This is a picture of my handline reel. It is a Katchman by Riveria. Plastic outside reel and stainless steel framing. The cable inside is braided and coated aviation cable and is very flexable..At the end of the cable is a heavy duty clip that the shank will be attached to. The handline reel can be mounted to almost every rod holder out there.
This picture is a picture of a piece of shank. The shank has clevises every 6 inches the length of it. The shank can be made from the same material as the cable from the handline reel or preferred half the pound test as the handline reel cable. Also pictured here is a dual clip with a ball bearing swivel in the middle. This is what you clip your leads onto that go to the crank baits.
At the bottom of the shank is another heavy-duty clip that the weight is attached to. Depending on the flow and / or depth, trying to keep a 45-degree angle from where you hold onto the cable to the weight on the bottom, either drag or, lift and set down motion while moving up stream. This keeps the baits following each other as the bottom contour changes so do your baits…
I hope this answers some of your questions but I’m sure it wont answers all of them. So feel free to ask away and if I don’t know it I will find out for you…Here are a couple more eyes we pulled today whaile handlining…
Thanks for the info Dave, about how much does it cost to get set up for Handlining and when are you going to show me this technique in person 
The price varies..but for a handline reel, a shank and a weight will cost you about $150…Some guys that sell them can give you a more customized package for a bit more…
Next time i’m up to Pool 4 your welcome to jump in the boat with me.
Thanks Dave!!! Sounds good to me 
I’ve got lots of free time these days 
Quote:
Next time i’m up to Pool 4 your welcome to jump in the boat with me.
Okay, some questions:
Is the reel loaded with a recoil mechanism to automatically pick up the line? If so, how much line does it hold (what depth can you hit max?) and does it get progressively more tension in the line the deeper you go?
Is the reel needed? Could you just use a heavy weight with a steel cable or light rope on one of your cleats and fish a single bait behind it? I’m thinking that the reel keeps things from tangling when a fish is on and all hell is breaking loose in the boat, but maybe there’s more to it?
How heavy of a weight would you need to keep down a single crank with, say, 20′ of depth?
Great Questions Gianni,
Is the reel loaded with a recoil mechanism to automatically pick up the line?
The reel is spring loaded so that no matter ho much or how little of cable you have out there will allways be 4 pounds of tension on the reel.
If so, how much line does it hold (what depth can you hit max?)
There is aprox. 200 feet of braided /coated cable on each reel.
Is the reel needed? Could you just use a heavy weight with a steel cable or light rope on one of your cleats and fish a single bait behind it? I’m thinking that the reel keeps things from tangling when a fish is on and all hell is breaking loose in the boat, but maybe there’s more to it?
There are enough problems you can get into with out having a auto recoil reel, although there are linepole set-ups that allow you to do the same thing but with a stiff pole..they are used when handlining is not legal during tournaments..
How heavy of a weight would you need to keep down a single crank with, say, 20′ of depth?
This all depends on how swift the flow is…If the flow is at low levels, lets say 20,000 cfps then you might get away with a pound and a quarter. If the flow is at flood levels then you may need to up it to 2 pounds or even 3 pounds…depends on the flow at 20 feet of water…You just need to experiment so you can keep a 45 degree angle.
where are some places to get these reels and other trinkets that go with it? Does Hutch carry any of these items?
Hutch is the best source for handline gear that I know of…I would highly recommend him for gear and info…… 
Thanks EC, I am heading up to Clear lake this weekend and thought about just picking up something with enough weight to give this a try without making any sort of serious investment on my part. I might need to reevaluate that.
I have herd of this being done on the great lakes for salmon but it is really designed for the river…good luck !!
Thanks Dave. Both Nate and I bought 2 sets each a couple years ago from Hutch. After a demonstration in his boat we were both sold. They work great anytime of year and really shine in high fast water where anything else is hard to keep your lures near the bottom. We use 25 lb. Berkley mono for our leaders back to the crankbaits. In fact, in the area where we had our demo I could tell by bouncing the weight [lift up and set back down] on the bottom just where the clambeds were from the regular bottom content. Very sensitive. You can order these at 1-608-326-6764.
Thanks, Bill
checked the archives, no info, Who is Hutch and where is his shop located?
he is in Prairie du Chien… 608-326-6764
Ok, so, the subject of HANDLINING has been talked about a few times here on this web site, and until then, I never heard od it. So am I to understand that your rig has no pole? It is just a reel and some line? How did this ever come about? Why are the reasons to use this? Why is the river better verses the lake? What are the rules to using it and are there places where it is illegal? What types of fish do you use it for? Sorry for all the questions, this is something (like I have said earlier) that is new to me and would like to know some info about it all to see if this is something I might want to get into.
So am I to understand that your rig has no pole? It is just a reel and some line?
That is correct…The reel you see in the picture is what holds all the cable, and you operate it by holding the cable in your hand.
How did this ever come about? Why are the reasons to use this?
I’m told that the old timers in the Detroit Mi. area fishing the rivers that feed Lake Erie new that the big walleyes were hiding in the deep holes of those rivers. Looking for a means of presenting a bait in front of their noses and being able to hold it there so the walleye would take a chomp on their offering was how this all came about. With the flow so high and V-jigging wasn’t working hand lining was invented…There are some truly great stories on hand lining out there just do some searching on the web and you’ll find some great info and stories.
What are the rules to using it and are there places where it is illegal?
The only rules that I am aware of are the limit of lines you can have in the water at one time…
What types of fish do you use it for?
What ever bites I have caught crappies, bass, northerns and walleyes…
Those are all good questions
This technique sounds very interesting. Here are a few questions that I have:
When handling, do you let the current do the work or move up and down the river?
How do you detect a strike, it seems to me that the large weight might make it hard to detect?
Is there any type of a hook set involved?
Does the reel just bring the fish right in or is there some fighting the fish?
Thanks for answering my (what must seemed like) stupid questions. It all seems very interesting and just wanted to get the scoop.
When handling, do you let the current do the work or move up and down the river?
Yes..the current does most of the work..this is what makes this work so well…
How do you detect a strike, it seems to me that the large weight might make it hard to detect?
Strikes are not hard to detect at all…What it was described to me as is…Like someone tugging on your shirt sleeve…even the 10 inch little guys can be felt once you have some time invested on the water..
Is there any type of a hook set involved?
absolutely no hook set involved at all, if you were to set the hook all you’d do is pull the hooks out the the fish’s mouth..
Does the reel just bring the fish right in or is there some fighting the fish?
once the strike is detected, stand up and start bringing the cable in, all the while the reel takes up the slack leaving no cable on the floor of the boat…your hands are the drag so everything is done by feel…
GREAT QUESTIONS EVERYONE !! 
If you have some questions that you don’t want to post please feel free to e-mail or pm me…
Hear is the latest link to my last handlining trip
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