# trotline dowl rods



## TXPIRATE (Jan 28, 2009)

On the coast all the commercial fisherman use small pieces of dowl rod as bait. During the summer the trash fish are really bad and they leave the dowl rods alone. When the Guadalupe comes up the guys near the river mouth just hammer the cats. It actually becomes an issue because they get no drum! The idea of using dowl rods is they float above the bottom and the fish comes along and "tastes" it. With a circle hook on its all over. Back in the day they would use plastic but the redfish would be all over that which is no good now. If this would work on the bays is there a reason why it wouldn't work on lakes/rivers? Just wondering.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

I heard they soak them in shrimp juice..not sure if that is correct or not.


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## gulfcoast200 (Jun 26, 2004)

WD-40 or Garlic oil. A guide we used in Baffin drum fished and he soaked his in WD-40. I imagine it would work for blue cats.


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## dorsalfin (Feb 27, 2013)

How would they be rigged? For some reason I can't "see" that in my head.


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

Small piece of Dow probably 1/2 inch thick. With a hole drilled in the middle for a hoo. It's as simple as it gets


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

They call it "stick fishin'" apparently. Very interdasting.


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## Born&raisedfisherman (Apr 16, 2013)

I will have to try this & see if it works and let yall know


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## c_mckinney (May 19, 2013)

Anybody use this or have any success with it?


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## o.b. (Jan 11, 2009)

my drift anchor once snagged on a trot line set up and when I went to unhook it that's exactly what it had on there. I've seen drum hooked on them before so they must work.


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## TXPIRATE (Jan 28, 2009)

I know commercial fishermen that use this "bait" back home so I know it works in the saltwater. They catch lots of cats in misson lake with them. If it works in the bays/brackish water it should work in rivers and lakes I would think...


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

A few years back we were drift fishing the flats in Port Mansfield and came across a commercial fisherman that was pulling a trotline with the same setup as in the above pictures... Our guide said they were anise or vanilla scented corks to catch black drum. The line still had some big specs and reds that they were flipping back into the water. 

I bet that gulp juice would work very good...


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

WD-40 is nothing but fish oil so it stands to reason that a cat fish would at least take a sample taste. With a sharp circle hook that is all you want.


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## G-Fish (May 17, 2013)

What are you putting WD-40 on?


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

I didn't know fish were that stupid!!! Apparently they are blonde.


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## bigl (Mar 3, 2008)

Sunbeam said:


> WD-40 is nothing but fish oil so it stands to reason that a cat fish would at least take a sample taste. With a sharp circle hook that is all you want.


What a Fish story!
Myth: WD-40 contains fish oil.
Fact:
Consumers have told us over the years that they have caught some of the biggest fish ever after protecting their fish hooks and lures with WD-40. We believe this legend came from folks assuming that the product must contain fish oil since it appears to attract fish. Sorry CharlieÂ®, it just ainâ€™t so.

WD-40 Company has taken steps to respect and conserve the environment, and encourages its users to do the same. While WD-40 can be used to help protect fishing equipment from rust and corrosion, WD-40 Company does not recommend using WD-40 to attract fish.


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