I was curious if there were any commercial trotoliners on here. I live in florida and was wondering a couple of things. How you set your lines - floating or on the bottom, depths, and what kind of bait most of the commercial guys are using.
Thanks

I run jumper lines as a commercial fisherman. I use jumper boxes that hold approx 1200 feet of line with one hundred hooks spaced 10-12 feet apart. I use 34009 number 1 hooks which are small but you can catch a big or little fish with small hooks. I use approx 15" tug lines tied to a Roscoe swivel. For bait I use mainly cut skipjack or shad. I have some jumper lines for live bluegill/bream fishing for big flatheads. My jumper lines have floats/weights every twentyfive or so hooks so the line floats up and down. This way you are fishing high and low at the same time. The idea behind jumper boxes is that you can bait up at home go out right before dark and jump lines out. I do several lines each night. Then first thing the next morning you pull them in and drop back in the box as you run them. I never fish the same stretch of river because once I go through with a thousand hooks or so I have caught most of the fish and keep moving up or down the river all season long. I run jumper lines once the cats quit hitting the hoop nets as the current slows or water warms up. You can boat alot of fish with this technique.
Randy

I like a stainless 2/O hook. Like Randy said you can catch big fish on them but they are not to big for those eating size also.

randy, have you ever had a flat head eat a small bule or chanel on the regular line?

Thanks for the information guys. I am going to givie it a try.

I have about 75 bucks per jumper line not including my time.
Hunt not along ago I had a 5 or so pound drum or gou on the line with a 30 pound flathead biting down on the gou. All he had to do was open up and he would have fallen off but he chose to hang on and in the box he went. The most common fish I see in flathead stomach is small drum and small buffalo. I gill netted a big blue last week that had a decent size striper in its mouth. I got pics of that if anyone wants to see them.
Randy

i just wanted to know how veraisous (spl ?) a flat head was. i figured he would eat any thing alive he could almost get his mouth around. ive used blue gills on limb lines though some states its not legal. as i read in TN if you catch it by legal means and its a legal size you can use it for bait. i never thought to use small drum. ill be trying them in the future. i have used cut drum for bait with pretty good sucess.

cb I will get the pics on here in the next day or so.
Hunt if I get a chance I will take some pics of fish in fh stomachs for you. Lots of drum,buffalo and some crappie in their stomach. Indiana is the same with bait. Any legal caught fish can be used. Caught a couple big fh's today along with some fifty plus blues. Did not gut check them. Too cold
Randy

Randy thanks for the advice. I live in north florida and the flatheads are everywhere, i have not tried setting too many trot lines, but when i have, we mostly catch blues and channels. the only way i have found to catch the big flatties is, well i wont say.

kyle

Try this! I've been told they work great

http://www.catfishstunner.com/

The stunner works great (so ive been told) just have to remember, moving water above 70 degrees. otherwise just wasting time.

Randy do you have a picture of one of the jump boxes?

Thanks!

Brian I will get you one along with the pics of the stiper eating cat. Randy

right you are J, so i was told