[bassslayer]

I was talking to a Canadian Guide out of Kingsville that Guides on Erie, and he was telling me that the Portuguese fishing company buys any net boat company that goes up for sale. And that there are 7 netting vessels that have been bought up and they are taking millions and millions of pounds of fish and shipped by plane back to there country. And he is having a harder time getting on fish last year. Question is are they netting St Clair yet or do they have plans to?
Mike
Erie Angler

 

[djkimmel]

I've only heard the same old things: Indian netting their own waters spring and fall - I rarely have seen their nets although others say they see them all the time; and netting for walleyes in the Thames River area for walleyes.

I don't normally fish that part of the lake so I can't say what is really going on over there. My recollection is that that was also native Indian netting.

I think there are some commercial minnow catchers on St. Clair, but not much specific beyond that.

 

[bassslayer]

It's getting bad when I leave Erie Metro Park I must pass over 6 or 7 nets about a ¼ mi long on my way to Pelee Island. I understand that if you get hung up in one you need a good pair of wire cutters and a good sharp knife to get out and if it's rough water you don't see them until your right on top of them.
Mike

 

[djkimmel]

Hopefully, many of those poles are marking bottom nets and set lines so we'd only be in trouble if we run right next to a pole. I don't know how many have lines running between poles right at the top.

Usually the bad ones are any in real shallow water such as fyke nets which run from shore usually or in shallower water, and have a solid line (the lead net) running on top of the water all the way out to the last pole. There can be trap nets on floats also, but you should see them in shallow water and a whole bunch of floats very close together like the fyke net.

I haven't seen any of those outside of Saginaw Bay or the one I saw just South of Cedar Point a few years ago. A bunch of floats close together is a bad sign. More widely spaced probably means a bottom net.

Regardless, I do my best to not run between poles. Of course, many aren't marked very well. I've seen many shallow set lines in Saginaw Bay over the years that were very poorly marked or not at all. They use trap nets in the shallows too that you wouldn't want to run over. I have to believe any trap nets they use in Erie are deeper than we run (I hope) like this one. Gill nets should normally be on or near the bottom also, but there are no guarantees.

Check out these pictures too. Not sure exactly what type of net I saw coming out from shore south of Cedar Point that time, but it was hundreds of yards long with dozens of floats and flags every couple of feet.

 

[PWood]

Wapole Island First Nation are the only ones who still net on Lake St. Clair. Moravian Town First Nation nets on the Thammes River.

 

[Bish]

Is it just me? Or is anyone else surprised that Dan knew what a fyke net was/ is?

I hope they work you to the bone in Florida.LOL

Bish

 

[djkimmel]

Regardless of what I know and don't know (I'm thinking of an inappropriate use of the word fyke right now Bish), I figured PWood would know about anyone who's after the walleye on St. Clair...

 

[DRP]

If you get stuck in a net in Canada, it is a Federal crime to cut them or screw with them in any way. I'm not really sure what you are supposed to do.....I guess you just wait until they come by and scoop you up and throw salt on you.

 

[djkimmel]

DR P,
I believe they have to throw back non-keepers alive or dead (and I feel it's likely anglers are unkeepable) when they empty the nets!!!

 

[bassslayer]

I was told that the nets with the floats on top of the water the net is just under the surface of the water, and there is a limit on how high from the surface the net has to be, But some of the commercial netters are going less then 2 feet from the surface when fishing for Silver Bass. Most of these nets run from shore outward.
Mike
Erie Angler