Kayak trot line success?

[missedshed]

For those that have tried crabbing on the kayak with a trot line, how did it work out for you? I'm thinking about crabbing off mine but I rather not use traps if the trot line worked out for you. One thing I don't understand with any trot line is, why font the crabs let go as they are raised off the bottom bc when I handline I have crabs let go sometimes as I pull them up.

[Yak Fish]

I've been running a trotline the last two summers from my Outback with great success. Do a search on this forum for crabbing and you'll see a long description and log of what I've done. I've bumped the post so you'll be able to find it quickly.

And the crabs do let go as you bring them to the surface, so part of the trick is getting the right tension in the line so that they spend as much time low as possible. These season I've added 2 oz sinkers every 10 baits or so to ensure that the line stays low and only comes out of the water near the boat. If the line is too taut, the crabs are more likely to let go in my experience.

With a trotline, I've caught significantly more crabs than my previous ring traps. Just make sure you stay organized and you'll be ok