I have a Fyke net on order and am looking forward to setting it out. I have zero experience and would love to get any tips that would cut my learning curve. The net is a modified 2x4, 1/2 mesh with a 20' lead.
How do you deal with snaping turtles? Do muskrats get trapped, if so how do I deal with them?
Usually you find the turtles and rats dead in the trap. Easily dealt with that way... Find a natural transition area to set the trap up next to. That should help up your catch. Is there a certain species you are specifically targeting?
Thanks for the response CJ. I've read all your posts about using these these nets. Some of them twice. I am targeting the most hated BH along with BG, BCP. My ponds are small at 1 acre and 1/4 acre with irregular contours and average depths of 4.5'.
I hoping this will method will allow me to control the numbers of fish in these ponds. The "trash" fish like BH will always be in my pond or find away in. Just looking for away to deal with them.
Out of the snappers and sliders that I've caught in the net during the past year, only 1 snapper and 1 slider were dead. Having 5 snappers all around 20+ pounds in the trap at the same time alive along with all the fish sure made things interesting!
mnfish, not so much of a story but a PITA. I had to drag the hoop portion to a shallow area so I could net out most of the fish, and see what end of the turtles I was grabbing, making sure that none of the others heads were within snapping range. I'll bet it took 45 minutes to empty the net!
I was using it to reduce the stunted BG population in that particular pond, and I removed about 2,000 BG in 5 days. There were a lot of BH removed too.
Those litle BH can be very difficult to handle, especially for kids or inexperienced fishmen. Not sure if there is a product out there or not but I think I need a tool I can hand to guests before fishing.
I'm thinking of a normaly closed spring loadedtype of pliers. Interlocking forks that the BH would be clasped with. The top fork would be thick enough to protect against the top spine. It holds the bh tight while the hook is removed.
Add it to my list of things that will probably never get done
Just got a message from the Mrs. My net has been delivered and sitting in the garage!!! She should know better than to tell me while I'm working...now all I can think about is setting it and harvesting some fish. Maybe I should wrap up early today.
Good looking net. How much was the trap?? It should catch fish. I am interested if you ever get a LMB in it and what size it is. They tend to avoid traps. Most other fish species will enter traps. Good fishing!
That looks good and a bit more manageable than the one that I'm using. That one is 3'x5' and from the first rectangle to the knot at the back it's 16' long, then there's the 50' lead.
Fish hit the blocker net and run parallel to it. They then get to the ever decreasing hoops where they become entrapped... No bait. Very effective on most species except for black bass.
I got the name from one of esshup's threads. It is listed earlier in this thread. John was very helpful and a nice guy to work with. Ordered it Wednesday of last week and he built it and got it to me yesterday. Net source: Nicholsnetandtwine.com
Set the trap last nite on the small pond. Placed the trap in 3' ft of water using waders and posts. Very manageable to set up and take down. After 1.5hr soak, pulled the net (curiosity and practice before loaded with fish) to find 10 or so BG,BCP and 25 or so BH. I will try and take some pics this weekend and post if anybody is interested.
Note: I am scared to pull the net tonight. I have a feeling my BH problem may be bigger than I originally thought in both ponds.
Please post pics... Actually I think you should start a new thread when you do! I have been saying for some time how effective these things are at fish management. Hopefully as others see your results, they will be used more and more for private pond management.
Just got back from a great weekend of fish management class, Fyke Net 101. I'm pleased with the purchse. I have lots to learn but for a first attempt I'm very happy with the results. This net will definetly be a tool/toy I use all ice free months.
Weekend bullet point summary with trap
* Manageable with one operator easier with two * Non-fish species not fun for various reasons * A lot to experiment with pond location and time of year * Total weekend catch non-fish (13) painted turtles caught and released (1) muskrat caught and gone to a higher place
*BH,YP,BG,BCP,LMB all caught in the net *Great for seeing the different year classes of fish *Don't forget to bring tagging gun when pulling the trap *Easiest way to catch fish for a fish fry
Pic's from the weekend. Lots learned about my 1 acre pond. Biggest surprise, next to all those painted turtles, LMB. I haven't seen one for 2 years. I guess they are still in there.
Thanks to all for the info given with regards to fyke nets. without it, I would have never known about this great tool.
I have to admit I was nervous about spending the money. I have borrowed, built, and used just about every box and cyclinder trap out there. Never been real impressed for my needs. I agree...money well spent.
If a person had water snakes, would they get trapped in a fyke net as well. YIKES!
Great post MN. That BG and LMB look on the thin size...are you feeding your BG? Cannot understand why the LMB wasn't a pig considering all the BH available...weird. What do you think is going on?
I think you've convinced me to buy this same setup - can't beat that price. How hard was it for one guy to handle solo?
I was able to remove maybe 2-3lbs of BH. A long way to go. Have any trapping secrets for BH?
I was afraid of this type of trap and the muskrats. When I lifted the trap for the first time and I found 13 turtles and a dead rat, I justed wanted a hug. Story coming:
My friend and I were 6 deep into a case, down by the pond, watching the trap and talking about the up coming hunting season. I told him how great I thought this new trap would be. How many fish I could catch in one day. So on and so forth. I left the trap in from 7am - 7pm. When we pulled it up, he laughed so hard I thought he might wet himself. "Is that what were eating for dinner?," he said. There was about 10 small BG, 1 dead rat, 13 very tired turtles.
Is this a chronicle of your first attempt with the fyke net catching the turtles, rat, and small BG? If so, did you do anything differently the second time around you captured all the BH, YP, etc?
TJ - Thank you. I hope others will learn something from my experience
No feeding on any of my ponds. All BG's weighed were at 100% RW or better. My goal is 10-12", .5-1lb or better BCP. Of couse I caught the bass first trap pull, with no scale, ruler, or tag gun at the pond (i am an idot). The water was so warm, I didn't want to stress her/him so I just released.
I wondered the same thing about LMB. I would have thought it would be distended from all the food. But the again no scale, and no ruler so can't be forsure. Also, this explosion of BH. I am starting to wonder if one of the neighbor kids is "doing me a favor" or did me a favor by dropping in fish. Not likely, but it is a possibility.
The net is very easy to use. I used stakes on both ends but will be going to an anchor on the back and stake on the lead.
If things continue like this, I will be getting rid of my 4 box traps. I love the storage of this baby. 2'x4'x3". Lays flat right on the shelf.
TJ- I think your question is about catch rates and species. I would love to hear from the guys that have used these traps a lot.
I tried 3 locations from Fri morning until noon on Sun. My thoughts are that trap location, positioning of the trap, water temp, time of year, will all play a role. Weird thing was I caught most of the BH from the 8am to 8pm not the 8pm to 8am soak. Sample size of one
From having set a bunch when I was in college, points and other areas where fish will congregate seems best. In smaller ponds with less features, just let it soak.
I concur with CJ. If the pond has a feeder, I've placed it in front of the feeder if the target species were the ones eating the pellets.
I stake the lead at the shore side, anchor the basket end, using a decoy on the anchor line. I may lose some fish, but I pick it up from the basket end. That way I don't have to pick up the whole lead and put it in the boat.
ewest, in that particular pond, there were a lot of goldfish eating pellets, and the goldfish were targeted for removal. I have yet to catch a LMB in the net.
ewest- will do on the updates. I will be waiting a couple of weeks for the next placement. Cooler water conditions to minimizing stress on fish I want released.
TJ- 20' lead on my net. It's not bad with one guy in waders. Don't know about it with a boat. I can't imagine it would be that hard. Having everything ready at the shore BEFORE pulling the net is key. Next time I pull by myself I'm going to have a 50 gallon tub of pond water waiting. I think it will be less stressful to the fish and easier to sort them in the tub instead of inside the net.
Inteserting note to me...the last throat is about 3" in diameter (didn't measure just approximating). I was thinking the trap would limit the size of fish caught. WRONG! All fish and non-fish swam thru that little hole.
20' in my pond puts me in 12' water perpendicular to shore. So, I'll need to swim it out or use my kayak, float tube, canoe, or john boat. Guess john boat is probably the best idea.
The entire basket would be below the thermocline - with very low DO levels. I was wondering about that issue - would lead to a basket of dead fish, potentially. Ugh...major blunder! I wonder if running it parallel to the shore would work - maybe at a slight angle so basket is in around 6' depth instead of 12'? Would be easier to implement, too, saving the need for boat, etc.
[quote=teehjaeh5 I wonder if running it parallel to the shore would work - maybe at a slight angle so basket is in around 6' depth instead of 12'? Would be easier to implement, too, saving the need for boat, etc. [/quote] But wouldn't you just get the fish traveling in one direction then?
Here is my non experienced non paradigm thoughts about the trap. The net was designed for bigger bodies of water and more gradual sloped bottoms. I would like to customize the lead for steep banks. The lead would be a trapizoid. 10' long 1' high on the far end (shore staked) and 4' high at the trap. The front hoop would have to follow. Thoughts?
With the floats at the top, and the weighted line at the bottom, the lead will conform to shallow water by itself. The lead on the net that I use is a foot taller than the front of the basket the whole length.
I'd just pile up the lead in very shallow water and make sure that the basket is above the thermocline.
Another thought:
I don't know how well it'd work if it was suspended under floats - the basket was suspended at the 5'-6' level, paralles with the pond surface, with the top of the lead at or near the surface of the pond.
A fyke net needs to be tied at the lead end, and pulled tight at the basket end, being either tied to a stake or anchored. It cannot be used if you don't have a boat or waders.
CJ- That is good to read about being able to use the net for pike. I will be setting the net and baseline the 1/4 acre pond with species #'s and sizes in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I will be able to trap the NP as well. I want exact lengths and weights and want to get them tagged.
Although on a much larger scale than the fyke net you are using, the trap nets used in this link do the same thing. It is fun pulling the really big ones up. When I had an internship with the PFBC I got to assist in setting and pulling them.
Most states they're legal to use in private waters. Some states are ridiculous and force you to follow state season, creel and length limits and methods, even in private ponds.
Minnesota would fall under the "ridiculous" states. Very frustrating. Of course you could pay a yearly tax (or as the state calls it, a fishery permit)to get exemptions.
I typed some suff last night, venting on my part, then deleted the post. Public formum and all
State regulations have always made a major impact on my management strategies on ponds. Just because I built everything from the ground up with my bare hands, hard earned capital, uphill both ways in 3' of snow doesn't mean the State can't dictate management practices on my private land of my private resources!
Yes to CC and Tilapia, I don't know on the GC. They work on bullheads too. The mesh has to be sized so the fish don't swim thru it. As to what size, that all depends on the size of the fish that you want to let swim out of the net.
I am thinking of getting one similar to this one but better hurry and order or it may be too cool to get in the water by the time they get it made and shipped out.
My fear is if they do trap some of the CC or GC from one pond it could get crazy to pull them in as some of the CC are over 5 pounds if not more, and I bet some of the GC are pushing 25-40 pounds.
Of course we can sample the BG, GSF, HBG and let the largest of them go along with the healthy females.
Just pray there are not any bullheads in any of the waters but this net will probably let us know.
I wonder if it would help at all to bait the nets?
Its cold here and trying to keep my mind occupied while waiting for ice off....
Last season I found some limitations with my new net. I found it challenging at times to set it up properly (net pulled tight). So, I added an outside frame that stretches and holds the net open. Kind of a hybrid of a fyke and box net. This should make setting and retrieving the net a whole lot easier. Once the season is over, the outside frame is removed and the trap is collapsed for storage.
In case anybody is interested, here are some pics.
I just use a heavy weight at the end, with a "longer than the water is deep" rope and a decoy at the end. I keep the boat in gear to pull the net tight, and drop the net to the bottom, pulling on the rope/weight to keep the net tight.
What size is the basket (H, W, and length) on your Fyke Net, and what is the mesh size? What size is the lead?
It definitely works when set up properly. My biggest challange was keeping the net tight with one person. Using a boat and motor on my little ponds is not an option. I did try stakes and anchors just a little cumbersome for my liking.
I think this setup will be the ticket for my requirements. Pretty light and not to bulkey. I will be able to walk it out and set it or throw it off my little 12' row boat. Then stretch and anchor or stake the lead. The worry of the net being stretched properly has now been eliminated. 40-50 days from now, I will know how well it works and report the findings here.
I will measure the exact throat dimensions when I get home and post. The front is a rectangle of like 2"-3" wide , 2' tall and the hoop throats, which are circles are like 3".
LOL - sorry I was so vague. What I meant to convey was:
I have been watching your fyke net project with great interest as we have common goal and challenges working it solo, and I especially admire your new design to help overcome some of your challenges of solo installation. In fact, I like it so much that I wish you could simply ship it to me!
You are breaking new ground here with fishery management tool design - I can't wait to see how it works for you. Seriously cool setup.
Ok...now I get it! Thank you for the design compliment. I might not be able to get it to you....BUT. If the design doesn't work, you get to learn on my nickle. If it works, I will post all the engineering specs so you can build one for yourself. Win/Win for ya.
It stinks that I have to wait so long to get it wet. I have tried a lot of different setups on my pond. All have failed or didn't meet my expectations for one reason or another. Maybe this is the one.
Tonight I'm adding skids on the bottom along with a pull rope. The thought being that I will be able to pull it in from shore when its full of fish or turtles or muskrats The less I have to do from the boat the better.
Love it, great job - and specs on how you designed it would be fantastic. I think you might have a product of interest to other solo pond managers like ourselves always short another couple hands and strong back. If this setup were available online, I'd buy it today.
I still need to order mine; many family issues came up and never got it. I may have to work with you to build a frame like you have on yours as I plan to have one made to your dimensions.
I hope they can get it made and sent to me in the next few months.
As soon as the ice cover comes off I will set traps. I'm not sure I can even drive back there yet (a lot of snow this year). I would bet my ponds still have 12" of ice.
I am planning a trip up this weekend to check on things and will report back. Without drastic weather changes, I would guess,the end of April or first week in May for trap placements.
I am waiting to hear back on the net trying to figure out how much it will be. I plan to get one like yours but I think the price has gone up quite a bit. Yours was about $300 correct?
From what I saw this weekend the ponds will be ice free in a couple of weeks. Looking back at my records from last year, my ponds are going to be at least 4 weeks behind. MN winters can get a touch long (rolling my eyes with sarcasm).
I think I got the one man design figured out. A new frame design and a rope system. How it works... 1. Placed an anchor out in the pond about 40' from shore 2. From the anchor a float and latch connector float on the surface 3. Run a rope from shore thru the latch connector and back to the shore 4. One end is connected to the trap and the other end is free. 5. Pull on the rope to place the trap 6. Pull on the lead to retrieve the trap .Here are some pics from the test this weekend.
I will be trying to figure out how to post a video to show. My "real" job is in product innovation for the medical field but for those of you in the fish business there may be a product here.
I used 1.5" ABS tubing. Very light. I didn't weigh it but the whole set up with the net can't weigh more than 30lbs. For me, there are so many advantages to using this setup.
1. Trap can be placed in less than 1 min, by 1 operator 2. Trap can be retrieved in less than 1 min, by 1 operator 3. Trap is always set open perfectly, even on uneven bottom 4. Easy to move to different locations 5. Once the anchor and pull line is set, no need for a boat, all work done from shore 6. No lifting with the exception of tipping the net to empty the fish
I am not looking to profit from this design at all. The guys and gals of this forum have given me so much information and taken a lifetime out of my pond management learning curve. All for FREE! Sharing the experience and eventually the final design specifications will be my way of hopefully paying some back.
My water temps are still cold and the fish movement isn't that great. I want to use this set up thru the month of May into early June. Debug it,post a video in use, then post a bill of materials. I really think this setup can help a lot of people struggling to trap fish in their ponds.
The 26 BCP's were 4-6" and have been stocked into a another mans pond. Once the water heats up, I should be trapping hundreds of those bad boys.
Culling fish with the least amount of stress is exactly what I need to do. I pull the trap up to shore, see what's inside. If the catch isn't big enough pull the trap back out. If the catch is acceptable, push the trap back in the water (covering fish with water). The trap now becomes a big netted live well. When I'm ready, pull it up on level ground and tip into a bucket or tub filled with water. I will sort, measure, weigh and such from the tub.
I am planning on leaving the anchor and rope in one location on each of my ponds. With the anchor and ropes placed no boat will be needed for the trapping season.
For the rest of you...don't let Tatonka fool you. He is the one pictured on the dock here. He is a big reason this trap design works so well. Not much to look at but a pretty darn good innovator.
I can't wait until I get mine now. I am expecting a call back from Nichols Net & Twine as to when they will get to it. He said it would be 30 days or so mid April and he would call if he could get to it sooner.
I may just have to give him a ring to see how far we are out it will soon be warm, but now would be a good time to thin out the female crappie before they spawn.
Mnfish, you did an outstanding job on your project. You put the C back in -raftsman. I love it when people do a great job on something that many people would slop together. On a different note, does anyone know where you can buy a net besides Nichols. I bought one 4 months ago for 270 and the same net is now 430. I think we may have given them a little to much business.
I would like to know as well if there are other options. I was going to order one like mnfish so I would have the same dimensions for the frame he is building, plus it would only be 1 maybe 2 people setting the net out and this size is nice.
I think they have gone up at least $100 or so in price and I have not heard anything back yet.
So other recommendations would be good.
I have searched the internet but keep getting posted toward international sites and I would prefer to keep my business here if possible.
Set and retrieved the net Fri and Sat. We also shot some videos of the process. My daughter is going to help me to edit and post on Youtube, hopefully tomorrow night....stay tuned! We caught painted turtles, a small snapping turtle, 52 BCP, 8 YP, 6 GSF, and some BH.
* No animals were harmed in the making of this film except for the BH's
The newest frame for the trap net works great - great creative idea - you get a big Atta Boy from me. Nothing wrong with the video either, it showed everything that was needed. I would maybe be concerned that the turtles may eventually damage the net. Netting is not easy to repair. How long were your net sets?
Thanks for all the design compliments guys, it means a lot. It sure is nice to see something work once in a while. If my financial wealth were measured by my failures, I would be a billionaire 10 times over.
No fish in the trap were hurt by the snapper as far as I could tell.
The turtles and the muskrats are definitely a concern. I have a soft spot for those snappers and don't want to hurt them or relocate them. Last year there was one in my bottom pond that was at least 1.5' in diameter. He gets my respect simply because he is probably 10-15 years my elder. As far as the painted turtles, I will need to relocate or dispatch some.
To date, I have not let the net soak for longer than 24hrs. For the video, set it and retrieved it twice with each soak less than 24hrs.
The water temps were below 50F each day of filming. Once the water temps go over 55F, I believe that net will be very heavy with each pull.
Now that it looks like this net will do what I want, I can take my fish managing up a level. We will continue to test the setup and post our findings. Then post the specs.
MNFH, do you mind to post the diagram of your trap? I suspect you have detailed plans and a list of needed materials. I think you will go far in your field. Did the swivel hang the rope and made it necessary to put from the other bank? Excellent idea and craftsmanship!!
I've found that the warmer the water, the less time Snappers can stay in the net without drowning. I had one set in 80°F water for 18 hrs. and the snapper in it was dead. They survived for that length of time (that the net was set) in 70°F water temps.
I forget (and apologize) if you've posted it before, but what are the specs on the net? (what info do you need to give the net company to duplicate the net if you wanted to buy another one?)
I am so glad fyke nets are becoming more popular. They really are a great pond management tool and with mnfish's great alteration to the original set up, they're also easy to set and retrieve.
Very cool, now I have to set my fyke net up that way so I can use it easily in all three ponds,
How heavy and or how deep is your anchor now?
I haven't done much with the anchor sizing. I can tell you 15lbs is too light. I believe a water spike or digging anchor would work real well. Or my guess 30lbs of raw weight. It's something I will look at.
Originally Posted By: kenc
MNFH, do you mind to post the diagram of your trap? I suspect you have detailed plans and a list of needed materials. I think you will go far in your field. Did the swivel hang the rope and made it necessary to put from the other bank? Excellent idea and craftsmanship!!
Ken, normally you would be right about detailed drawings but just sketches at this stage. I will post detailed drawings later this summer. If people can't wait (which I understand), look at the pics on this thread they should tell you everything you need. 1.5" ABS ABS solvent Black tie straps, (these hold the net to the frame)
Rope to the anchor worked well. Just not enough weight. I wanted to perfect the net and frame so I took the anchor out of the equation by roping to a tree across the opposite bank
Scott-
Originally Posted By: mnfish
Essup - net specifications
Mess size: 3/8" Net total length: 7.5' Lead Length: 20' Front box dim: 2'x4'x1' rectangular section Hoops: 2' dia
CJ - Couldn't agree with you more! I believe this will be a game changer as far as my ponds are concerned. I can now establish a good baseline in my ponds with numbers, types, and size distributions along with culling trash fish from the total population. Then tailor management strategies based on accurate data. And nothing fires up an engineer like formulas and data collection.
I wasn't going to do this before I had more testing and was completely convinced in the design but seeing the responses...I would like to run an idea by you guys.
Currently, we are looking how to build the net right into the frame and a way to get the cost where all small pond owners could afford it. Also, and this is very important to me, use the net proceeds (minus the material costs) as a fund raiser for the PondBoss forum. You guys work hard to make this the greatest single private water management resource. And I want to see that continue.
Thanks for the info. One last question: What size are the throats (dia)?
I'll be using one in a week or so. You'll be suprised at what it hauls in.
There is two throats. The first opening is 2" wide x 2' long (box opening). The second is a 3" diameter
CJ- Look how excited I get just catching BCP and BH with the net. Can't imagine catching a pretty mermaid. Truly, I'm such a fish nerd I probably wouldn't look at her as ou la la but rather wonder what positive/negative effect she could be posing on my BCP population.
Ok does anyone have some more places I can order one of these nets from. I would really like to get one but he never called be back and now we are out like 60 days.
