water.

So after a more thorough reading of our regs yesterday I realized that yoyos can only be left unattended here after dark until daylight. So I had to run back and pick them up at the break of day before Mr. Green Jeans found them and added them to his collection along with wolfdog's, lmao.

Anyways, I was getting pretty discouraged as the first 4 I checked were sprung, with the bait gone. But then on the fifth one I had something. The sixth was also sprung and empty. So one out of 6 ain't great but at least I didn't get skunked.

Never heard of such a thing... But my head goes to rig it on a tip up for ice fishing. Just keep it under water so it doesn't freeze

Only allowed three lines in open water in Pennsylvania, five on ice. No mention of mechanical reels so I guess they are legal here. I think using them would take all the fun out of fishing though.

I don't know, There's something magical about hearing them firing off in the dark as you are still setting them. When fish are biting good, you are in for nonstop action. I enjoy it more than standard pole fishing for sure.

One attended pole here.

One hook unless on a lure.

Airport, is there a certain time of year you use them? Saw others on here saying winter. From your picture, it looks like it's night time. Do you ever use them during the day?



That's what some people say about trapping as opposed to hunting. These yoyos are new to me, but I enjoy limb lining for catfish more than pole fishing them.

Ours is a hundred hooks, but for these yoyos it's a limit of 25 yoyos with up to 2 hooks each... so 50 hook max.

I can see where they would be useful when running a bunch but since we are only allowed three...

My preferred fishing method is tossing crank baits for big toothy critters or bass, sometimes bottom fishing for carp or cats.

I have always done it at night. Generally in the summer , 2 people with 50 yoyos will keep you busy if you keep them spread out.

Jeez they wont even let us use more than one line in open water here.

I grew up using yoyos. I prefer them for crappie. I leave the snap swivel on and use snelled gold hooks. If there isnt much current the swivel is plenty of weight for crappie minnows and if it isn't then one small split shot helps We usually camp out with them and run them almost constantly.
I've had big fish pull the rivet out of the back plate. The gold hooks keep that from happening and still hold good eating size catfish.

Catch22, I know some people online mention running yo-yos on floating jugs, but....I would just run jugs with line/hook if it were me. Yo-yos seem to work best for me when they’re above water. This allows there to be enough tension to keep them held on the hook as they fight the spring. If they can get slack, they can potentially shake a hook.


I like to keep mine 1-4 feet above the water, when possible.

The clips just clamp onto a branch. I was kind of skeptical at first, but the way that they hold—they stay put.

Thanks Aix!!

As for using large bait, these yo-yos aren’t designed for large catfish. Tie into a big one, and the yo-yo is toast. If you’re targeting bigger catfish, or blue cats in general, I would recommend using limb lines, jugs, or another method.


Yo-yos are excellent tools for catching sacalait (crappie), and it’s my opinion that they’re perfect for sacalait. They do work very well for catfish up to a few lbs, but if you start baiting with 4”+ live bream, you’re asking for broken gear.


Anyone that runs them should know that they work best when checked fairly often. At least twice a night if you can. If you ever run them on a brushpile-baited dock, you might as well stay with them, because if the crappie are there, you’re probably going to have your hands full keeping up. It’s common to hear ZZZZzzzZZZZ before you’ve even finished baiting all of your hooks.

I’m running some this winter, and I’m looking forward to it.

If you need a hand , I'm game

Your welcome! LOL

First I've heard of it. Can you tell where the reg is and what areas?
In Mo we're allowed up to 33 hooks statewide, but up to 50 on the Mississippi to align with Illinois reg's.

Turtles can really ruin your day!

We use them mostly in winter - cold weather or early spring - minnows three or four inches deep for crappie. Crappie are deep in summer and bait stealers get bad, and gators are unbearable. In warmer weather, gators get over half the fish.

No gators here to speak of. One or two get spotted now and then but not very many thankfully.

Big Bob it in the special regulations on some WMA. Shanks was one because at the time Duck Creek was having problems with regulation on them. Heck at shanks regulations were changed we could not not even take a limit of crawfish with a net. Had to hand grab or use hook and line. My supervisor did not want to impact the great blue heron population. Was ran through channels and was approved. So when I go to a new WMA I just read regulations and find outs the oks. This regulation was enacted back in the early 90 s and possibly they do not still apply. Have not been to the two area in years

A five pound catfish is a pretty big catfish here. We don't get the 70 pounders that you get down south.

Thanks, I figured it must be a special reg for the refuge areas.

Sounds good to me