# Making your own fishing nets?



## whitewolf (Nov 9, 2003)

My father use to "knit" these huge nets out of nylon twine......they were probably 7 0r 8 feet long with very large metal hoops in them. He would take these and set them out some where along the Mississippi (been a very long time ago) and catch fish and sell them to make a living. My question is, does anyone know how to do this or knows where I can get instructions to do this. I have searched a good deal for this info, but so far have not found anything on it. It would be some very good "survival" knowledge. He would catch large amounts of fish in these things. I remember one time he caught a hugh Alligator Gar.....the thing was 6 or 7 feet long...cleaned and cut it up and sold it. This thing was hugh. Anyway....I know there are others out there that have done this.....but it seems to have become another "lost art". Any info would be appreciated.

Whitewolf


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2006)

I've often wondered where to find fishing nets also, cause here in Oklahoma some rivers and streams can be netfished. But I have never seen nets for sell anywhere. I do remember on the news one time a guy drowned while checking his nets. He slipped and got hung up in his own net. So it may be a dangerous sport!


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## kitaye (Sep 19, 2005)

I found a few sites that have materials for making nets. Memphis Net and Twine is where we got alot of our supplies. We used to make all ours when I was a kid. We used mono net and used a square knot to tie to to float rope on one edge and weighted rope on the other edge. I'll send my mom a letter and ask her if she remembers how it was done. I do know we used to do 100s of yards per net.

http://www.fipec.qc.ca/ahtml/asennes.html
http://www.memphisnet.net/seinenets.html
http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/netmaking/index.cfm


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

When I was a kid we were in Colorado on vacation and I climbed a big pile of boulders. Found a USAF survival manual up there, we were close to the Air Force Academy. It had tons of handy info, and one thing was how to make nets. I followed the pictures and made myself a net. Tie a big cord between two trees, take alot of smaller cord and cut to twice the height of your net. Loop the small cords, doubled, over the large cord, with a cinch knot. Now you have alot of pairs hanging down, the width of your mesh. Grab one string from the first and one from the second and tie an overhand knot. Move over and do the next two pairs. Go all the way across. Then drop down and tie knots all the way back. You are making diamond shaped mech. It takes a while but you get a net. 

Or if you can get to the Philippines, go in any hardware store and buy any size net you want, cut to length, for pennies a foot. I got some and made a hammock.


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## whitewolf (Nov 9, 2003)

I got a "catalog" from Memphis Net & Twine....(I'm about 1 hour from Memphis), but couldn't find any instuctions for this. I can remember my dad taking a piece of wood that was maybe 3 or 4 inches by 2 or 3 inches and a "netting needle" and making them (some of the instructions that Ed Norman gave sound vaguely familiar, cause my dad showed me how to do it when I was around 6 and I remember making some of the squares with the twine...but that has been A LONG TIME AGO, I can't remember the rest). I will check out the sites ya'll gave and/or maybe I can get my hands on a survival manual that has the info in it. Thanks guys for the help.

Whitewolf


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## SW Ohio (Aug 19, 2002)

try these guys:

http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/

Brian.


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## Ed Norman (Jun 8, 2002)

Here, I found the exact picture I remember from all those years ago. http://www.aircav.com/survival/asch08/asch08p11.html


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## whitewolf (Nov 9, 2003)

I FOUND A PICTURE. No instructions yet.....they were called "hoop nets" I can't get the silly thing to show up here. (I am "computer challenged". lol) If I can get this thing to work I will show you a picture of it. Oh by the way, I found the picture on the Memphis Net & Twine site....thanks Kitaye....at least now I remember what they were called.

Whitewolf


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

he folks its a hop net as white wolf said. you use it 2 ways.you sumerge to catch fish and to hide it from people seeing it.2 is to use it for snapping turtles..you bait it with meat that had 'aged' some.you have to set in shallows and leave it sticking out of water a god bit.because the turtles have to be able to surface to breath.

http://www.sterlingnets.com/specialty.html

this place has about anything you folks might need. a turtle net can catch a bunch.be sure to check local laws some places dont alow this.but if in a survival time this is the only way to go.


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