Fishing yo yo question?

[Chase515]

I've been reading the Indiana fishing regulations and see trotlines and jug floats are legal. Drop lines are also legal, but can I use the fishing yo yo's for my drop lines or would they be considered fishing reels as the rules state your only allowed 3 in the water?

 

[Sniper 79]

I would consider them drop lines and set out ten. Except for the fact someone would steel them as fast as you set them out.

 

[Chase515]

My plan was dropping a trotline on the Wabash this weekend and about 10 fishing yo yo limb lines. But I was unsure and went to a big pond on the farm 50 yards across and half a mile long. I ran a mix of bates, chicken livers and gizzards, frozen creek chub, and magic bate chicken liver and crawfish blood. Headed back in the morning to check my lines. I have 25 hooks on my trotline all bated, 10 yo yo's and 3 pool noodle jug floats the kids tossed out.

 

[Sniper 79]

I did same with my kids minus the yo yo lines. Someone would steel them things so fast. Heck they will take your fish and trot line aswell.

We camoed the trot line best we could. Came back at sun up to streightned hooks and no fish. Primary spot is Kankakee river. Probably turtles and big cats.

Picked up some Gamakatsu circles to try next.

 

[bwframe]

I have a dozen (SHTF) yoyo's I've never used. I use a 4' pvc tube with notches on the end as a big "snelled hook" holder. I keep a half dozen hooked/tagged limb lines in the canoe when panfishing. I set a line or few, normally with nightcrawlers picked from the yard. It's way cool to look across the lake to limbs bobbing.

 

[Chase515]

I started out checking my yo yo's and most of the dough bait was gone off those and only one was tripped. After counting and going back and double checking one is missing along with the branch it was hanging on. Two of the pool noodle jug floats had no bait left, one had a shad left on it but the head was cut clean off the body. The trot line was moving up and down when I got to it. My level of excitement was through the roof when I started pulling up the trotline. Empty hook after empty hook all the way down to the end and a very large snapping turtle greeted me. I was trying to figure out how to get it in the canoe and decided to dispatch it instead of cutting the line and leaving the hook in it. I haven't cleaned a snapping turtle in at least 10 years and its kind of fun. I'm mainly fishing for catfish and need to try some different hooks. 4/0 circle is the smallest I'm using right now but I'm thinking about a 1/0 with worms next time to see what size fish I'm dealing with. Also working on some live bait for the next fishing adventure which should be Friday night.

 

[bwframe]

It's quite a task to tackle a turtle with a knife. Do you have a special technique for cleaning them?

 

[Sniper 79]

Yes those pesky turtles will snip a minnow off like a pair of scissors. Think I will stick to stink bait or chicken livers. Something they wont like. Tough to be live bait though.

My dad and my uncle were at Willow Slough fishing. They caught a bunch of bluegill and had them on a stringer off the side of the canoe. Pulled the stringer and it was nothing but heads left and a big turtle hanging on. My dad about crapped! He was sitting with his feet off the side next to that stringer. Yikes!

 

[Chase515]

Nope just get in there. Cut around the shell on the front half and start skinning it down. Once the skin is off you can feel down to the shoulder joint and take the point of your knife and cut right through the joint. Do that on all 4 corners and you have the leg meat. Skin down the tail to the vent and stop there the meat after that is not worth the effort. I'm not much help after that but I can take my 7" filet knife and follow down the shell and free all the meat in the bottom and cut right through the bottom plate but I'm not always lucky enough to miss organs.

 

[Chase515]

Yes those pesky turtles will snip a minnow off like a pair of scissors. Think I will stick to stink bait or chicken livers. Something they wont like. Tough to be live bait though.

My dad and my uncle were at Willow Slough fishing. They caught a bunch of bluegill and had them on a stringer off the side of the canoe. Pulled the stringer and it was nothing but heads left and a big turtle hanging on. My dad about crapped! He was sitting with his feet off the side next to that stringer. Yikes!

Most of the empty hook had stink bait or chicken livers on them. A few had frozen shad.