I fish a lot on the Missouri river and some on the smaller rivers around the midwest. I run limb lines more that trot line because trot lines are a hassle in current and if your partner does not know what he is doing it is a nightmare!!
When I run limb lines I usually use ATLEAST a 70 pound test limb line rope and then depending on the depth, water level, current I will throw a minimum 1 ounce sinker on it. 50% of the time it is a 2-4 ounce sinker and occasionally an 8 oz. It just depends. The hooks I use are a new brand and I can't think of them at the moment but I will check my box tomorrow and let you know. Basically they are the circle hooks that when a fish bites and swims away it sets itself and hooks perfectly under the eye or in the corner of the mouth every time. A lot of companies make them. The tip is bent so that you don't gut hook them, which is the most important if you catch and release.
Trot lines are a lot different and when I run them I will build my own. On an occasion you can find a quality set up out of a package but don't be fooled in a cheap price because you get what you pay for. My current set up is a 300 lb test main line. From that I will run at the most 20 leads up to 36" apart but it depends on the length of the leads. The leads are normally 18-24"" long. The leads are 100 pound test rope with swivels connected to the main line. All with the same circle hook as before.
Bait:
My favorite bait is skip jack herring and works like crazy. It is a very oily fish and even when frozen works well. I have a lot of luck on shrimp and cut or fresh shad also. I keep hearing about fishing with "soap" and I'm going to try it this summer. We have what we call "creek chubs" in the small streams here in STL and they are EXTREMELY hardy fish that last and last. It is not uncommon to set them on a limb line at night and then check them in the morning and they are good to go. We just take the hook out and off they swim.
The last time my good buddy and I went out to set limb lines we set 12 lines and caught 8 channel cats on a bait we created and call the "dirty diaper". It is panty hose stuffed with about 2 tablespoons of shad flavored stink bait. I would imagine that any flavor will work. If you have ever used stink bait there is no way to make it stick to the hook in an efficient manor. Panty hose is the key. I know from first hand knowledge that when a grown man walks in to Walgreens to buy a whole crap load of panty hose, the cashier looks at you funny to say the least. :lol:
Hope this helps!! Good luck!
