OK so I'be wanted to do this for a while now. Slot of old net makers are gonna be angry I let this out but here we go lol. Basically I'm making a small wire net for mud turtles but I use the exact same method for my full sized turtle nets.
So What you'll need is your needle,twine,net gauge if you use one,and of course a speaker with a good 90's rock mix

So the cage I'm making this off is is pretty small but is for mud turtles so 3' long 2X4 wire.

First thing I do is feed my line through the side of the cage and back out to make loop. I also leave about a 3' tail.

Now we'll start making the beginning loops for our net throat,start on the top line and work left to right. Now I use my hand as a net gauge but you can use a net gauge it you want.







So you wanna do as many of these as you can with them equally spaced. In this net I got eight loops spaced at an 1.5". On my larger nets it's ten at the same spacing with I Lil under a 3" mesh. I'm pretty sure these some math equation for this but I mainly do this off of feel.
One you get to the end of your top line just do a I've hand knit around both lines. This is so you don't have your hole throat sliding to one side or another.


Now one you did that you gotta do the other line. Silly flip your trap around and now the bottom line is the top line .Simply make the same number of loops you made at the same spacing as you did before.


Once you get to this point you take your main line and your tail line and with any good over hand knot tie the two together so you get a loop the same size as the rest.


Now that that's done , you'll flip your trap around and start making the actual meshes with the sheet-bend knot.



Here I like to pinch the bottom of the loop and let the knot form between my fingers .

And I must apologize for the angles and quality as I'm doing this one hand trying to every step lol.
Now the process kinda just goes in a circle. Keep making meshes on this row till you get to the end. Now do to the earth's loops are now you done need to flip the cage. Just keep making messes till you get to the end. Remember if your right handed you work left to right,left handed right to left.
Once you get to the end just over hand knot and kep going they way you'be been.


So once you get to the point it looks like you only need one more row and you'll hit the rim of the cage is when you want to start the process of tying it up.

Now this is where it's all in the feel. Basically your gonna come to the rim of the cage and tie a half hitch then come back up and catch the loop with a sheet bend then back down to another half hitch. Your gonna do this all the way around. Now the touchy part is watching and knowing how much stress to put on each individual knot. Some mesh will have to be long than others so the mouth has the right sized opening. Sorry kind hard to explain lol !


Once you get to the end just over hand and bam your done !

As for the back it's pretty simple if you wanna make a net back. Just half hitch loops all around the rim then do a few rows of meshes and combine them with a draw string. Basically the same as making the throat.


And here we go ! All finished along with a bait cage !

And just so y'all know this method works just as well on larger nets !
Thanks !
God Bless !

Way to go!


Good job wolfdog. Paracord and bright ropes/twine show up well for photos. Glad you posted it...

It's nice to see someone sew a throat up from scatch. I almost always just sew in finished webbing. It's hard to make myself run a shuttle full of string and a row of chains when I can make a lot of throats out of a lb of webbing. Many throats or "flews" as my grandfather called em.


Making them from scratch is an important part of netmaking, but it's just one of the parts of a dying art

thanks that means a ton! I'm hoping to be able to put together a video soon along with ow to do a double finger throat !

Young man you are a hard worker.

Yes he is.

People like you are the kind that will survive no matter what. I'm not sure how durable that bailing twine is, but it's important to remember that sunlight will break down nylon twine rather quickly. Dipping in netcoat will extend the life of webbing, but it's still very important to store it out of the sun. It's not a good feeling to grab a net to set and the throat is rotten. You probably already knew this, but I just thought I'd mention it. It was one of the key points that my grandfather managed to drill into my head.

I've done a little bit of reading about the history of making hoop nets, and I have to say we've come a long ways. Dipping nets with cold dip once a month or once a season is a heck of a lot easier than what they used to do. When I read about people having to use tar on cotton string, perhaps as often as weekly or biweekly, it makes me think of how that process would make the price of fish go through the roof.....

Also, you said that a lot of net makers will probably be mad about you letting the cat out of the bag. I disagree. They know how much work goes into making nets. They know that the majority of people that purchase their nets aren't going to spend the HOURS to make their own. Repairs? Maybe. Making their own nets, especially from scratch? Unlikely. That's part of the reason why it's become a lost art. MANY people knew how to do this. FEW have cared enough to keep it alive. It's something to be proud of.

Again, good job.

Good pics and easy to follow instructions! Good on ya man keep it up.

Aix sponsa , where did you read about this stuff ?

Pieced together from different sources. There just didn't seem to be much that I could find to read, and it wasn't from lack of trying. A little here, and a little there.

I bought this book: http://www.kentuckypress.com/live/title_detail.php?titleid=2630#.V_KlkI-cFPY

This book: Make Nets, Here's How

I also read things online, but the online articles tend to be little snippets of stories.....


A lot of what I've learned have been personal communications.

Also, there are a few members of Tman that were very helpful.

Just have to fish for conversations and PM the ones that you think would be helpful.

Been a while since I picked up a shuttle and twine to make nets. But that young man is a nice bit of work. You should get a spool of net twine though as it will last way longer then that bailing stuff. Even longer if you tar it.

ATB

Michael

I have in the neighborhood of 40 hoop nets I built and didn't sell and 19 gill nets that I took the mesh up so they would pocket better. The first few hoop nets I made, I built the complete net. Then after that I would buy the webbing by the pound and make the cage part, but I knitted every one of the throats by hand.I make what we call a Crows foot throat. I hang them on the second and fourth hoop. If you lay these nets in the right spot, they will catch more fish than you ever want to clean.
I sold fish and hoop nets for many years. The stores in this area was calling my wife the fish lady. That is how we made our living in the summer months. I started fishing right after fur and Ginseng season each spring and would fish up to the 1st of November.
We sold fish and cavier in the spring an fall and sold fish all summer.

Is the crow foot similar to a finger throat ?

I used to think they were two different things, but now I believe they are one and the same.


I also agree with Michael on the twine.

Here's one of the large bets for any one who was curious.

Thanks wolf !!

That's what I call a crowsfoot and a finger throat. I'd like to be corrected if I'm wrong...