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Commercial fishing help #6656648
11/03/19 09:29 PM
11/03/19 09:29 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
S
squirrelslayer Offline OP
trapper
squirrelslayer  Offline OP
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
Hey fellas. Looking for a little help from the commercial fisherman out there. A little background, been working on a towboat for the last 5 years and enjoyed it but have always wanted to work for myself. Well long story short, my brother, uncle and me started commercial fishing for asian carp down here on ky/Barkley lakes. To put it bluntly we are struggling. We have all thrown ourselves into this which is pretty much how we approach everything from recreational fishing/hunting/trapping etc. I gotta say, I've never had anything that I've truly committed to and continued to struggle so much. Part of the reason is the lack of available information which is understandable as this is a livelihood for people and a very niche skill set. Having said that I'm just looking for anything that could help getting on the right track . If we can just get going I'm confident we can work our tails off to be successful but right now its similar to being on location with a coyote set but you're using a 220. You're so far off of being right until you get the big details down, it's really hard to make heads or tails of the whole thing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656679
11/03/19 09:50 PM
11/03/19 09:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
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waggler Offline
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waggler  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
What seems to be the problem(s)? Catching the fish, selling the fish, gear issues, ???


"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656689
11/03/19 09:57 PM
11/03/19 09:57 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
scalloper Offline
trapper
scalloper  Offline
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Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
I have been a commercial fisherman for over 33 years. Any one that I know that is good learned from someone good or great. There are so many things that most of us need to learn that can/will take along time to learn. If you had one or better two good guys with years of experience and do as they say that will save you a lot of time and money. Its nearly impossible to compete with guys that have invested years of time and money. Money being the big part. When you make a simple (rookie) mistake that could have been avoided but costs you big money or worse someone gets hurt you learn. The best learn from others mistakes. Its very common to see guys put alot of effort trying to learn commercial fishing but man it can be a hard go for years. And the more competitive the fishery the harder it will be. Most all of us can work hard its just making every move count by making the right choices that matter most.


There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656702
11/03/19 10:02 PM
11/03/19 10:02 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,628
evansville Indiana age72
don Wolf Offline
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don Wolf  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,628
evansville Indiana age72
So please tell us where your problem is. If your fishing with hoop nets, your not going to catch asian carp as easy as you would in a gill net. Tell us the problem then we can try and go from that point.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: waggler] #6656708
11/03/19 10:10 PM
11/03/19 10:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
S
squirrelslayer Offline OP
trapper
squirrelslayer  Offline OP
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Ky
Originally Posted by waggler
What seems to be the problem(s)? Catching the fish, selling the fish, gear issues, ???


The issue is with the catching. The asian carp here are thick even with the commercial fishing like it is. We started out with dead sets and were picking up some fish but just not efficiently enough to continue to do it. Seems like we'd set nets on thick pockets and pick up a few or setup on a less desirable spot and catch about the same. Seems like you catch about the same in a good spot vs. a mediocre spot. The next method we've really struggled with is driving the fish which is the more common way it's being done. This has opened up a new can of worms as the carp jump the nets very regular. We'll block off an area and motor around to get the fish moving and watch dozens of fish jumping when they get to the nets. It appears that they swim along the nets until they get close to the bank and jump over. On average we'll watch 25-30 fish jump at the nets and when we runt the nets, we'll catch 2 or 3.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: scalloper] #6656717
11/03/19 10:16 PM
11/03/19 10:16 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
S
squirrelslayer Offline OP
trapper
squirrelslayer  Offline OP
trapper
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
Originally Posted by scalloper
I have been a commercial fisherman for over 33 years. Any one that I know that is good learned from someone good or great. There are so many things that most of us need to learn that can/will take along time to learn. If you had one or better two good guys with years of experience and do as they say that will save you a lot of time and money. Its nearly impossible to compete with guys that have invested years of time and money. Money being the big part. When you make a simple (rookie) mistake that could have been avoided but costs you big money or worse someone gets hurt you learn. The best learn from others mistakes. Its very common to see guys put alot of effort trying to learn commercial fishing but man it can be a hard go for years. And the more competitive the fishery the harder it will be. Most all of us can work hard its just making every move count by making the right choices that matter most.


I appreciate this. Unfortunately everywhere I've reached out has been pretty tight lipped on any help. The old timer we bought our boat from was a fisherman for 40 years and was quite helpful with as much as he could be. Unfortunately he retired before the asian carp were worth chasing and made his money on buffalo, paddle fish, and catfish so he didnt have much to offer in that regard. We offered to strap a lazy boy to the boat to have him go out with us for awhile but he said he'd seen enough water in the last 40 years.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656719
11/03/19 10:16 PM
11/03/19 10:16 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
scalloper Offline
trapper
scalloper  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
Sounds to me like your using to heavy mono on your gill nets and they can see the net. Are others using the same size (diameter) net? Is the mesh size to small to catch the majority of the fish? If its to small mesh they will run the net to the end. If they see the net they will avoid it like the plague. It the net is dirty that will also make it visible in the water and act like a fence.


There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656720
11/03/19 10:18 PM
11/03/19 10:18 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
scalloper Offline
trapper
scalloper  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
With gill netting mesh size and color of the netting is key.


There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: don Wolf] #6656726
11/03/19 10:25 PM
11/03/19 10:25 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
S
squirrelslayer Offline OP
trapper
squirrelslayer  Offline OP
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
Originally Posted by don Wolf
So please tell us where your problem is. If your fishing with hoop nets, your not going to catch asian carp as easy as you would in a gill net. Tell us the problem then we can try and go from that point.



Running gill nets. Our general setup is 4" mesh running 200-600 footers. Biggest problem right now are those listed above. Especially with trying to drive the fish which is proving unsuccessful. It seems the fish a very net shy. If you block their route to the open water they'll swim along the net until they get near the bank and jump over the net. We've tried to fix that by running a net just behind the first to try and catch them after they jump and also tried running nets perpendicular to the blocking net to catch them as they cruise back and forth looking for a way out. Neither of these have worked for us.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656732
11/03/19 10:33 PM
11/03/19 10:33 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
scalloper Offline
trapper
scalloper  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
Do you know what mesh size and color of the netting others are using? Ask the guys at the net shop which color and size the best guys are using. Remember thinner lighter mono size will fish much better


There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: scalloper] #6656733
11/03/19 10:33 PM
11/03/19 10:33 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
S
squirrelslayer Offline OP
trapper
squirrelslayer  Offline OP
trapper
S

Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
Originally Posted by scalloper
Sounds to me like your using to heavy mono on your gill nets and they can see the net. Are others using the same size (diameter) net? Is the mesh size to small to catch the majority of the fish? If its to small mesh they will run the net to the end. If they see the net they will avoid it like the plague. It the net is dirty that will also make it visible in the water and act like a fence.


I dont think our mesh is too big. It looks like most guys are using 3.25 or 3.5 inch mesh. The mono we have is I the #139 I think they call it. Looks about like 6# test. We do have a couple nets that are the twisted mono that could be a little heavy. I believe our nets are clean as most are new. I am curious though and what your describing is exactly what's happening. If it makes a difference, they fish are being pressured pretty regular. Most of the guys will use very long nets to cut off a bay about a third of the way from the back and run their boats on the backside of the net to get the fish moving. Silver carp are known for jumping anyway and I guess maybe the pressure has them even more alert when it comes to the nets?

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656741
11/03/19 10:41 PM
11/03/19 10:41 PM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
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waggler Offline
trapper
waggler  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Alaska and Washington State
Is your water clear or murky? Have you though of using multi colored nets of different colored panels each several fathoms long; fish gets to the end of one panel, thinks it's the end of the net and turns into the different colored panel. Can you fish at night? Gill-netting at night is almost always more productive than during the day. Are the other fishermen around you catching fish okay?


"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656744
11/03/19 10:50 PM
11/03/19 10:50 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
scalloper Offline
trapper
scalloper  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
Originally Posted by squirrelslayer
Originally Posted by scalloper
Sounds to me like your using to heavy mono on your gill nets and they can see the net. Are others using the same size (diameter) net? Is the mesh size to small to catch the majority of the fish? If its to small mesh they will run the net to the end. If they see the net they will avoid it like the plague. It the net is dirty that will also make it visible in the water and act like a fence.


I dont think our mesh is too big. It looks like most guys are using 3.25 or 3.5 inch mesh. The mono we have is I the #139 I think they call it. Looks about like 6# test. We do have a couple nets that are the twisted mono that could be a little heavy. I believe our nets are clean as most are new. I am curious though and what your describing is exactly what's happening. If it makes a difference, they fish are being pressured pretty regular. Most of the guys will use very long nets to cut off a bay about a third of the way from the back and run their boats on the backside of the net to get the fish moving. Silver carp are known for jumping anyway and I guess maybe the pressure has them even more alert when it comes to the nets?

If they are jumping or running the nets then the mesh would not be to big but maybe to small. Mesh to large the fish swim right through. As Waggler said gill nets work best at night as they cannot see the mesh. It would cost big money but seems like seining is the best option if you have big schools of fish.


There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: waggler] #6656745
11/03/19 10:50 PM
11/03/19 10:50 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
S
squirrelslayer Offline OP
trapper
squirrelslayer  Offline OP
trapper
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 98
Ky
Originally Posted by waggler
Is your water clear or murky? Have you though of using multi colored nets of different colored panels each several fathoms long; fish gets to the end of one panel, thinks it's the end of the net and turns into the different colored panel. Can you fish at night? Gill-netting at night is almost always more productive than during the day. Are the other fishermen around you catching fish okay?


The multi color does sound like a good idea. The water is mostly what I would call stained with some clearer some dirtier. Yea the other fisherman seem to be doing well which adds to the frustration. I by no means expected to be an expert from the get go but it is a real eye opener when you're selling your 500 pounds and a truck rolls in with 8000. Doing all I can to learn and proceed.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656746
11/03/19 10:52 PM
11/03/19 10:52 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,292
Downeast Maine
scalloper Offline
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scalloper  Offline
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Downeast Maine
I use to enjoy watching the show "Bottom Feeders". They guys seining put up some weight.


There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656825
11/04/19 01:08 AM
11/04/19 01:08 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 9,154
Alaska and Washington State
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waggler Offline
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Alaska and Washington State
Dont give up, keep working at it and try to figure out what the successful guys are doing, there is agood chance though that you won't get a direct answer from them though. You will gradually realize that you are starting to figure it out, and catches will improve.

Last edited by waggler; 11/04/19 01:08 AM.

"My life is better than your vacation"
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656841
11/04/19 02:30 AM
11/04/19 02:30 AM
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,580
N. Carolina
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Scout1 Offline
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N. Carolina
What are the carp used for after selling? Eating, fertilizer, .........


-------------------------------------
DJT & MTG in 2024!
Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656864
11/04/19 04:47 AM
11/04/19 04:47 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 507
Ky
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WHSKR Offline
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Posts: 507
Ky
Squirrel slayer go to Ledbetter and talk to Ronnie Hopkins I think he will help you. Also the buyers there at Eddyville Port Authority can help you some too hang out there a while too and talk to some of the local guys.
I don’t usually have much to say about our fish and wild life but they are paying an incentive on the removal of the Asians and they can and will lead you to the tricks.
Most guys I talk to are using 3.5 inch clear webbing and driving the fish as you describe. The depth of your webbing and wether your floating or sinking or suspending the webbing in the correct depth of water prior to driving may all be critical as the fish may go over or under or around your nets. The majority of the fish are probably not jumping your nets.
Have you watched any of the you tube videos? Watch carp madness with Barry Mann he caught around 30,000 pounds in two days and won that tournament $10,000.
The seine method also is a great way to catch them.
Good luck

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656865
11/04/19 04:51 AM
11/04/19 04:51 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 507
Ky
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WHSKR Offline
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Ky
Shipping the majority of them back to China. There is a large processor in Wickliffe Ky ran by a Chinese woman. Also developing some food markets in the USA and processing the offal into some fertlizer. It is a new venture in our area. There are trillions of fish (Asians) here and they are overwhelming our fisheries.

Re: Commercial fishing help [Re: squirrelslayer] #6656971
11/04/19 08:53 AM
11/04/19 08:53 AM
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,807
Greene County,Virginia
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run Offline
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Greene County,Virginia
Thanks for sharing. It sounds interesting.


wanna be goat farmer.
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