One of the oldest fishing techniques is the fishing net. It’s a grid-like net woven out of thin fibers. Natural materials like grass, flax, tree fibers, and cotton were used to make the first nets, but today, nylon is used for making the majority of fishing nets. Although, there are still nets made of wool or silk.
While choosing a fishing net, look for high strength, stability, softness, and good tenacity. It needs to have proper breaking length and long service life.
Let us find out more about types of fishing nets and what types of fishing nets suit your needs.
Types Of Fishing Net
The ten most common types of fishing nets are
1. Cast Net
The cast-net method of sampling freshwater fish is a small-scale net fishing technique. Cast-net fishing, which has a long history, is considered a common way of catching fish that has been in use since antiquity.
The upper section (net band), the middle section (a conical-shaped net mesh), and the lower section, which is weighted, make up a cast net. The practitioner casts with both hands and shoulders, tossing the net onto the water’s surface in an area where the desired fish is likely to be found.
Rapid current cast nets, deep water cast nets, and regular cast nets are the three types of cast nets. The most popular nets are standard nets, which stretch out into a conical shape when cast.
2. Gillnet
A gillnet is a vertical wall of net made of monofilament or multifilament nylon that hangs in the water column.
The mesh sizes allow only the fish’s head to pass through the netting, not its entire body. As the fish attempts to get out of the net, its gills get stuck in the mesh.
The fish gets increasingly entangled as it tries to free itself. Commercial gillnet mesh size, length, and height are determined by many regulations and variables, including the area fished and target species.
They target salmon, groundfish, herring, seabass, swordfish, etc.
3. Lift net
After submerging the net to the desired depth, it is lifted or hauled out of the water. It can be worked on a boat manually or mechanically.
Lift nets are horizontal netting panels or bags shaped like a parallelepiped, pyramid, or cone with the opening facing upwards that are submerged, at a specific depth, left for some time to allow light or bait to draw fish over the opening, and then raised out of the water.
4. Purse Seine
A purse seine is a long netting wall that surrounds a large area or school of fish.
The top line of the seine has floats, and the bottom line has a lead line threaded around rings. Once a school of fish is found, a skiff with a net encircles the school. The lead line is then drawn in, “pursing” the net closed on the bottom and stopping fish from swimming downward and escaping.
The net is either hauled onboard or brought alongside the vessel to harvest the catch.
Purse seines may be as long as 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) and as deep as 650 feet (200 meters), depending on the vessel, mesh size, and target species.
5. Tangle Net
Tangle nets are a form of a gill net in which the netting is suspended from the ropes to produce more slack net. This gear has less flotation on the head rope and does not stand as high when fishing as a gill net.
The loose netting in tangle nets is more successful at capturing bottom-dwelling species like flatfish, monkfish, and shellfish. These species will not easily be meshed by a regular gill net but can get entangled in the slack netting.
They’re usually rigged with a larger mesh size than gill nets to allow larger fish to be caught without damaging the net.
6. Trammel
Trammel nets are similar to gill nets, but they have three layers of netting instead of two. They’re usually set on or near the seabed in UK waters to catch demersal fish.
They may be set in mid-water or just below the surface to target pelagic fish in some overseas fisheries. Trammel nets have lower selectivity than gill nets due to the tangling properties of the three layers of netting compared to the single layer of a gill net.
It has two wide mesh outer layers with a fine small mesh sheet sandwiched between them. The inner layer of small mesh netting is hung much looser than the outer two layers on the headline and foot cord.
Nets can be 50 meters to 200 meters long, and fleets can be 300 meters to 2000 meters long.
7. Push Net
The net of this gear has three sections: the upper portions, the lower portions, and the pocket. During fishing operations, there is a ground rope weighted with sinkers that reach the seabed.
The ground rope’s ends are attached to the poles that support the net. The headrope is suspended from the poles’ length. The poles are made of bamboo or pine tree trunks and are 6-16 meters long. The type of pole depends on the size of the gear and the scale of the fishing.
8. Ring Net
A ring is a long net that creates a netting wall around a shoal of pelagic fish. It can be powered by a single vessel or by two vessels working together.
For smaller pelagics, the ring net is very species-selective. It is used on a seasonal basis in specific areas where the target species is known to shoal up in that region at that time of year.
If the catch is of the wrong species or size, the whole catch can be released without harm.
9. Lampara Net
A fishing net known as a Lampara net is a form of net used for catching fish. It’s a spoon- or dustpan-shaped surrounding net with a short lead line under a longer float line. The net has two lateral wings and a central bunt to keep the fish contained.
Lampara nets catch pelagic fish and are commonly used to capture sardines in the Mediterranean, the United States, and South Africa.
They’re used to catch anchovies and mackerels in Argentina, and sea breams and flying fish in Japan.
They’re used to capture eastern sea garfish in Australia. Lampara nets trap Ballyhoo and Balao in South Florida, USA.
10. Trawl Net
A trawl net is a bag-shaped piece of gear towed through the water with the mouth held open by a frame or beam. The opening is aided by pulling the net with two vessels.
Trawl nets are run at the bottom or in the middle of the sea, depending on the presence of fish. Bottom trawls are used to catch bottom-dwelling fish. Bottom trawls catch shrimp, flatfish, sciaenids, ribbonfish, carangids, perches, and other species.
Midwater trawls can be used to capture pelagic fish such as sardines, silver bellies, anchovies, ribbonfish, shallow water mix, and so on.
What Type Of Fishing Net Should You Buy?
Before you buy a fishing net, you should understand the factors that go into deciding on the best form of fishing net.
Mesh Size
It’s crucial to consider the size of the holes in the mesh you pick. A micro-mesh is used for delicate and small fish, such as small stream trout.
For the other fishes, such as walleye and bass, a heavyweight net with holes of an inch in diameter will be needed.
Size And Shape Of Hook
The length and size of the fish you catch often will also affect the size of the net hoop you select. Unfortunately, if you’re a multi-species angler, one net may not suffice.
Keep in mind that different sizes and shapes of the hoop are appropriate for different species of fish and types of fishing. One of the most common and flexible types of net is the teardrop form.
Length Of The Handle
Another variable is the handle length. Nets with short handles are lightweight and easy to maneuver by default. The disadvantage is if you want to net the fish, you’ll have to get them in really tight.
Long handles are ideal for big water, where waves and deep hull boats enable you to reach out several feet to net the fish.
Telescoping, sliding, and folding handles are among the many styles that are becoming increasingly common among anglers.
Conclusion
These are the various types of fishing nets available to you. Be careful about their measurements, the materials, and how simple they are to use while purchasing them.
As a general rule, you should buy a high-quality item. Take good care of it if you want it to last a long time.