Diddy poles, bank lines, limb lines etc.

[LivinADream]

Alright, I'm a beginner here, am running some lines, and have some questions. I'll lay out what I'm doing, and what I feel like I'm doing wrong, you experts help me out before I start changing things that don't need changing.

Set lines Tuesday (10). First check was today, no bait (big bluegill) 1 straight hook.

First off, I'm working nights, so can only run lines 1X every 24ish hrs. I promised my daughter we would run some lines this week, then got put on some OT. Not to disappoint her, we're doing what we can. I think this is problem number 1, if a fish gets on early and has that much time to fight, more likely to get off.

River is up, running pretty hard. It is dropping, but fairly slowly I think. Don't know if this is helping or hurting or doesn't matter.

Fishing in 1.5' to 8', all lines near drop off. Some lines are on downstream side of drainage dumping into river, some near laydowns, and some on deep side of hard bends.

I did put a half hitch in several of the lines holding them off the bottom, a lot of these only gave about 2'-2.5' of line. I think this hurt me, not allowing the fish to take the bait and swim with it. I didn't do this when I reset them today. Thoughts?

5/0 circle hooks- I did order some 8/0 to get more gap in the mouth of the hook, felt like the baits were taking up too much of the hook gap.

I think my 2 biggest problems are time between checks, and the half hitches not giving enough line to actually take the bait. Any ideas or tips?

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[Gumbo Man]

I’m not a circle hook fan myself. Sounds like you might have a turtle and Gar problem. Was there any twist offs?

[gtsticker]

So river dropping is not
Normally good fishing. Find
cut banks where the there are tree’s growing out at water level. Running once a day is not a big deal but bait as close to dark as possible. Fish the eddy’s and sometimes if you have current that runs through a brush pile fish right down stream of that structure. It is just trial and error but remember what works and repeat that.


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[McClain]

Could be all the above reasons, but I’m with Terry, I bet turtles or gar may be stealing your bait. What are you using for bait?

[LivinADream]

Originally Posted by Gumbo Man

I’m not a circle hook fan myself. Sounds like you might have a turtle and Gar problem. Was there any twist offs?

No twist offs

Originally Posted by McClain

Could be all the above reasons, but I’m with Terry, I bet turtles or gar may be stealing your bait. What are you using for bait?

Big bluegill

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[PYBUCK]

Start noodling

[TeamAmerica]

Longer line should help the perch escape the slow turtles. How deep are you hooking the Perch below the spine?

[Killer]

Always bait just before dark. Keeps trash fish/turtles from getting your bait.
What was said about location of sets is spot on. Cut banks and structure; logs, logjams, root balls are good spots. Try different depths and take into account how fast the river is dropping; you don’t want that first hook high and dry the next day.
I like tying my lines to limbs so there will be some give to it if a fish gets on.
You can use a cut limb stuck into the bank also. Make sure it’s solid though.
I like a good size weight on my limb/throw lines in a river that has current. Usually 3 hooks maybe 4. Cup full of concrete with an eyebolt. Heavy piece of scrap metal. Something like that that weighs a couple of lbs.
Pull it tight after baiting it at a 45 deg angle downstream and drop it so it will stay some what tight.
I don’t like circle hooks either: J hooks will work better for more hook ups.
Bream/perch are good bait. I like crawfish too. Dead shad are good but more for blues and Channel’s. I have used carp and goldfish too.
I know people set lines with out a weight in lakes but in current I like a good heavy weight on the end of the line.
One other thing is I would put a swivel on every hook staging, it will help on twist offs.
Good luck. Nothing better that father/daughter or son line running!

Remember too if your not running them in the morning the next day someone else may be!

[RUNNING BEAR]

If you’re using circle hooks time between running lines isn’t a problem. Like mentioned above, sounds like bait thieves.

Bait right before dark, and I like to mix in some cut bait, beef spleen stays on the hook really well and you can get from local butcher or slaughter house. It’s also early but big yellow grasshoppers are also good to mix it up. Your bait thief might not like these other options and leave them behind, giving the cats a chance to bite.

[Burnadell]

I know noting, but bump for RiverRat1 who knows river fishing for cats.

[Slabby]

Straightened hook is an issue.. ....

[RiverRat1]

Originally Posted by Burnadell

I know noting, but bump for RiverRat1 who knows river fishing for cats.

I just saw this thread thanks to Burnadell.

A lot will depend on what river you're fishing. If it has needle nose gar, alligator gar etc. What size catfish you want - eaters, a mixture of eaters with maybe a big one, or huge ones.

I only run single hook lines so bait can swim more freely. 3+ hooks is far too much line to catch big ones. I'm sure they're caught but I bet a lot of times the line gets snagged. A 2-4 pound weight will be drug around by a 20# cat so if any underwater snag is there you're screwed.

Try the biggest circle hooks you have and use cut carp in strips like 1" by 3" long. Hook from meat side and then through the skin. It won't come off easy and you should catch a ton more fish compared to live bait. Fresh carp is far better than frozen.

The lines should be slimed up if cats were hooked and twisted off. If not it's most likely gar taking the bait.

[RiverRat1]

Originally Posted by Slabby

Straightened hook is an issue.. ....

Takes a heavy circle to hold bigger gar. Not the light circles like octopus or anything that says light wire.

[Big Lee]

The bigger the hook the better. I bet as mentioned above gar or turtles. The dang turtles well decimate your hook set.

Fresh cut bait is always the best. Live bait is great during warmer months in my opinion.

Leaders need to have room to move.

[LivinADream]

Originally Posted by TeamAmerica

Longer line should help the perch escape the slow turtles. How deep are you hooking the Perch below the spine?

3/4" I would imagine on bigger perch.

Originally Posted by RiverRat1

I just saw this thread thanks to Burnadell.

A lot will depend on what river you're fishing. If it has needle nose gar, alligator gar etc. What size catfish you want - eaters, a mixture of eaters with maybe a big one, or huge ones.

I only run single hook lines so bait can swim more freely. 3+ hooks is far too much line to catch big ones. I'm sure they're caught but I bet a lot of times the line gets snagged. A 2-4 pound weight will be drug around by a 20# cat so if any underwater snag is there you're screwed.

Try the biggest circle hooks you have and use cut carp in strips like 1" by 3" long. Hook from meat side and then through the skin. It won't come off easy and you should catch a ton more fish compared to live bait. Fresh carp is far better than frozen.

The lines should be slimed up if cats were hooked and twisted off. If not it's most likely gar taking the bait.

Right now I'm really just trying to learn how to catch big flathead. I don't have much trouble with channels and blues to just fill the freezer.

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[L.T.K.56]

Originally Posted by LivinADream

3/4" I would imagine on bigger perch.



Right now I'm really just trying to learn how to catch big flathead. I don't have much trouble with channels and blues to just fill the freezer.

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Hand size live perch fish shallow now 3-6 feet deeper later on as it warms up fish the bends and points single hook behind **** fin.

[Russ81]

For Limb lines I really like Dennis’ sets here:

https://youtu.be/4ufQB-PYaAk

I make mine 18-24’ long with #48 braided tar main line and stages are #12 braided tar and set them in all the places mentioned above. For bigger fish I just run two hooks for a set and four hook rigs for small blues/channel cats. The railroad J-hooks work to hold the bait but like river rat said they’ll move once fish is on but I’ve had good fish on both hooks at the same time.

I think my stages are about 12-16” long and on some I’ll set the top swivel just touching the water so the perch is prone to splash and make some noise others I’ll tie the very end and run the line towards the middle of the bayou and let’er sink.


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[Big_gun]

What are you using for "poles" need to have some bend to allow fish to fight and not pull hard against. We used to use 1/4 or so fiberglass rods OR 1/2" willow limb if we could find em.

[Tshelly]

Tagged


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[Greenheadless]

Looks like most have you covered in their responses from my limited experience.

Couple things I would add, find a mudcat source for live bait sets.

Make sure what you are tying to is flexible enough to handle a bigger fish from straightening a hook.

I liked to target cut banks and the upstream side of laydowns/snags.

[Collier]

Also, if I'm tying off to something solid, without any give. I use a short rubber bungee cord or innertube for some shock absorption, especially on a short leader line

[bsills]

I made some bank poles last week and used them this weekend and they worked great. I had a hard time finding fiberglass poles until my buddy directed me to fiberglass rebar. Its called pinkbar and I really liked the way it preformed. Has good bend and looks like it will be durable. Ill attach the link for pinkbar and the YouTube video i used to make mine.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Owens-Corning/5013333093

HOMEMADE BANK POLES - Fiberglass Diddy Poles - YouTube

I didnt look for the spine.

[Greenheadless]

We used to use electrical SCH40 PVC conduit.

[RiverRat1]

No way I'd use that rod system. I'm 95% sure I'd be losing them. I can't see that hog ring holding good enough or the pole in the bank. Maybe if I was in a place with biggest fish being less than 20# and I wanted eaters...

[LivinADream]

Originally Posted by Big_gun

What are you using for "poles" need to have some bend to allow fish to fight and not pull hard against. We used to use 1/4 or so fiberglass rods OR 1/2" willow limb if we could find em.

3/4" PVC poles. I watched a lot of YouTube before I decided on this. Lots of people catching 40+lb yellas with 1/2" so I would think I'm good on poles.

Originally Posted by Greenheadless

Looks like most have you covered in their responses from my limited experience.

Couple things I would add, find a mudcat source for live bait sets.

Make sure what you are tying to is flexible enough to handle a bigger fish from straightening a hook.

I liked to target cut banks and the upstream side of laydowns/snags.

Just found a source for mudcats yesterday.

Originally Posted by bsills

I made some bank poles last week and used them this weekend and they worked great. I had a hard time finding fiberglass poles until my buddy directed me to fiberglass rebar. Its called pinkbar and I really liked the way it preformed. Has good bend and looks like it will be durable. Ill attach the link for pinkbar and the YouTube video i used to make mine.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Owens-Corning/5013333093

HOMEMADE BANK POLES - Fiberglass Diddy Poles - YouTube

I didnt look for the spine.

I looked real hard at the fiberglass poles. I went with PVC because I wanted something hollow. I don't want to fight a mess, (tangled lines) if I have to, I'll end up not going as often.

I built mine with the main line tied to a piece of rebar inside the PVC. The only thing outside of pipe is a swivel and weight, held to pole with a rubber band. No mess or tangles.

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[bsills]

Originally Posted by RiverRat1

No way I'd use that rod system. I'm 95% sure I'd be losing them. I can't see that hog ring holding good enough or the pole in the bank. Maybe if I was in a place with biggest fish being less than 20# and I wanted eaters...

I felt the same way until i watched so many You Tube videos about them being successful. I was mainly worried about a larger cat dragging off the pole, but we will see. I hadn't thought about the hog ring failing, but i guess anything is possible. You would actually be a great testimony to all the guys here if you used them. I would love to see your results with large cats.

[Russ81]

Originally Posted by bsills

I felt the same way until i watched so many You Tube videos about them being successful. I was mainly worried about a larger cat dragging off the pole, but we will see. I hadn't thought about the hog ring failing, but i guess anything is possible. You would actually be a great testimony to all the guys here if you used them. I would love to see your results with large cats.

I saw one on TikTok that had a 3” piece of pex pipe over the top of the fiberglass rod to reinforce the rod and not split it while tapping it in the bank.

Instead of a hog ring I’d just run a wire thru the hole with a swivel on it to attach my line.


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[RiverRat1]

Originally Posted by bsills

I felt the same way until i watched so many You Tube videos about them being successful. I was mainly worried about a larger cat dragging off the pole, but we will see. I hadn't thought about the hog ring failing, but i guess anything is possible. You would actually be a great testimony to all the guys here if you used them. I would love to see your results with large cats.

I'd need to change rivers. Near zero chance that would hold up to a 150-250# gar. It'd just be gone LOL

[txtimetravler]

Riverrat, how you posted your setups?


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[RiverRat1]

Originally Posted by txtimetravler

Riverrat, how you posted your setups?


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Everyone is different depending on how they feel about a few things.
Do they like or dislike circle hooks
Do they care if the get the line broke or snagged and lose a line/fish
How big the baits are they want to use
If they will hook into alligator gar
If they're after flatheads or blues
Eaters or only big fish
Still water or water with fast current
Clear or dirty water, how deep the water is (time of year) etc.


I only use 13/0 and 16/0 circle hooks. One hook per drop fished 2-4' beneath the surface. I find a tree over the river and tie far back to a main tree limb and then tie to the far smaller end over the water. If/when they break off they're still tied to the main tree. I also use a 1 gallon jug on some lines so that helps with more "give" also.

I'm very small "jug" line set-ups like noodles. The bigger fish just pull them under and get snagged to never be seen again. And angler just thinks he lost one. Some open waters are ok when using these but most catfishing places on rivers are not.

[duckmanep]

5 hook lines with a brick on the end for me. tie to a limber limb with lots of give to it. i use drop thru swivels with 7/0 hooks for live perch thru the back. 3/0 hooks with worm or shrimp or pig liver for smaller fish. do best with falling river, rising river usually brings trash down. caught plenty of big flatheads throughout the years.

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[Big_gun]

I thought the larger fish would pull a pole like these out of the bank, but as long as they flex they hold into the mud if you can get em into it a couple feet...

[aggieman12]

Ran 100 hooks this weekend on the Brazos. We were targeting big yellowcat but got tore up by small blues. Didn't help that the river came up 6 ft after our lines were set out for a river with no current. Had to move 80 of those 100 hooks for day 2.

Fished several different hooks - J, circle, tru turn. I was pretty impressed with these Korean Amazon hooks in 15/0. Circle hook but with plenty of gap for large baits.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&redirect=true

[bsills]

Im ready to set some lines this weekend.
Anyone have any pointers on how to catch perch in the river, seems harder that using a trap in a pond. Ill leave out the trap for 4 or 5 hours and only catch a handful or perch.

[Russ81]

Sometimes I feel like I have to move a trap around or run smaller traps and set in different places to figure out where they’re hanging.

Another thing you could try is chum an area with dog food or cotton seed and get them packed in a area then set a trap.


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[bsills]

Originally Posted by Russ81

Sometimes I feel like I have to move a trap around or run smaller traps and set in different places to figure out where they’re hanging.


Thanks for the pointers, I have never heard of cotton seed for fish how does that work?


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Another thing you could try is chum an area with dog food or cotton seed and get them packed in an area then set a trap.

[Russ81]

Great-Uncle used to do it. Pack a burlap sack with cottonseed and a weight, poke some holes in it then tie it to a tree and chunk it off in a hole you wanted to chum. He swore it’d bring the bait fish in.


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[bsills]

Who all is setting lines this weekend?
Any other pointers for setting perch traps in a river, set on bottom or suspend, etc...

[txtimetravler]

Im throwing a few lines this weekend.
Catching perch in a cast net.

Making limb lines…guess that’s what you call them.


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[muzzlebrake]

Mudcats about 5-6" long are some killer flathead bait and will live for days on the hook so long as they can swim around some. I like single hook sets with the bait just below the surface maybe 6" to a foot where you can barely see it. Limb lines on creeks with water running muddy and set close to the bank, like 3-4 feet out. When flatheads are feeding at night they will run the edges of the banks up shallow.

[Russ81]

Originally Posted by muzzlebrake

Mudcats about 5-6" long are some killer flathead bait and will live for days on the hook so long as they can swim around some. I like single hook sets with the bait just below the surface maybe 6" to a foot where you can barely see it. Limb lines on creeks with water running muddy and set close to the bank, like 3-4 feet out. When flatheads are feeding at night they will run the edges of the banks up shallow.

Yup I’ll throw a few with the line completely out and others I’ll tie it with the top swivel right at the water’s surface so they make some noise.


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[bsills]

We went this weekend and didnt have good luck. I am still having a hard time catching bluegill in the river for bait. The traps dont catch many good size ones and catching them on rod and reel using worms proved to be harder than expected. I thought catching bait would be the easiest part

[DaleGribble]

where are you fishing? catching perch is easy

Originally Posted by bsills

We went this weekend and didnt have good luck. I am still having a hard time catching bluegill in the river for bait. The traps dont catch many good size ones and catching them on rod and reel using worms proved to be harder than expected. I thought catching bait would be the easiest part

[waffles]

We didnt set lines, but went noodling Limestone last weekend, all of our fish came from 3ft of water or less, All yellows were shallow, we pulled some out of holes in 8inchs of water, blues were all 2-3ft

[bsills]

Originally Posted by DaleGribble

where are you fishing? catching perch is easy

San Saba river east of Menard. If i cant figure out how to catch them in the river might have to find someone with a pond local that wants some removed.

[DaleGribble]

good river there. i know some people that fish over there and they all seem to have luck.