My dad just bought a 10 foot trawl. I was hoping to collect more of the blennys and gobys that you cant catch easily with dip nets with this. The only problem is that i heard that a lot of the fish lose their slime coat and get damaged by the trawl and that the fish will not make it very well in an aquarium after being caught with the trawl. Is this true. I was really looking forward to this because I have never got to catch striped blennys and skilletfish with a dip net. All I catch is naked gobys and the other usuals. Im almost 100% sure that ill get em with the trawl.

My dad just bought a 10 foot trawl. I was hoping to collect more of the blennys and gobys that you cant catch easily with dip nets with this. The only problem is that i heard that a lot of the fish lose their slime coat and get damaged by the trawl and that the fish will not make it very well in an aquarium after being caught with the trawl. Is this true. I was really looking forward to this because I have never got to catch striped blennys and skilletfish with a dip net. All I catch is naked gobys and the other usuals. Im almost 100% sure that ill get em with the trawl.

When I collected Blennys they always seemed to be hiding in crevices or holes in posts for docks, same with gobies so I'm thinking a trawl may not be the best way to go unless it tears up the structure they like to hide in which wouldn't be good either. We'd check out holes and crevices and use small 6-10 inch aquarium nets blocking the escape with one and prodding them out with the handle of the other.

My dad just bought a 10 foot trawl. I was hoping to collect more of the blennys and gobys that you cant catch easily with dip nets with this. The only problem is that i heard that a lot of the fish lose their slime coat and get damaged by the trawl and that the fish will not make it very well in an aquarium after being caught with the trawl. Is this true. I was really looking forward to this because I have never got to catch striped blennys and skilletfish with a dip net. All I catch is naked gobys and the other usuals. Im almost 100% sure that ill get em with the trawl.

Hi,

You need to do 3 things;

1. Find a hoop from an old crab net . Cut it down with a hack saw so it is a tad bit wider than a basket ball. Stick it inside the rear end of the net (cod end) right past where the smaller (thicker) netting starts in the rear.
2. Strap it in place with some black plastic tie wraps.
3. If your 'bag' cod end is over 5' long....move your tie line and cinch it closed at about 3' from the where the lightweigh mesh of the net meets the heavier mesh of the 'bag'. This kills the turbulence that builds up inside and dishwashes the fish in swirls of water pressure.


Limit your pulls to 10 minutes only and be sure to put your tickle chain on as these critters tend to bury around shells and dip holes.



* you should have a really small mesh knotless liner inside but here in La. that will get you a severe ticket for undersized mesh unless you all have a collectors permit.
PM me if you do have a permit and I'll send you an old used liner, no cost, that you can insert in the codend right behind the hoop......

** The hoop keeps the netting from collapsing on the caught fish and beating them up as badly. Yes, a stock shrimp trawl is designed to just catch .......not to catch and keep healthy. For delicates like that you would need a square mesh "Live catch" codend but if you are catching fish bait , that would release quite a lot of your croaker,finger mullet and shrimp catch.....I am guessing you all use all for specs in the lake.


*** we used to catch lots of blennys and gobys in the East Cote Blanche Bay to the west of you.

Always glad to help our youth with an interest in native fishes.

Thanks for the info netmaker. My dad bought the trawl to catch bait for specs so I was just wondering if i could catch the blennys and gobys with it to. We tried it out this weekend and caught some bait. We tried to fish but we somehow did not see that there was a cold front coming in. . Later at the boat dock I did catch a bunch of naked gobys and a huge clown goby though.
Anyways thanks for the info
I think we are going to go to Bayou Bienvenue next to get specs and reds. But were also gonna see if we can catch blennys as well.

Thanks for the info netmaker. My dad bought the trawl to catch bait for specs so I was just wondering if i could catch the blennys and gobys with it to. We tried it out this weekend and caught some bait. We tried to fish but we somehow did not see that there was a cold front coming in. . Later at the boat dock I did catch a bunch of naked gobys and a huge clown goby though.
Anyways thanks for the info
I think we are going to go to Bayou Bienvenue next to get specs and reds. But were also gonna see if we can catch blennys as well.

You know, somewhere in the shed is my first trawl, a 10' bait net. But it was made by a Portugese fisherman in Delacroix , it was made of cotton thread and it is 45 years old. My dad and i did the same thing back then.......


FYI

Old School recipe for a trophy:

Small croaker hooked behind the Dorsal fin, 20" of line and a 4" brown popping cork............Big Specs!

Netmaker - just curious how you figured all this out. I'm envisioning you inside the bag, or tethered behind it while trawling, carefully measuring turbulence and shear forces and filming what happens to the fish .... Probably not the case, but it's fun to imagine. Great info we'd sure never find anywhere else!

Hi,

You need to do 3 things;

1. Find a hoop from an old crab net . Cut it down with a hack saw so it is a tad bit wider than a basket ball. Stick it inside the rear end of the net (cod end) right past where the smaller (thicker) netting starts in the rear.
2. Strap it in place with some black plastic tie wraps.
3. If your 'bag' cod end is over 5' long....move your tie line and cinch it closed at about 3' from the where the lightweigh mesh of the net meets the heavier mesh of the 'bag'. This kills the turbulence that builds up inside and dishwashes the fish in swirls of water pressure.

Limit your pulls to 10 minutes only and be sure to put your tickle chain on as these critters tend to bury around shells and dip holes.

* you should have a really small mesh knotless liner inside but here in La. that will get you a severe ticket for undersized mesh unless you all have a collectors permit.
PM me if you do have a permit and I'll send you an old used liner, no cost, that you can insert in the codend right behind the hoop......

** The hoop keeps the netting from collapsing on the caught fish and beating them up as badly. Yes, a stock shrimp trawl is designed to just catch .......not to catch and keep healthy. For delicates like that you would need a square mesh "Live catch" codend but if you are catching fish bait , that would release quite a lot of your croaker,finger mullet and shrimp catch.....I am guessing you all use all for specs in the lake.

*** we used to catch lots of blennys and gobys in the East Cote Blanche Bay to the west of you.

Always glad to help our youth with an interest in native fishes.

Netmaker - just curious how you figured all this out. I'm envisioning you inside the bag, or tethered behind it while trawling, carefully measuring turbulence and shear forces and filming what happens to the fish .... Probably not the case, but it's fun to imagine. Great info we'd sure never find anywhere else!

Actually B.I.T.D. we did just that.

Drug a huge truck tire inner tube to rest on, pulled the different style nets behind a 30' Skiff in 4-6' of water in Vermilion Bay......hung on the tube and swam in , through and around the net and doors.
We used Viking scales hooked to heavy cord for Bollard pull........then we'd trail water dye through the net for measuring Internal Pressure Wave and Fishing Circle PW....... we had an assortment of gadgets and devices.
All crude, but it cut to the chase on designing.

A commerial fishermen will NEVER tell you his net is working fine.In fact, he'll never tell anyone. that is why we now deal 100% with only Research and Sampling scientists....if they like the gear they tell everybody!


FYI
In later years, we hooked up with some professors at USL and LSU. Some stuff is still out there on the internet, but i do not know where.......We brought on computers, Electronic Load Cells and very fine measuration equipment. We did seveal projects for different state and federal organizations and tested most of our Fred and Barney hypothesis' during the projects. They were all in the ball park I am happy to say.

I am by no means a smart person. i just treat this net design business as a science in its own right and not just a nostalgic, homespun industry. I never quit improving gear. .... and when we fail ( like our first attempt at turtle ejection devices and 2 years ago at our first attempt with Big Head carp on the Illinois river).....I don't give up . We study the target , look at what happen , revamp the designs, retrofit the gear and hit it again.
I really LIKE what i do so i put extreme effort into it.

Actually, we have rather interesting pelagic gear heading up your way to Wilmington for the university folks.

Answers your question mon amis?

Edited by netmaker, 24 July 2009 - 03:07 PM.