Springmillvol
Member
Not complaining or anything but was wondering what species are targeted with that style of fishing ?
Just curious
Thanks
Just curious
Thanks
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Saw my first commercial boats using nets on Saturday ?
- Thread starter Springmillvol
- Start date
SpurHunter
New member
They claim rough fish like buffalo, etc. BUT, the by-catch is significant in my opinion.
Softbaitmaker
New member
Normally rough fish like carp, catfish, Drum, Silver carp etc etc. They are suppose to release any game fish in the nets but who knows how many do. There is one gu I know that does gill net fishing and I have spoke with him several times when he has just put his boat on his trailer and begins transfering all his fish from the barrels in the boat to a big Ice chest/tank in the back of his truck and I have seen him move as many as a 100 fish and have never seen him transfer a game fish and his barrels are empty and he dumps out the little water that is in them each time. We have spoke several times and is a nice guy. He ahs offered me a few catfish to take home but normally he has big ones over 10 lbs and I like small ones 3 lbs or less. With that said,
I did have an incident with a guy running nets on main channel of Old Hickory Lake once. Gill net fishermen or Commercial fishermen are suppose to remain with their nets all the time they are in the water. I was running down the main channel on Old Hickory Lake about 7 or 8 years ago in the Fall and as I was running down stream I could see the line floats across the flats so knew there was nets but I didn't see a boat anywhere. What I did see was a Loon caught in one of the nets and was trying to get off the water but couldn't. I didn't really give it much thought till I got to the 3rd net and there was a Green Head Mallard caught all tangle in another net. The object of the fisherman staying with their nets is to get wild Life out of them as quick as possible. I decided to put trolling motor down and go release the Mallard. It was all tangled up so I got out my Kershaw scissors out and cut about 10 square foot of net out to be able to release the duck. I then went up stream to get the Loon out of the net and again had to cut a large portion of the net to get the bird out. I learned that Loons are not really sociable even when your trying to help them. Just about the time the Loon took flight a boat showed up in the distance and it was the Commercial fisherman. He ould tell by how many floats were gone that I had cut a good size portion out to get the bird out and he began raising all kinds of hell. He said he was going to have me arrested and began writing down my boat numbers. I said let me save you the trouble. I have a game wardens cell phone number on Speed dial so I called him. He was just launching about 10 miles down lake and said he would be there in about 15 minutes or so and I waited on him to arrive and he had a partner with him. A trainee. When he got there the Fisherman began yelling out what I had done and wanted me arrested. He looked at the guy and said, You need to be quiet and he would not shut up so the warden boarded his boat and pull out cuffs and told him if he did not shut up he would cuff him so the guy shut up. Then the warden ask me what I did exactly and I told him I cut the nets to release a Loon and Mallard. He said so you do admit to cutting the mans nets and I said yes and showed him pictures I took of the birds before I cut them. He than turned to the man and asked him where he was while I was cutting the nets and he said tending to a net on the flat above the 109 bridge on the right side of the channel. At that point he told me I was free to go and he told the commercial fisherman he was under arrest and the guy said FOR WHAT??? and the warden said Gill netting above the 109 bridge is not allowed and leaving these nets unttended endangering wild life. I spoke to my friend later that week and he said the guy lost all his nets and was required to go up in front of a judge and might lose his boat, truck and trailer since this was his 3rd strike as he has been caught 2 times in the past and was still on probation. Now with that said I don't suggest that anyone just go around cutting a commercial fishermans nets because that is how many of them make a living but I will say if you see something like wild life in nets call TWRA or your Wildlife agency and tell them what you have see and where it is located. Not speaking up just allows them to keep doing what they are doing which is wrong.............JMHO
I did have an incident with a guy running nets on main channel of Old Hickory Lake once. Gill net fishermen or Commercial fishermen are suppose to remain with their nets all the time they are in the water. I was running down the main channel on Old Hickory Lake about 7 or 8 years ago in the Fall and as I was running down stream I could see the line floats across the flats so knew there was nets but I didn't see a boat anywhere. What I did see was a Loon caught in one of the nets and was trying to get off the water but couldn't. I didn't really give it much thought till I got to the 3rd net and there was a Green Head Mallard caught all tangle in another net. The object of the fisherman staying with their nets is to get wild Life out of them as quick as possible. I decided to put trolling motor down and go release the Mallard. It was all tangled up so I got out my Kershaw scissors out and cut about 10 square foot of net out to be able to release the duck. I then went up stream to get the Loon out of the net and again had to cut a large portion of the net to get the bird out. I learned that Loons are not really sociable even when your trying to help them. Just about the time the Loon took flight a boat showed up in the distance and it was the Commercial fisherman. He ould tell by how many floats were gone that I had cut a good size portion out to get the bird out and he began raising all kinds of hell. He said he was going to have me arrested and began writing down my boat numbers. I said let me save you the trouble. I have a game wardens cell phone number on Speed dial so I called him. He was just launching about 10 miles down lake and said he would be there in about 15 minutes or so and I waited on him to arrive and he had a partner with him. A trainee. When he got there the Fisherman began yelling out what I had done and wanted me arrested. He looked at the guy and said, You need to be quiet and he would not shut up so the warden boarded his boat and pull out cuffs and told him if he did not shut up he would cuff him so the guy shut up. Then the warden ask me what I did exactly and I told him I cut the nets to release a Loon and Mallard. He said so you do admit to cutting the mans nets and I said yes and showed him pictures I took of the birds before I cut them. He than turned to the man and asked him where he was while I was cutting the nets and he said tending to a net on the flat above the 109 bridge on the right side of the channel. At that point he told me I was free to go and he told the commercial fisherman he was under arrest and the guy said FOR WHAT??? and the warden said Gill netting above the 109 bridge is not allowed and leaving these nets unttended endangering wild life. I spoke to my friend later that week and he said the guy lost all his nets and was required to go up in front of a judge and might lose his boat, truck and trailer since this was his 3rd strike as he has been caught 2 times in the past and was still on probation. Now with that said I don't suggest that anyone just go around cutting a commercial fishermans nets because that is how many of them make a living but I will say if you see something like wild life in nets call TWRA or your Wildlife agency and tell them what you have see and where it is located. Not speaking up just allows them to keep doing what they are doing which is wrong.............JMHO
They target rough fish, but they catch everything that swims. I'm not sure the risk to the ecosystem is worth the reward. These guys aren't pumping tons of money into the TWRA fund or the economy, but most are feeding families so I'm not gonna mess with them unless its blatantly illegal.
Softbaitmaker
New member
I would not have messed with that guy if he was following the rules and staying with his nets and not letting water fowl get caught in them without releasing them quickly. You could tell both birds had been in the nets a long time to be as tangled as they were!
Softbaitmaker
New member
Yea but the limit is 1 per day and it has to be over 34 inches in lenght. Not really worth the effort for commercial fisherman?????? !!!!
One 40 pound female with row produces around 9 to 10 pound of row,at $100.00 a pound that's pretty much worth the effort if you all ready have the equipment to do it. Most of the guys still doing this is a dying breed you don't see young guys getting in to this for a way of living it is mostly older guys that this is all they know how to do.A resident commercial license cost 244.00 a year, a row permit if you get lucky and get one cost 1200.00 a year. Just one gill net is around 400.00 so this isn't something you just go out and get into,but if your trying to feed your self and pay the bills and your old and can't just go start another career then ya it is worth the effort for them.
catfish170
Member
Rules are there to protect everyone and all species about the best they can and still accommodate all. Kinda the reason why we have a 15 fish limit on crappie. stay with your stuff like your supposed to and no problem. Personally very against nets especially in fresh water. Live baskets for target species like the natives used.
Softbaitmaker
New member
I agree 100% Catfish. The old basket traps that were outlawed for so long would work a lot better than gill nets and you could release any game fish unharmed. My Grand faher use to have several basket traps out strictly for catfish and all other fish caught were released unharmed. Gill nets wind up killing about everything they catch including water fowl. I also agree with limits on all species of game fish cause without them the next generation would not have any fish to fish for..........JMHO
I saw 3 boats putting out nets Friday and Saturday. There were several below and above the discharge and I saw several more marker bouys up to Sale Creek. I've never seen the boats stay with theit nets, most seem to be left overnight. I really don't understand why they are legal. It seems like the economic value of a great fishery would far outweigh whatever small revenue the commercial fisherman provide.
catfish170
Member
We could get an old WWII mine sweaper...lol might raise a few eyebrows