# Set Line Tactics?



## tye dye twins

So guys how do you use "set line" while on shore? What about ice fishing? Ever try this yourself? Just looking for pointers. Any advice would be extremely helpful.


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## wyogoob

"Set line" like in a trot line. Single or multiple hook?


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## tye dye twins

wyogoob said:


> "Set line" like in a trot line. Single or multiple hook?


I was thinking of Utah Lake and multi hook. I see guys doing that and well the fish I catch are really close to shore so I would love to add to my catching rate! Would I need to tie it to a light post, a rock, or something of that nature?


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## wyogoob

I see Utah is allowing 15-hook trot lines in certain waters now. That’s cool, and the catfish limit is 8, so 15 hooks are plenty. When I lived in catfish country I always had a class B fishing license that was good for 200 hooks. My brother and I ran bank poles, trot lines, and jugs for cats, 500 hooks sometimes…uh 200 plus 200 equals 500 doesn’t it? Trot lines were good for dead bait, liver, or cut bait, stuff that channel cats and turtles liked. There was (is) no limit on catfish in Illinois. Trotlining is tough work. It’s hot, cold, wet, muddy and buggy and everything is always tangled up. You never have enough hands to carry everything….after a month your truck or boat is a complete disaster!

There’s many different ways trot lines can be ran dependent upon what type of water you are fishing. A trot line setup on Utah Lake would be different than one used on the Bear River where there is some current. For a trot line newbie I would just buy one already set up. They are cheaper than a home-made one anyway. It you want to build your own, make the thing about 150’ long; spread those hooks out further to cover more water. I like monofilament (fluorocarbon now would be great) droppers at least 18” long, a barrel swivel on one end, the hook on the other. I don’t use trot line clips, just slip all the swivels on the mainline and pull out some line and tie an overhand knot making a loop with the swivel in the loop. I will use circle hooks in Utah if I run a line. You can only have 8 cats so there will probably be some “catch and release” and the circle hooks tend to hook the fish in the mouth versus down in the gullet.

Run the line parallel with the bank, the weedline. The water doesn’t need to be very deep, 2’ to 3’ is fine. You can string the line out between two poles that are driven in the mud or attach it to one pole and have a weight on the other end. I don’t like my trot lines on the bottom so I put one-gallon milk jug floats on them to suspend the hooks (important back home if using live bait). If you are not in a boat don’t set the rig in water deeper than you waist; you will be doing a lot of bending over and your waders will get full of water. If you leave the line out all night expect to lose a fish or 2. Even with swivels the catfish can twist 18” of dropper line all the way up to the mainline and get off.

Usually we would bait up at dark, then in the middle of the night, and then again in the morning. Whatever; it depended on how much time we had to clean fish more than anything. We sold catfish to the restaurants and clubs. They were skinned with the heads cut off. It was hard to sell a cat over 2 lbs. Back then catfish was served whole on a platter. 

I wonder if trot lines will be allowed on the Bear River in the Refuge? It would be nice to run one during the swan hunt or while on weekend duck hunting trip.


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## Fishrmn

> Setline fishing
> Utah Admin. Rule R657-13-8
> Setlines are lines that are *anchored to a non-moving object* and that are not attached to a fishing pole.
> *Setline permits are available for $15* at wildlife.utah.gov and from license agents and Division offices.
> A setline permit is a 365-day permit, but you must also have an unexpired one-day, seven-day or 365-day Utah fishing or combination license in order to use it (a setline permit is not valid unless it's accompanied by a valid fishing or combination license).
> If you're under 12 years of age and would like to use a setline, you must have a valid one-day, seven-day or 365-day Utah fishing or combination license, and a setline permit.
> If you obtain a setline permit, and a Utah fishing or combination license, you can use a setline to take fish from the following waters: *Bear River proper (downstream from the Idaho state line, in- cluding Cutler Reservoir and outlet canals); Little Bear River below Valley View Highway (SR-30); Malad River; and Utah Lake.*
> The following rules apply to setline fishing:
> • You may not fish with more than one setline.
> • *A setline may not contain more than 15 hooks.*
> • When fishing with a setline, you must be within 100 yards of the surface or the bank
> of water you're fishing from.
> • *One end of your setline must be attached to a non-moving object that is not attached to a fishing pole. Your setline must also have a legible tag attached to it that includes your name, address and setline permit number.*
> • While fishing with a setline, you can also fish with one fishing pole. If you have a valid second-pole permit, you can fish with two fishing poles while you're also fishing with a setline.


Page 10 of the Guidebook.

Fishrmn


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## wyogoob

Oh yeah, don't forget to put name tags on a set line.

Something else that is important. Out of common courtesy the line should be marked on both ends in such a manner that someone in a boat won't run over it and get it tangled in the prop.


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## Cooky

I messed around with a trot line one year on Utah Lake. I used a boat. It was very low buck. Some parachute cord with giant swivels bought at Allied (man I miss Allied) tied in a loop every so often. Some cheap snelled leaders, a brick on each end and a jug to find it again. I would set it out to catch cats then troll around to find some white bass to play with while it soaked. From a boat it was kind of a bother and a mess, running one from shore doesn’t sound like any fun at all.


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## Critter

I ran one off of the airport dike in Provo one summer while I was in highschool in the late 60's. I did as Cooky did with the parachute cord and swivels and a clorox jug on one end. The most hooks that I ever had on it was 50 and the most cat fish that I ever came up with was 15 with a mixutre of channel cats and mud cats, with other fish such as carp and white bass making up the rest. I would put it out before dark and check it in the morning. A couple of days it was fun trying to drag it in with a few large carp on the hooks. All of it was done from shore with me walking or swimming out as far as I could for the far end of the line. That was a fun summer.


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## Pumpgunner

• When fishing with a setline, you must be within 100 yards of the surface or the bank
of water you’re fishing from. 
Am I reading this right that you have to attend your setline all the time? So you can't just set it and come back in the morning, or does this just mean you can't set your line farther than 100 yards from shore?


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## wyogoob

Pumpgunner said:


> • When fishing with a setline, you must be within 100 yards of the surface or the bank
> of water you're fishing from.
> Am I reading this right that you have to attend your setline all the time? So you can't just set it and come back in the morning, or does this just mean you can't set your line farther than 100 yards from shore?


My take is you can't set the rig further than 100 yards from the shore. I never heard of attending a trot line.


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