little update after having used this crab trotline a half dozen times,
- the shovel handle is just too short, I have no reach to get crabs that let go early.
- the dip net needs a bolt or hook on the other end to catch the line for putting it over the pick stick but it cant be hooked shape or it WILL snag at some point and pull out of your hand. I took a regular heavy duty garage wall hook hanger for tools and bent it so it sticks up 90* so its easy to release without snagging.
- you would think a bright yellow bullet shaped float 10" long would be easy to find but if you get a hundred yards away the dang thing is nearly invisible so bright orange might have been a better color choice.
- down here chicken necks only last one trip because croakers and garfish with leave nothing but bone left after about 3 hours in the water and only use the necks so take off as much of the skin and fat as you can, they float the bait off the bottom and hurt your efforts.
- it needs a good 10-15 minute soak time between raises so you aren't overworking it and wasting time raising empty lines. so it gets boring, bring a radio and an umbrella or top for the boat so you aren't baking and I bring a fishing pole to fill time between runs with a few casts here and there.
- a good start anchor is key and it may be better to use a regular digger style anchor to secure it first and then just a dead weight anchor on the tail end for tension. also when making anchors don't use plastic buckets as the round sided anchors don't hold as well and slide too easy along the bottom. make your own concrete anchors more like square pavers, 9x9x4 is about 12-13 lbs anchor and just right.
- if using a snap hook on the anchor make sure its connected to a few links of chain so it flexes and cant bind and unhook itself. (happened to me twice just connected straight to an eye bolt mounted in concrete)
- tide is key so you need a moving tide to bring the crabs to your line, you cant catch more then a handful that are in the near area otherwise.
- and lastly there aren't that many crabs around like past years so you cant just go anywhere and expect to catch, you have to go where there are reports of people catching crabs or where you know there are good crab populations to have success.
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