UNITED STATES DEPART MENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL

Fishery Leaflet 616

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES

A Trotline for Blue Crabs

By

HILTON M . FLOYD

Fishery Leafle t 6 16

Washington, D . C . December 1968 II A Trotline for Blue Crabs

B y

HILTON M. FLOYD, Fishery M e thods a nd Equipment Spe c ialist

Bureau of Commercial Fisheries E x plorato r y Fish ing a n d G e ar Res ear ch Base P ascagoula, Miss. 395 6 7

ABSTRACT

A method of using many kinds of bai t on a t r o tlin e is pre s ent ed . T he gear is easy to make and use.

Traps are the principal met hod of catch­ Mat e r ials nee d e d t o construct a blue crab ing b 1 u e crabs throughout southeaste r n t rotline a bout 1,000 feet long are: United States . So me fishe rmen us e the old method of trotlining, which h as a 1. 1, 2 00 f eet of 3/ 16- inch diameter nylon v e r y tough bait- - bullnose, tripe , skat e , r ope . stingray, and s ha r k . This bait i s s e ­ 2 . Two a nchors-- s t yle and weight depend cured by the loop of a slipknot in t he on type of bottom and speed of current. mainline or on s (sh o rt lines) S c rap i r o n, c inder blocks, and r ocks at t a c h e d to the mainline . In another may be us ed. method, which is d e scribe d in this paper, 3 . Two buoys. Many items can be used, soft and sma 11 piec e s of bait such a s such a s p Ia s t ic jug s, elus t er s of net poultry o r meat scraps and t r as h fi s h floats , a nd d is c arded life preservers. are as effective as toughe r baits in c a t ching 4 . 175 pieces of la-inch square, 2-inch blue crabs. stretched mes h , No. 15 thread netting (p r ef e r ably nylon). N OTE: Discarde d t r awl, selne, or trap net­ GEAR t ing m ay be u sed, because the netting has l ittle strain put on it. Before describing the gear, I w ish to The f ollowing instruct ions on how to as ­ emphasize that the sizes of rope, n et­ semble this g ear a r e presented step by step ting, an c h 0 r s , and buoys c a n b e al­ to a ssist t he beginner as well as the ex­ tered to suit the individual . The p e rie nc e d f i she r man: e quipment described h e r e has p r o v ed t o be successful in the blue c r a b f i s her y S t ep 1 . t he buoys and anchors to the on the St. Johns River in north ea st mainline, in accor dance with the plan shown Florida. on f i gur e 1.

BUOY LINE ANCHOR LINE 1/3 LONGER THAN DEPTH 1/3 LONGER THAN OF WATER . HAUL UP TO DEPTH OF WATER REACH MAINLINE B t -- - .IllN.CTI ON

Figure l.--Trotline . Step 2 . Tle a s lip knot in t h e mainline 6 feet In an area with a noticeable current, the from the junct ion of t he buoy line and the trotline is s et parallel to the current. One mamlme (hg . 2) . s hould avoid setting the trotline cross­ current, because during the running of the Step 3 . Pla,ce about one- h alf t o th ree - fourths tro tline (removing crabs that are feeding on of a pound of balt on the center of the lO- inch t he bait) the curr ent may cause the boat to square plece of netting (hg . 3 ). drag the upstream anchor . Step 4 . Gather the out e r edge s of the netting In areas with currents, two methods may and tW l St to form a sack around the bait (fig . 4) . be used to run the trotline. In the first, the boat i s allowed to drift while the line slides Step 5. Insert the t wisted n e tti ng through through one hand of the fisherman while his t he shpknot and pull t he knot tigh t (fig. 5). other hand is free to dip net crabs . In the Sec re a balt, as de s cribed, a t 6 -foot inter ­ other , the boat is propelled against the cur­ vals along the entlre mainline. rent thereby increasing the maneuverability of the boat. Coll baited line m a container of appr opr i ate Some f i shermen use devices to increase Slze or in a compartment in t he stern of t he trotline e fficiency. One man may fish the gear boat . Thls act complete s the r igging a nd b a it­ by passing the line over a roller or similar mg of the trotlme. device extended over the side of the boat. He then uses one hand to operate the boat a nd the o the r to dip net crabs . Some fisher­ TIPS men suspend a basket about 3 feet in diamet e r a nd 2 feet d eep b e low the roller t o catch crabs fne trothne may be fished in most depths as they drop off. The basket i s emptied at the and on varlOUS types of bottom wher e blue e nd of each run. (rabs a re found . The gear can be u s e d f rom The length o f time the line sets between d"hOSt any small c r aft, s uch a s a s k iff runs depends on the number of crabs in the f'C,\ ered wlth lnboard o r o utboar d mot o r or area . In areas with large concentrations o f oars. If oars are used, r ing- t ype o r pinned c r abs , the line should be run continually; that oarlocks are best because t hey enabl e the is, as soon as a run is completed, go back to hstlerman to release an oar wit hout f ear of the opposite end and repeat the operation. loslng It while he dips the c r abs a s the y If t he catch is kept wet and shade d, t he " rface. result will be a quality product. f MS . # 1834

2 Figure 2. --Slipknot tied in the mainline.

Fl.gur 3. -- alt pL3ced 00 nefTIn

3 Figure 4.--Bait encompassed in sack of netting.

4 Figure S. - - Bait sack secured to mainline.

5 G .,. As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Depart­ Iment of the Interior has basic responsibilities for water, fish, wildlife, mineral, land, park, and recreational re­ sources. Indian and Territorial affairs are other major concerns of America's "Department of Natural Resources. II The Department works to assure the wisest choice in managing all our resources so each will make its full contribution to a better United States -- now and in the future.

~ I

PO TAGE AND FEES PAID U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE r TERrOR THIRD CLA S

OFFICI A L B USINESS

beel to bove ddre ~s . if y u d w b I receive Ihl maten tl =1. o r if of Idre IS needed (In dicate Incl run ZlP ( del.