What is a Cat fish Trot Line?

[orourke]

I was in Colon, Michigan for lunch today. Had my wife, my three year old and my Mother-in-Law all in tow. After lunch we made our way to Papa's Antiques. They have been open for months, though never when I have been in town. What a neat store. All kinds of outdoor collectable's.

I check out some rods and reels, some belt bait buckets, some minnow buckets, a glass jar filled with golf ball sized cork bobbers and I am in heaven. I've only been through half the store and my wife annouces that all the girls are heading back to the car. Auurrrrgh!

I breeze through the other half of the shop trying to take in some great giant fish carvings, geese in flight hanging from the ceiling and other truly wonderful apparently "guy" things. then I spy it. A dirty, dusty four foot tall piece of wood, maybe 3 inches wide by 3/4 inch thick.

This intrigueing (sp?) stick has a long wire with a clapper attached to the end of it. About mid way along the wire length an L shape piece of metal is attached. The short length is slotted. If you move the wire the clapper hits a small brass bell with a bottom opening about the size of a quarter.

Just above the bell is a reel that is both wood and brass and reminds me of a line dryer. Located above that is another reel, all brass with a crank on both sides. at the top of this magical, mystical stick is a split rod that extends maybe an inch and a half.

On the reverse side are a couple of slots that I am sure were to hold some of what I am not certain. There is also what looks like half a hinge mounted horizontally.

I can't take my eyes off this thing. My wife, child and mother-in-law are wating in the car.

I decide to talk with "Papa" what the hell is this thing? He says the guy he bought it from says it is a cat fish trot line. He says one end is on one side of the river with the line strung through the slotted L attachment on the wire and attached to a "trot" line. When you get a hit it rings the bell and you reel it in.

I ask why the two reeling devices? He doesn't know. I say wouldn't the current make the line move and the bell ring anyway. He says he is not a cat fisherman. Me neither. But the stick is cool, the story wierd and he gave me 10% off and threw in the jar of golf ball sized cork bobbers.

You should have seen the look on the faces of the women in that car! God I love this hobby. Is there such a thing as a cat fish trot line, or do I just have a cool double reeled stick?

Dave O'Rourke

PS. How's that for a post?

[Harvey]

Lets see a picture.
You know what they say, You can fool some of the people some of the times----- Ha Ha Ha !
I think it is a Bronson Fish witch! Only the Mayor of Bronson could come up with something like this.
Enjoy your new find.
harvey

[mortepa]

We always used to run trot lines when we were kids. They were illegal, I think, unless one had a special license?

When we ran them we would tie one end of a heavy line to a tree branch or some other fixed structure on the shoreline. The other end of the line we would tie a rock or large sinker to throw out the line. The heavy "anchor" line had anywhere from two to five, or even more smaller "normal fishing lines" coming off of it. We would check the trot lines every day and rebait them. Sometimes we got raided by other fishermen though. Guess you can't keep an eye on those trot lines all the time!

Yes, post a picture. Sounds like a neat contraption!

[mortepa]

Here ya go...instructions! haha
http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif ... tline.html

[SWIM JIG]

Ok now youve don it! yes there is a catfish trout line , we sold them in the store in Loudonville Ohio and yes neil com[pany out of new york had the kits! line clips runners and hooks! I still have a few of the reels left, No wonder you caught grapies and other fish ( your suposed to set them out a night! Yes now a licsen can be purchased and smoked catfish is a true wonderful fish to eat! Years ago when i was in TENN. we juged them, yup glass jugs, and the hooks and its line was attached to the runner line. If mr game warden came along well he heard a POP and the jug sank! ha ha Noe you can jug and get a permit # for them, you must put your name and address on the jug, WHEEE now the boys use plastic jugs, dont lose so many now, they still run a trot line with 35 hooks baited with chicken livers, and My one boy still reaches up under a overhang and puls them out, Now thats scary! and crazy, Anyway those lines and reels have been used a lot longer than I am old, way longer! I would say yours is a handmade one used on the Asauable river in the MIO AREA. Col. m. lorens aka SWIM JIG

[Reel Geezer]

Out here trot lines aren't baited with chicken livers - we use the whole chicken. This old Snake River bottom feeder here weighed in at about 800 pounds.

[SWIM JIG]

Phil, we could use larger baits, however after a while that same old fish dinner gets old, did you smoke that whiskers or fry it or? Down on the CLINCH RIVER in TENN, we rendered them out and had cat fat! and fish jerky, anyway my old knife would be dulled to much on a fish that big! Anyway, for Bass we use Cotten Mouth snakes, the bigger the better for bass, 5 lb snake 14 lb bass, but you got to hook um in the middle and dont get bit! For Muskys up in stright creek , we use pigglets on the ol trout line, those muskys can eat a 20 lb pig no problem! Dont know if trout line is allowed for all this but they still do it! Anyway thats a nice fish, did you scale it then skin it or skin it then scale it? Col. M Lorens aka SWIM JIG

[Don Champion]

Boy it's getting deep here! Get out the boots!

[john elder]

we used to run trot lines in Indiana...problem was that the snapping turtles would end up eating everything but the head on your fish, if you didn't get back there in time to change and rebait the hooks. Or, if he managed to get to the bait first, all you would find is a straightened hook!

[Lynn Thomas]

I recently read that there's a fine line between devotion to one's hobby and mental illness. Seems that with reel collectors that line isn't so fine. By the way, why is it called a trot line? I thought you had to row a boat to check your lines. Kinda hard to trot on water. LT

[john elder]

It was invented by Harry Trot of Cincinnatti, sometime in the 40's...cousin of Jerry Rigg...or was that Jury Rig? Anyway, we just don't capitalize it anymore.

[Lynn Thomas]

I see. So the truth lies somewhere between Amherst , Ohio and Idaho. My research indicates Harry may have formulated early plans for this invention while running between house and out-house while suffering the "back-door trots". LT

[Steve]

The term is based on the inevitability that no matter which side of the stream you approach to haul in the night's catch, you're going to be on the wrong one. The first thought that occurs, of course, is "The Reel's Over There!"

[Harvey]

I think you are all wrong! After researching through
"Harvey's Book of Fractured History", It looks like the
trot line can be traced back to 1333 BC and was first
used by the King of Egypt, Trot-A-Common. This art of
fishing was taught to him by his Mummy!

On a more serious note, wasn't that
the reason they had trolly sinkers was to get your
line out into deep water? If not, what were they for?

[Lynn Thomas]

Oh no. Trolly sinkers refers to the dough nuts served aboard street cars (Trollies) during the 30's- 40's era. They were notoriously stale and sank to the bottom of the cup. Their reputation soon spred across America and whenever someone had a stale doughnut it was know as a "trolly sinker". LT

[Steve]

Harvey, you're confusing them with pyramid sinkers.

[Brian F.]

Harvey,
Here's an example of the trolley sinker set up (catalog page from ORCA member Kirk Ewart). Maybe the difference with a trot line is that you set one end of the line on shore and run it across the water.

[Harvey]

Thanks Brian.
Looks like a Trot-Line to me. Maybe this application is for someone that can't swim or doesn't have a boat.
"H"