Any commercial fishmen ?

So shot in the dark here ,this being a casting forum and all but seems there's alot of older guys in here and figured some of y'all might know something and I guess this part of the forum is like the general discussion so forgive me if I post the place but anyhow. Anyone happen to be or have been a commercial fishmen ? Mainly intresting is learning some stuff about freshwater practices. I've been trying to learn about kinda as a hobby but generally their just isn't that much in the web besides a few bits and pieces. I've figured out a good little bit as far as net making and the like but I'm always looking for more info lol.So has any one ever ran gill net, use jump boxes,hoop nets slat traps build their own nets ect ? There's no one locally for me to talk to so the internet is my only option currently

My one uncle was for over 35 year. I helped when he needed it. He ran mostly hoop nets. He was hired out by the local nuclear plant to do seining to collect data for their fish hatchery they do to boost the populations in the Midwest. I talk to the head guy there all the time. Went out shocking walleye to get eggs to hatch. One we got a couple years ago was over 19lbs. It smashed the state record. Not many people know that. The survival rate of her eggs was 1000's of times higher than if she was let go. Plus a fish like that was at its last year anyway.

The uncle made all of his nets. Sold all of them when he quit. I remember him making box traps when I was really young. He made most of the bait he used in the bags that were hung inthe hoop nets. You did not want to be around when he didthis and while it air dried for weeks.

When I fished in Great South Bay, about the only time we uses nets were to get into a school of khillies and catch them for bait.Sometimes we had so many lines out basically one guys job was to watch the lines. In about 6 minutes we'd new enough bait fish to keep us going all day.Never commercial fishermen just a guy with his boat out fishing and if I got lucky I'd be bringing home dinner. And most days I did bring home dinner. Fresh blackfish,fresh fluke and fresh flounder. Fishes with 30 pound ande line as the currents when the time changes could be rough. Frank

It'd help to know what you're going after, and what bodies of water will you will be in?
Your state should have a printed booklet for their laws on what gear and bait you can, or can't use.

I look at lots of youtube videos about fishing. Put in 'fishing for catfish' 'fishing for bass', etc.
There's bunches of them.

A favorite channel of mine on youtube is 'catfish and carp'.
I think he's in Georgia.
His videos do it all--- he makes bait, takes you out fishing with his kid and wife on the boat, cleans them, etc.

I have ran a lot of webbing through my hands along with tons of hanging twine , mending pound nets along the Chesapeake bay . But I have not fished in fresh water . What are you working on ?

I know nothing about it, but when I lived in Alaska for a while, where a lot of commercial fishermen work, I remember reading it was the most dangerous occupation in America in terms of deaths and injuries on the job, beat out fire fighting, mining, etc. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with Alaska (seems everything will kill you up there) and it wouldn't be so bad someplace else.

Still trying to get my head around a 19 pound Walleye, wow. I believe the record in Kansas is around 13 and even that is hard for me to imagine. In Europe, they have a fish called a Zander or something that when I learned of them looked just like a walleye to me only much larger. Have they ever had any others close to that large?

If you have a good source for carp there can be money in them. Especially if transported live to New York.
Lots of hard work in outdoors setting, not for everyone. At least not up north in Minnesota.

There used to be a show on about catching carp with nets through the ice. Some hoop net action in nicer weather.
I don't think the profit margin is as good as it used to be.

what can you fish for in your area on what kind of water?

when I lived in Louisiana I went out with commercial guy before, they would string nylon gill net across bayou at sundown and go retrieve at sunrise so there was little likelihood anyone would catch the gear up in a prop. they would get all kinds of stuff including those catfish looking critters with the big bill saucer lip one guy call em.

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

I think he's in Georgia.

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He is out of Virginia or D.C.. He is a lawyer in D.C.

This might help you, unless you are going the commercial route.

https://www.mdwfp.com/law-enforcemen...ng-rules-regs/

https://www.mdwfp.com/fishing-boatin...er-commercial/

I've never been a commercial fisherman, but for the first few years of my after-college working life I ran hoop and gill nets as much a some commercial fisherman did, and did electrofishing as well. I always preferred hoop nets because they caught a lot of fish, especially in flowing water with the mouth set downstream. No need to bait them. We caught everything that used the habitat where they were set, particularly sunfish and catfish when they were set close to the bank. The channel cats probably were seeking a place to hide, but the flatheads went in to eat the sunfish which they often regurgitated in various stages of digestion when we pulled the net. Hoop nets kill very few fish but you will drown the occasional turtle. Bass seem to avoid them which is good because they're probably illegal to keep from a hoop net.

For personal use gill nets are just too much trouble to set and run, get hung too often,kill a lot of fish unnecessarily, catch too many game species, and get stolen and cut up by fishermen who snag lures in them.

I had some friends who used slat baskets baited with rancid cheese to catch a lot of channel and blue catfish in reservoirs. For personal use I would go with hoop nets or slat baskets.

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Originally Posted by tomme boy

He is out of Virginia or D.C.. He is a lawyer in D.C.

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I figured they're pretty much the same since they're both somewhere in the wild, unexplored regions of Not Texas.:bigsmyl2:

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Originally Posted by gbrown

This might help you, unless you are going the commercial route.

https://www.mdwfp.com/law-enforcemen...ng-rules-regs/

https://www.mdwfp.com/fishing-boatin...er-commercial/

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O I'm aware of of my state law pretty well lol, i carry a commercial and regular liscense. Actually supposed the last game warden who asked to check

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

It'd help to know what you're going after, and what bodies of water will you will be in?
Your state should have a printed booklet for their laws on what gear and bait you can, or can't use.

I look at lots of youtube videos about fishing. Put in 'fishing for catfish' 'fishing for bass', etc.
There's bunches of them.

A favorite channel of mine on youtube is 'catfish and carp'.
I think he's in Georgia.
His videos do it all--- he makes bait, takes you out fishing with his kid and wife on the boat, cleans them, etc.

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Well nothing in particular really again I'm just kinda collecting knowledge. Alot of this stuff is dying and would like to be able to bring it out some ,even if it's just guys on a forum talking. I've watched probably 80% of the ameryyoutube videos on making nets, commercial trot lines gill nets ect but most if it is well rather lacking.its usually something like , buy this hoop net put chesses in it toss in creek catch fish and that's it. Nothing about how to balance the hoops or what webbing it's best what twine size to use when and how , how to make and run jump boxes how to hang gillnets ect. What can I say I'm just thirsty for the knowledge

Also love cats and carp used to watch eveyone of his videos , love his more european was of fishing at times very intresting

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Originally Posted by Wolfdog91

how to make and run jump boxes how to hang gillnets ect. What can I say I'm just thirsty for the knowledge

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When ya get going-- 'Jan's Netcraft' is the 900 pound gorilla for buying the supplies and stuff for making nets and other fishing gear.
And their prices are decent.

Find your local seafood buyer/processor and ask for a few names of guys doing it that would like some free help/apprentice.

easy way to get started is box traps for catfish. Not hard to build from green sawed slats. When done soak them weighted in a pond and set them in the river using a female catfish to attract during the spawning season and cottonseed cake, sour soybeans or cheese during the rest of the time

Memphis Net is who I have bought a bunch of stuff from. I go through 3 or more casting nets a year.