Has anyone tried fishing with yo yo reels?

Just wonder if it might be good to have some on hand, or if they're junk.

I never used them. But, a lot of people use them on their docks at their camps.

I used them year ago fishing for bull heads on the docks. But we are going way back. LOL

We caught boat loads of fish with them in Louisiana, but like Getting There said, we are going WAY back.

I've used them a fair bit in saltwater. In Florida they call them Cuban yo yos and I saw my first one in a tackle shop in Miami. A friend in Montana who knew about them turned me a beautiful one out of wenge, a super hard African wood that was about 12 inches in diameter. I caught some big snappers and jacks with it.... loaded with 100 yardss of 100 pound mono. He brought a huge one to Panama once and i watched him land a 100 pound sailfish with it. A serious tool in the right hands.

Pete

You can catch a lot of fish on yo yo's. If the bite really starts it's hard to keep them baited quick enough but it sure is fun.

Illegal in Texas.

Do ya think it matters which trigger, the wire or the flat.

What matters is that you buy WHITE’S AUTO FISHERS. Not the off brand.


Yo-yos are awesome for sacalait (crappie) and eating sized catfish. In the wintertime down here, ya can’t find any on the shelves. They’re great.

Rig them with clamps and you’re set

Flat triggers are supposed to be better.

Aix, I was hoping some southern boys would chime in, I've heard y'all use them a lot down there. Rig with clamps? Also, there are two different types that White's have. One has a SS spring. Do you think it matters which one?

I did just hear that on a Youtube video. Looks like they only offer the flat trigger on the one with the SS spring. But he also said the other spring is better lol. Why not put them both on the same reel???

I have a dozen "fish catchers" that sound like the same thing. Designed for ice fishing, like tip-ups. They will pull a big northern right up to the hole when he wears himself out.

Not meaning to sound like the tman police but just be sure theyre legal in your state.

A friend in LA gave my son some. Theyre handy as heck and do work.

They caught several fish on them in LA.

I appreciate it cathryn. I did check and they are legal here. Look like fun too!

Sorry Catch, but I can’t imagine you having the energy to set these and actually check them. Cool to talk about though.

Illegal in NJ so I'm not saying I've tried them but...If I had ever tried them I probably set them one evening with chicken on the hooks and had 4 catfish on 4 yoyo reels the next morning. Now NJ catfish get as big as minnows get down south so I don't know how the reels would have held up to southern catfish.

I drill a hole into the handle of nylon clips. Tie my twine to the clip and yo-yo. As I pull up to limbs, clip, clip, done. Same for retrieval.

Very quick and easy.

I’ll upload photos of mine when I get a chance. I also paint mine and put small pieces of reflective tape on them so make finding them with a spotlight easier


Here’s a link to the clips


https://www.harborfreight.com/1-12-in-nylon-spring-clamp-69292.html

Awesome, thank you!

We use them alot. It is alot of fun.

Yep. As said, go with White's Auto Fisher. And you may not have this exact problem in Ohio, but something to consider...

My father and a friend tried using several dozen in a large reservoir full of catfish to supply a community fish fry. They knew it would take a couple of hours to put them all out around the lake, and they hoped that would be enough time for the fish to bite. That way, they could just keep making a loop around the lake, re-baiting and loading the boat.

The only ones smarter than them were the alligators. By the time they made it back around, they were finding more catfish heads than catfish.

If you have smart predators around, it won't take them long to figure out that a tripped yo yo is a sure sign to an easy meal.

Airport, that’s a Hawg

Thanks AIX

I’ll have to admit that I was surprised when I started using yo-yos. I’d always heard how finicky crappie were and how I “needed” small mono that they wouldn’t see.


Then I started using yo-yos and catching them just fine with 40 lb twine!

Dang, yes it is!

OK I admit it I'am a little slow. Why are they illegal in some states?

Same reason there are limits on other fishing gear. People decided certain methods or amounts have an unfair advantage or there were problems with the way it used to be such as people setting a bunch of lines and then never checking them or people setting many and catching what some felt were “too many” fish so they restricted methods or gear. I don’t know all the fancy words, but it has to do with events leading to policy changes (I think)


Getting it changed [should] be a matter of getting enough people to agree

Ive never seen the need for them myself . They look useful for setting from things that dont give . I normaly tie to whippy limbs when the water is high . We also drill into solid things logs or pilings and stick fiberglass bank poles in . Those 4' 3/8 fence post work good on logs . You just dont see hardly any yo yos around here