Bill of materials:
Foam pool noodle3/4 inch PVC pipe3/4 inch PVC pipe capTape measureMarker – pen, pencil, sharpieFile or sand paperPVC glueTrotline stringLighter (for burning end of trotline string)Electric drill5/16 drill bitCable tie (optional)Circle hooks5 gallon bucket, my 5 gallon buckets are 13.25 inches tallVarious size weights (optional)Colored duct tape (some states require noodles to be a certain color)Assembly
Buy a foam pool noodle: These are usually sold by the big box-marts during the summer months. The noodles I bought are called “funnoodle” — they measure 55 inches long and are pink. We can expect to get expect to get 6 noodles, with each noodle being 9 inches long, out of a 55-inch long section of funnoodle.
A lot of stores sell two different sizes of pool noodles. The one we are looking for measures about 2 1/4 – 2 3/8 inches in diameter, which are usually the smaller of the two sizes.
If the noodle you have is 55 inches long, mark every 9 inches along the length of the foam noodle. If the noodle you have does not measure 55 inches long, use a calculator to figure out how many sections can be cut from the noodle with no waste. We want as little waste as possible with the foam material. If you need to cut the sections 9.25 inches long, then do so.
Buy a 3/4 inch PVC Pipe: This is your standard, white PVC pipe sold by hardware stores. Most stores sell sections either 5 feet or 10 feet long, so buy whichever length you want.
We can expect to get 5 sections out of a 5 foot piece of PVC pipe.
Cut the PCV pipe 2.50 inches longer than the foam sections. For example, my foam sections were cut 9 inches long and the PVC pipe was cut 11.25 inches long.
The importance of the 2.25 inches will be explained later in this article.
Glue the caps onto the PVC: Use the file and/or sand paper to remove any sharp edges from the ends of the pipe. Isopropyl alcohol can be used to remove any oil or dirt from the end of the pipe.
Swab glue inside the cap and on the outside of the pipe. Then insert the pipe into the cap and twist about 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Turning the cap and pipe mixes the glue and is supposed to create a strong bond.
Allow the glue to dry in a well ventilated area. I usually let the caps dry for 30 minutes or so while I work on other stuff.
Assemble the noodle: Insert the PVC pipe assembly into a foam section until the pipe cap comes into contact with the foam.
The overall assembly can be no longer than the 5 gallon bucket is tall, which is about 13 inches.
If you added a little bit to the length of the PVC and ended up with more than 1.25 inches, that is perfectly ok. As long as the overall length of the noodle assembly is no longer than the five-gallon bucket is tall, everything is going to be ok.
Drill hole for trotline: If everything has worked out there should be about 1.25 inches (or a little more) of PVC pipe protruding past the end of the foam.
About 3/4 – 1 inch from the end of the PVC pipe drill a 5/16 hole.
Why drill a 5/16 hole? Because after a knot is tied in the trotline string the knot may not go through a 1/4 inch hole.
Cable tie: This is optional and not required.
In April of 2013 my wife and I went camping at Martin Dies State Park which is close to Jasper Texas. While we were camping my wife and I ran noodles. One noodle must have had something big on it, because the pipecap pulled through several inches of the foam noodle. That was the first and only time I have ever seen the pipecap get pulled through the middle of the foam.
To prevent the cap from being pulled through the middle of the foam, place a cable tie an inch or so below the cap.
Attach the hook: Personally, I prefer trotline string over monofilament fishing line.
Trotline string is cheap, it’s easier to tie than monofilament line, and it is somewhat abrasion resistant. When you tie the hook on, be sure to have a lighter handy to burn the ends; if the ends are not burned then the line will unravel.
Another reason to use trotline string over monofilament line is that in a bind, trotline string can be used as a replacement for 550 cord. Boat motor go out? Need to spend a night in the wilderness? Trotline cord can be used to build an improvised overnight emergency shelter.
And for any job where a single strand of trotline cord is not strong enough, then you can braid three individual lines to make a strong rope.
I usually cut a section of trotline string about 30 inches long; after a couple of knots are tied in the line we have a bait depth of around 24 inches.
Use circle hooks: Why should you use circle hooks over J-hooks? When a catfish swallows a j-hook, the hook gets hung up in the throat or stomach and may kill the fish. When a catfish swallows a circle hook, the hook leaves the stomach and catches the fish on the edge of its mouth.
If you want to take wildlife conservation one step further then file the barb off the circle hook. That way, if a turtle or undersized fish takes the bait then the hook can be safely removed and the fish (or turtle) released unharmed.
Add weights: Weights can define the depth of the bait and can help reduce how far current and/or wind carries the noodle.
When the bait is free floating then the noodle is at the mercy of the wind and currents. But when you make the dropline long enough that it can reach the bottom of the river (or lake), and attach a weight, the noodle has an anchor to help hold it in place.
One of the drawbacks to using a long dropline is that it can get hung up in underwater obstructions. f a long dropline gets hung up, then this could prove fatal to a turtle.
The vast majority of fish I have caught on a noodles have been on lines 24 inches long or less.
Conservation
It is our duty to protect the wildlife we come into contact with. Whether it is hunting, fishing, or running noodles, we must do all we can to ensure that future generations have the same opportunities we currently enjoy.
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