Hi! I’m Steve and I have a fishing problem. 

I’ve been this way all my life. My mom has pics of me holding fish with Dad. I couldn’t have been more than three. I have always had fish on the brain. Anytime we passed by a body of water, I wanted to fish in it. And for the most part, Dad and I both did. We’d relay stories about our fishing adventures to grandpa who acted as though he was listening, but afterward he’d say “You know you’re kidding yourself using that rod and reel.” But grandpa’s actual words were a bit more colorful. “I’ll show you how to catch fish.” That summer I went to stay with Grandpa and Grandma.

Line Fishing—No Rod Or Reel Needed

Setting lines as I soon learned was not a spur of the moment endeavor. We untangled lines, checked hooks and caught bait. Grandpa’s favorite bait was crawdads as “every fish that swims will eat them.”

We loaded the boat, a small aluminum, into the back of grandpa’s station wagon and headed to the creek. We had a mound of 8 foot long cut sticks that was limber yet stout. After we launched, Grandpa found a spot to set the first line and dropped anchor. He sunk one of the bank poles into the steep mud bank. Then he tied a line on the end of the stick then baited the line and dropped it into the water. We repeated this 20 times, up and down the creek every 25 feet or so. Satisfied with the lines, we headed to the car. Grandpa rowed us up the creek to the car then we loaded the boat and headed home for dinner.

The next morning Grandpa picked up a burlap bag and off we went to check lines.

It was easy to tell which lines had a fish on them. Grandpa was not discriminatory. He kept them all; carp, bullheads and catfish. The first check ended with 18 carp from small to big and they all went into the bag. Grandpa cut the lines and retied hooks as most of the fish had swallowed the bait, then rebaited.

We spent the entire day cleaning fish. At the time I wasn’t much help, so my uncle showed up to help clean them all. 

Today I don’t set many lines as I don’t depend on fish to keep my family fed. But once in a while I will set a few limb lines just for nostalgia’s sake.

Types of Lines

Bank or pole lines are what Grandpa and I set. This is a long pole which is stuck into the bank at a 45 degree angle from the water and a line attached to the pole. The line is rigged with a sinker to keep the bait from going downstream and a hook. It is then tied to the pole. Once it is baited the line is dropped into the water.  

The bank has to be pretty steep and you need to the right bank; a steep clay bank is perfect. In Missouri, the rocks prevent the use of bank lines in my part of the state. If you don’t want to cut poles Catfish Getters produces 8 foot fiberglass “Diddy” poles in a variety of diameters to land the big ones. They offer these in kits, everything you might need to set bank lines except bait. 

I have modernized the line setting from Grandpa’s method. I use 65-pound braid fishing line instead of white cotton/nylon twine and have switched over to circle hooks rather than J-hooks. These catch the fish in the corner of the mouth rather than the fish swallowing it.

Limb Lines 

Limb lines are essentially the same thing, but you tie the line to an overhanging limb above the water. Like the bank pole, the limb fights the fish and ‘gives’ so the fish doesn’t get away. I use the same 65-pound braid but if I were targeting bigger fish, I’d bump that up.

Trot Lines

Trot lines are long lines stretched across a pool in small streams or a section of a cove in lakes.  To this main line a shorter leader line is clipped and on the end of this leader line is a hook. The leader line keeps the bait in the feeding zone. 

In lakes many trotlines have floats to keep the bait off the bottom. I really like the Magic Bait trot line for quick line setting. It comes with everything you need but bait. Simply rig the leader line with a hook and snap swivel then attach the swivel to the main line. The two beads on the main line are spaced four feet apart to keep fish from getting tangled. Drop the leader in the water and check your lines the next morning and enjoy your catch. 

Jug Lines

There are many variations of jug lines. I’ve seen actual jugs, soda bottles and sections of pool noodles used as floats. A length of line is attached to the jug baited and dropped in the water. When the jug takes off you know you have a fish. Jug lines like bank lines require a boat so you can run down the float and pick up your catch. 

While most lines are set and checked every morning, I’ve also sat up and checked lines every three hours or so taking off fish and rebaiting. This will increase your chances as there will be more hooks in the water ready to catch fish.

If you are hankering for a fish fry but don’t have time to take the rod and reel out, set a couple dozen lines and bring a sharp knife.