Anyone here enjoy handline fishing? I've been using one form or another since I was a kid. Well, I figured I'm going to try and make them commercially.

For whatever reason I always seem to have more luck with handlines.

A few years back I was fishing off the coast of North Carolina, over by emerald Isle. I was just fishing with a cuban yoyo. In order to get past the waves I swam out past the breakers.  I'd cast it ways even further out and then tread water riding the swells until I had a fish on. I put my arm through the yoyo so I could swim. When I had a bite I'd basically body surf the waves back to shallow water then reel in the fish. I only caught some small sand sharks and some weird perch like fish. The highlight of the afternoon was getting hit by a shark. This happened when I was standing in thigh deep water reeling in one of those small sand sharks. I felt like someone punched me in the side of my leg. I screamed like a girl and looked down. All I saw was the dorsal fin and tail fin in the swirling water. They were about 4 ft apart. I figure it was just checking me out. I still swam all that afternoon and got the worst sunburn ever. I'm just glad one of the dozens of man o war I saw washed up on the beach didn't wrap around me. That night though I landed a huge (for me) Red Drum.  I was out chasing those little sand crabs for fun by the moonlight and thought I'd toss my line into the surf.


Honestly, though I love fishing for trout and such, it just doesn't compare to ocean fishing. You guys on the coast are blessed.

Anyone else here enjoy handline fishing? Have you made your own?

I had one made from a Victrola and a 1926 forge Algonac.

Used to get Hog Wallys by Canadian Club in The DeToilet River

Just looking at the title I knew I would find at least one river rat posting in here.

I don't see/hear about hand lining anywhere near as much as I used to, and with al the other and newer options out there a lot of guys don't seem to have much interest.

Between trolling/downrigging, planerboards, and mutlirod drifting using bouncers on dock rods I get pretty good results, I have a passing interest in it, but between shooting hunting and the current fishing setup I lack time space and money

ETA,
That said I hit an estate sale a couple weeks ago and there were probably 4 full tables of handlining stuff,  all the way from pier style spool rigs to the old school boat mount auto set rigs,
My old man worked with a couple of guys who hand lined the Detroit river with a boat completely full of those spring sett rigs, and they made a small fortune catching good size eyes and selling them to local restaraunts
Never mind the legalities of having 15-20 lines in the water for 2 guys lol