Grizzly Fishing Guide
Here to help you catch fish and other seafood with your new fishing net or trap...
Gill nets are sheets of netting, weighted by a sinking bottom-rope (typically leadline) and kept up in the water by a floating top-rope.
Fish swim into the net and become entangled by the gills. They are prevented from moving forwards or backwards until removed by the fisherman.
Gill nets are highly versatile as they can be set to fish any depth of water. As shown in the diagram above, a bottom-fishing gill net sinks by default and fishes low down in the water because its bottom-rope is proportionally heavier than its top-rope. The depth to which it sinks can be controlled using long ropes attached to buoys as shown in the diagram. A surface-fishing gill net floats by default and fishes the surface area of the water because its top-rope is proportionally lighter than, and counter balances the effect of, the bottom-rope.
Bottom-fishing and surface-fishing gill nets are not structurally different. One 'type' can easily be changed into the other just by adding some more floats / some more weight.
Gill nets are made to different lengths, depths, and (most importantly) using different mesh sizes. The mesh size determines the size of fish that are caught. Specifically sized mesh gaps allow fisherman to catch their target fish species, while smaller / younger fish swim through the gaps unharmed. As a result, a properly rigged gill net is targeted, not indiscriminate.
MESH
Gill nets can be made of monofilament mesh or multimonofilament mesh. These are commonly abbreviated to 'mono' and 'multimono', and refer to the number of strands of fibre in the mesh. Mono mesh consists of one strand of fibre while multimono mesh consists of several strands of fibre woven together.
Mesh size is typically described in an abbreviated way, for example - '2 inches knot-to-knot' refers to the distance between two adjacent knots, which is the half mesh size. The full mesh size is referred to as '4 inch stretched mesh', i.e. the diagonal distance between two knots when the mesh is stretched. The stretched mesh size is approximately double that of the 'knot-to-knot' measurement.
RIGGING
Gill nets rigged with modern materials are more effective and durable. The nets that I sell use all of these materials to deliver you the best fully-rigged nets:
- Modern nylon mono or multimono mesh is fine but very strong. These meshes are as good as invisible to fish which improves the catch rate.
- Leadline (rope with small lead weights woven into its fibres) has replaced the cumbersome weights on the bottom-rope. This reduces the risk of nets tangling, snagging on rocks or themselves, and ripping when unraveling or when fishing. Inferior nets are still available with lead weights, but they do not last as long.
- EVA floats are virtually indestructible and have a long life-span as a result.
FISHING FROM SHORE
Gill netting from the shore can be very effective. Once the net is set in a good fishing location, it is armchair fishing. The gill net is set in position at low tide, perpendicular to the incoming tide to minimise the drag / friction from the tide. The net should be weighed down with anchors or sacks of rocks tied to each end of the bottom-rope. Buoy markers / empty bottles can be added, but are not necessary because the floats already ensure that the net will float up and fish its depth.
Choose a relatively clean area of shore if possible. Setting a gill net on a sharp rocky / coral area of shoreline could cause the net to rip in the tide. Shorelines dominated by rock-pools are also home to hundreds of crabs and other shellfish which are a nuisance to pick out of your net. Some amount of seaweed getting into your net is generally unavoidable, so just leave the net to dry and then the bits of seaweed can be picked out more easily.
The net is left to fish as the tide rises, and retrieved at the next low tide. Many large fish species like bass, mullet, pollock, and a variety of flatfish, swim in shallow tidal areas such as mudflats and can be targeted with a stationary gill net.
Creels / creel traps are cylindrical-shaped traps which are baited with fish or leftover food, set on the seabed and are mainly used to catch shellfish. They are a selective method of fishing, as small creatures can escape the traps and the shellfish are caught live, so unwanted catch can be return to the sea unharmed.
It's generally easier to set these traps from a small boat, tied to a long rope with a buoy or empty bottle at the end. However, you can also throw them in the sea from the shore as long as you have a way to retrieve them (i.e. tied to a long rope). Big shellfish can be caught in waters of only a few metres deep, not far from the shore.
The creel traps that I sell have been tried and tested over the years and they're excellent for catching crabs, lobsters, prawns and even (to my surprise) fish, squid and octopus.
The creel traps have a convenient hinged opening at one end to allow you to place the bait inside, and then to retrieve the catch without having to reach inside. They are made of springy coiled metal, encased in durable mesh. They are collapsible and therefore simple to store and transport. Dozens of traps can be deployed on a single long rope.
Simply place the bait (e.g. fish, salted fish, leftover meat scraps, pet food) inside the trap, close it securely, set it in a desirable place for a few hours, or overnight, and then retrieve it.