trot line help

[gatorgrits]

Have not been crabbing for 26years and need some help with creating a new trot line. Bought 2 ----500 ft. crabbing lines. Should I put a piece of chain between them to help hold it on the bottom. What else is a good idea for keeping the line down? Have weights and floats for the ends. Will be crabbing in a 24 ft. pontoon boat. Made a roller that should follow the water line. Also have 12 traps. Any help of any kind for someone just getting back to crabbing will be greatly appreciated!![smile]

[Dukerman]

Check our www.blue-crab.org/trotline they have a diagram of set up.

I have 1200 feet split @ 600' with two clips. I carry (4) weight/float setups in case I want to lay 600' in one place and 600 another.

Hope this helps.

[Dukerman]

Sorry drop the /trotline just use www.blue-crab.org

[Severn_Striper]

i have about 1 1/2 foot of chain on each end and about 5 chains in the middle. Tortline is about 1200

[Pinchy03]

Severn striper, do you have your line cut into small pieces and just clip the lines to each other with the chain? I had some problems with drift the other day b/c I only have chains on the end. I'm thinking about cutting my line into 250ft pieces and just using chain pieces and clips to attach them and help keep it weighted. Is that what you were describing? thanks

[POLECAT]

There's no need to place chains or any weights anywhere on the line except at both ends. Make sure the weights (anchors) are heavy enough to hold the line in place. The less stuff used is best. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies here as well as in many other places. Why complicate things?

Do you think men who crab for a living mess with all these additions?

[Butthead]

geez....get featured in one article and an attitude already?[grin][grin]

[POLECAT]

TRED jr. ????[grin]

[POLECAT]

My most sincere apologies if I have offended anyone.


Less is still more[grin].

[Pinchy03]

Whats the best kind of chain to have at the end of your line(meaning how heavy) and how long?

[POLECAT]

1/4" diameter links (or larger), 24" to 36" long. Any scrap piece you have lying around will do. About 3 to 5 pounds is good. No need to go too heavy as it does not help. Just make sure the anchors at both ends are decent enough that they do not allow the line to loosen without applying a healthy tug. That's one of the most important factors. The line by itself will go to the botton as will the necks. The chain is just a bit of extra insurance.

[Charlie S]

Hey Jerry! "dipping pro" here!, just finished my first snood line and it came out great thanks to all your help. Quick question, how far out from the gunnel should the roller be? Yours looked to be about 24", am I correct? Also , is 24" up from the waterline a good height?
I'm getting them steady from my pots at the dock, Harris Creek should be good this week!
Charlie.

[POLECAT]

Charlie,

Howdy!! You're correct on both measurements!! I originally had the line go over the roller 24" above the water. Just before our trip I removed a section of 4" PVC from the roller which lowered the height by 4.5" from what it was. I think that measurement worked better since it kept the crabs lower in the water and allowed them to come closer to the boat before dropping off. Soooooooooooooo, experimentation with individual boats is in order, but the aproximate distances are a good guideline to begin with. Keep in mind, there is no steadfast rule that needs to be conformed to. Whatever comfortably works for you is what you want to accomplish.
Good luck catching!