trotline

American

[trot-lahyn] / ˈtrɒtˌlaɪn /

noun

a strong fishing line strung across a stream, or deep into a river, having individual hooks attached by smaller lines at intervals.

trotline British

/ ˈtrɒtˌlaɪn /

noun

angling a long line suspended across a stream, river, etc, to which shorter hooked and baited lines are attached Compare trawl See also setline

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of trotline

1825–35; perhaps trot ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Catfish are good on cheese bait, stinkbait and shrimp with trotline success.

From Washington Times • Apr. 8, 2020

He told deputies he and Mary had gone trotline fishing, and she accidentally fell out of the boat.

From Washington Times • Jul. 31, 2016

He tweaked the vertical tiller at the side of his boat as he steered along his middle trotline.

From Washington Post • Jun. 19, 2016

Purchase regulation trotline cord or braided surveying line that tests at about 250 pounds.

From Time Magazine Archive

There were hooks spaced along the trotline, and we hung a dough ball on each.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023