nicemustang
12-15-2011, 08:15 PM
I know that commerical fishing has a bad rap in some area but it's actually necessary to do it on our lake for many reasons. It's not the money, or the greed of fishing but the fishery actually NEEDS it to survive. I'm not native, metis, etc (if that matters) or is anyone else that nets the lake.
Again a little background story. We are allowed to commerical net our lake for Whitefish one weekend per year. In order to do so you have to live 10 miles away from a lake edge. You need to buy a memership and a license, both of which cost $10 each. A license allows you to put in 2 nets. Our nets are 100 yards by 8 feet high. Weights are put at both ends, small weights on the bottom of the net and there are floats at the top so the net pretty much stays on the bottom. The boundry is about 1km from shore and 5km long and you can setup a net anywhere in that area. Everyone does it in crews of family and friends since it takes a lot of man power to do this. Our crew is one of the oldest running out there and we are respected enough to keep getting the same spot year after year. We fish right along the south boundry. All nets must run west to east. So its a nice spot and we usually do really well. I have not been home to do this since 1998 and it was quite the treat and a new outlook on it made me really appreciate the tradition once again.
We start at Friday 9:00 am (fishing times are only from 9-5). Determin location of your first hole, cut with chain saw about 2x2' wide.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-09100633.jpg
That's my dad in the sweet 1970's one piece John Deere skidoo suite LOL.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/IMG_2831.jpg
Pull ice block out with two scissor picks (ice about 15").
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-09100732.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-09100747.jpg
Then you have a guy go down 100 yards in the direction you want to go, use a rangefinder to get a close mark. Then you insert the jigger in the hole and point it towards you're guy.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/IMG_2832.jpg
The way the jigger works is that you have a rope attached to a cross piece on one end, you pull the rope and the hinged pick arm comes up, catches on ice and pulls the jigger forward. Release the rope tension and the jigger moves. You can hear the pick on the ice each time it hits. You have a guy following it and listening just in case you lose it for whatever reason. When you get to the 100 yard mark, cut another hole. Each hole then is marked with a stake and license details. We then pull the net through with the rope that was used. Keep sending the jigger down to the next hole. We put ours all in one line. We put in 6 nets.
Saturday morning at 9:00 am we return to pull nets.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10094847.jpg
Start pulling and taking out the fish. Bigger than normal but numbers are a bit lower than last year. We average roughly 110 fish per net. Ended up with 1350 total after second pull sunday morning. We were done pulling at about 2:30 each day.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10111714.jpg
This guy is helping me build my house.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10094856.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10105819.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10094841.jpg
Again a little background story. We are allowed to commerical net our lake for Whitefish one weekend per year. In order to do so you have to live 10 miles away from a lake edge. You need to buy a memership and a license, both of which cost $10 each. A license allows you to put in 2 nets. Our nets are 100 yards by 8 feet high. Weights are put at both ends, small weights on the bottom of the net and there are floats at the top so the net pretty much stays on the bottom. The boundry is about 1km from shore and 5km long and you can setup a net anywhere in that area. Everyone does it in crews of family and friends since it takes a lot of man power to do this. Our crew is one of the oldest running out there and we are respected enough to keep getting the same spot year after year. We fish right along the south boundry. All nets must run west to east. So its a nice spot and we usually do really well. I have not been home to do this since 1998 and it was quite the treat and a new outlook on it made me really appreciate the tradition once again.
We start at Friday 9:00 am (fishing times are only from 9-5). Determin location of your first hole, cut with chain saw about 2x2' wide.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-09100633.jpg
That's my dad in the sweet 1970's one piece John Deere skidoo suite LOL.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/IMG_2831.jpg
Pull ice block out with two scissor picks (ice about 15").
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-09100732.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-09100747.jpg
Then you have a guy go down 100 yards in the direction you want to go, use a rangefinder to get a close mark. Then you insert the jigger in the hole and point it towards you're guy.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/IMG_2832.jpg
The way the jigger works is that you have a rope attached to a cross piece on one end, you pull the rope and the hinged pick arm comes up, catches on ice and pulls the jigger forward. Release the rope tension and the jigger moves. You can hear the pick on the ice each time it hits. You have a guy following it and listening just in case you lose it for whatever reason. When you get to the 100 yard mark, cut another hole. Each hole then is marked with a stake and license details. We then pull the net through with the rope that was used. Keep sending the jigger down to the next hole. We put ours all in one line. We put in 6 nets.
Saturday morning at 9:00 am we return to pull nets.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10094847.jpg
Start pulling and taking out the fish. Bigger than normal but numbers are a bit lower than last year. We average roughly 110 fish per net. Ended up with 1350 total after second pull sunday morning. We were done pulling at about 2:30 each day.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10111714.jpg
This guy is helping me build my house.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10094856.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10105819.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp140/nicemustang11/Fishing/2011-12-10094841.jpg