Questions on Trot Line Selection for Kayak Crabbing

[retroyellow]

Hi All,

I'm gearing up to start crabbing from my kayak this year and I have a couple of questions for the experienced regarding which trot line to buy. I'm considering a purchase from Capt. Bruce's Crabbing Supplies between item numbers 74, 84 or 85; with that in mind (all On Sale till March 31, btw):

1) I'll be crabbing off of my Hobie Oasis (with mirage drive): Which would you recommend, the 4' or 6' snood spacing on the trot line?
2) Is there a significant difference between the "#5 Nylon" and the #8 Solid Braided" line? Which do you use and have you found it to easily tangle and/or detangle?
3) I'll likely get a 600' line; have you found this to be too long of a line in any cases?

Thanks in advance for your replies and advice. I, as I'm sure many others, appreciate the informative and entertaining video reports in the "how to" format. For kayak crabbing, which I'm highly interested in, Moc and MetroMan are first to come to mind. I've learned a great deal from your posts and I hope to share my experiences in kind.

R/Y

[MetroMan]

6' spacing works fine for me. Gives me time to react in case anything takes my attention away (most often, a crab hanging on to my net, or a crab that is trying to escape my basket, etc). But 4' spacing will obviously get you more baits in the water, which yields the potential for more crabs per run if the crabbing is on fire. I'd recommend 6' spacing though. But there's nothing saying you can't get 4' spacing and just not bait then all until you've got your system squared away.

Either diameter line will be sufficient. Thinner is more compact for storage. I have #8 (Item #89 on his site). I have been fine using that, with no issues at all. I've never had a problem with the line tangling on deployment. Moc has a good video that shows how the line is put into whatever container you plan to use for deployment. It deploys from the top down, so its hard for it to tangle itself...even with the snoods hanging off.

My line is 600', comprised of two 300' sections. I'm quite certain Moc's is modular as well. This allows you to run the shorter line if you plan on working a small area. I purchased them in different seasons, so I didn't really feel the direct effect of buying the same thing twice. As you probably already know, buying the 600' line from the jump is more cost effective. For what its worth, once I added my second 300', I've never crabbed with less than the 600'. If I were to do it all over again, I'd PROBABLY jump straight to the 600' length.

[MetroMan]

And for the record, the only time I've complained about the 600' line being too long was when at the end of the day, reeling it in by hand while un-baiting it. Or even worse, laying in a dead spot and having to reposition...like moc and I both had to do for our m&g last year. That's when it sucks!!

[Mini-X]

I'll go crabbin with you. Just came here from Wa so I am looking forward to meeting people with same interests as me. I have only crabbed with pots from my kayak but trot linning can't be too hard.

Jeff

[moc]

I look forward to crabbing with you, Metro, and Foursteps later this year. I have been running a trotline since 2002. I perfected my trotlining on a canoe with an electric motor. Back then I never saw anyone run a trotline from a canoe. I even had the DNR pull me over on the water....not to check the size of my catch, but to take a picture of my setup..lol. The canoe was more of a two person operation. When I bought I Hobie Revo (Mirage Drive), I adapted my canoe setup the to Kayak and it worked great. Now I developed a one person operation trotline crabbing machine. When I use trotline off of the canoe, I run a 1200 ft line ( 2 x 600 ft). When I use the Hobie, I use 300 ft or 600 ft (2 x 300ft) trotlines, depending on where I go. I did a lot of experimenting with different areas last year. It depends on which area and how many crabbers are in an area. There is a minimum distance that trotliners (including traps) are supposed to stay away from each other, otherwise if DNR is around, they can make you move your line and give you a warning or ticket. I have yet to get a ticket, but I have seen other trotliners over the years being forced to move their lines. 600 ft however, it my favorite, but requires more effort to pull back in when it is time to go. So it I am crunched for time or If I feel that I may be tired, then I would use a 300 footer. I have filled a bushel with a 300 foot line. Metro has an electric kayak with reverse propulsion when needed, so pulling in a 600 foot or greater line is a little easier. The Hobie is strictly human powered, but simple.

Here is a video that describes my trotline, size, distance of snoods, etc. I built my snoodlines years ago, since there were none at the time suitable for me in my kayak. Now, you can find them for sale. I prefer the narrow diameter lines as you will see in my video. My snoods are about 4 to 5 feet appart. I got all the parts for the line and snoods from Angers Sports on Rt 50 near the Bay Bridge.

Since you want to Kayak Crab, you should signup for our local CBKA Kayak Fishing Tournament in September for Charity. It has a crab division. Fishing and Crabbing from a Kayak, what more would you want. Check it out and register at www.cbkainc.com . What is great is that Sept and Oct, is when you get the best crabbing in this area.

[Reelaxin10]

Thanks Martin and Metro for the good info. I have a 600' snooded line I plan on using this season. I grew up running one off the boat with my Dad so I'm pumped to catch em on my Outback. One question I have is do you measure them after each run or just once you get a full bushel? I know on the boat we dump em in to one basket and then measure after the run's over, keepers go into another basket, shorts go back in the water. I know you can eyeball a keeper but there are always some that are just short and it's harder to maneuver and measure each one once they're in the basket on the yak. Just wondering what your system to measure them is.

[MetroMan]

Calibrated eyeball. Kinda joking, but kinda serious. When I first started, I would dump back anything that was obviously too small. Anything close went in the basket. I would measure them all when I was done crabbing. I regularly had small crabs in my basket that I would throw back. The problem is I was technically breaking the law by having undersize crabs in your possession. I doubt the "I was gonna throw it back, officer" line would fly...regardless of intent.

Last season, I consciously followed the philosophy "if it needs to be measured, it aint worth keeping". It worked out just fine, but this season I plan on having a measuring device to eliminate all doubt. Its easier to just throw back the close/barely legal ones. Measuring & culling on the yak is a PITA.

[retroyellow]

MetroMan and Moc, THANKS for the info! With your advice, I bought the #84 trot line. Can't wait to try crabbing (and fishing) from my kayak; it would be even better to join up with you and/or others interested in the same to catch'em up together at some point during the season. Yeah, ...I'm excited.

[Reelaxin10]

Yea measuring on the yak is a PITA! When I am running traps I just dump em in the footwell by the mirage drive then measure them, keeps it interesting when I'm barefoot! I think culling after the fact is obviously the easiest but I would just be thinking about the crabs I was throwing back making room for jumbos I coulda caught and kept.

[Foursteps24]

RetroYellow I have nothing new to add but I beleive Metroman and I have the same exact gear. I have an OK Torque so I am motorized when I use my trotline but you should be just fine with what you purchased. Hopefully we can hit the water together this summer and we can all show you what we have learned. Your first trip would be cool to have someone with you that have done to make life a little easier. MetroMan started trotlining before me and he showed me some ins and outs that helped me a lot. It will be natural to really feel like a rookie your first time out but that is all it will take probably for you to feel comfortable heading out by yourself. Send me a message anytime you have any questions or ever want to head out.

[retroyellow]

Foursteps24, thanks for your input and encouragement. I'm looking forward to meeting up with you and other members on the water. I will hopefully have more opportunities this year than last year; I've had my kayak since Jan of last year and have only used it twice.

[retroyellow]

Here is a video that describes my trotline, size, distance of snoods, etc. I built my snoodlines years ago, since there were none at the time suitable for me in my kayak. Now, you can find them for sale. I prefer the narrow diameter lines as you will see in my video. My snoods are about 4 to 5 feet appart. I got all the parts for the line and snoods from Angers Sports on Rt 50 near the Bay Bridge.

Thanks! I'll admit that I've already watched this one at least a few of times and covered all of the ones between you and MetroMan. Good stuff!

[loupa5]

Like the video Martin (Crab Whisperer), that names..fitting. I purchased a 600' snood line setup at the Flea Market from CaptainBruce. I need to work on getting my kayak setup for crabbing, though. I really appreciate the videos presented by various members. The videos are informative and fun to watch too. I think I'll video my first attempt at crabbing so I can edit in some cool music, haha. Pool noodle, that's so...it looks like a anaconda in a basket. Awesome!!

[Foursteps24]

Loupa if you have any questions on your set up just send me a PM

[moc]

Wow, with all these kayak crabbers, I expect many of you will be catching crabs for the CBKA Tournament....very cool....an army of fish and crabs.

As for culling the crabs, by law, you have to have a way on the kayak to separate your keeper basket and the crabs that you will measure. Doing this on a kayak as mentioned is a PITA. I would make a run and then beach at first to separate my crabs. I have a bucket in my yak that I can claim to be the bucket that has my crabs to be measured. I too follow the same rule as Metro, if it even appears to need measuring then it does not go in the basket. I have thrown questionable crabs in my mirage well to. That can be interesting at times.

You must measure your crabs after each run or you can be fined by DNR for any undersized crabs in your basket, even if you intended to measure and release them after each run, or in my case when I decide to beach my kayak and do the culling there. The reason that I know this is that I had the DNR pull my yak over when I was on my way to beach my yak to measure some crabs. Fortunately, the DNR was more facinated with taking a picture of my yak, but he told me the rules and I explained to him how it works and how I cul. So he corrected me that you should measure after each run in a separate basket, bucket, or I guess you kayak itself, ie, tankwell. I had a few crabs that was barely short in my basket that I was going to measure and he told me that if he wanted to, that he could fine me about $200.00. He would not since he knew I was working out the kinks on this kayak crabbing experiment, and he liked the idea of it. So he is a fan, but he told me to let all of the other kayak crabber know the rules.