Trotline Setup and Gear Tag Checklist

Saves on this device. Reset it before every trip.

Required fishing license and freshwater endorsement, unless exempt
Durable, legible tags with name and address OR TPWD customer number, plus date set
Mainline measured, 600 feet or less
Hook count checked: 50 or fewer per trotline, 100 or fewer total per angler across freshwater devices
Hooks spaced at least 3 horizontal feet apart
Floats that are NOT orange, at least 6 by 3 inches
Bait on ice (Bar S weenies ride in a cooler, not the sun)
Life jackets, one per person, worn in the flat bottom
Phone charged, trolling battery charged, gas in the tank
Knife, gloves, pliers, extra hooks, extra line, extra tags

Gear tag attached within 3 feet of the first hook at each end
No metal stakes
Mainline, hooks, and stagings below the surface
Line clear of the boat road and other people's markers
Record the set date, keep tags valid, inspect lines regularly, and remove gear when not fishing

Count and measure: 25 channel and blue combined, only 10 of those 20 inches or longer
Flatheads 18 inches minimum, 5 per day
Keep harvest chilled; remove heads/tails or fillet only after final landing with no further boat transport
Harvest log filled in: who, what, how many, where the fish went
Confirm TPWD transfer requirements; complete a Wildlife Resource Document when required
Nothing left on the water when the season is over