Gill Nets
The Easy, Efficient Way to Catch Fish for the Frying Pan
(Check Your State and Local Laws for any restrictions on the use of Gill Nets.)
Copyright © 2007 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
For Fair Use and Educational Purposes Only.
Gill Net Construction
- Use medium or heavy weight fishing line. The weight of the fishing line should be based on the maximum size fish normally caught in your area. For example, 8 to 12 pound fishing line is adequate for most fish. However, if you know the fish in your area can easily break fishing line of this strength, then you should use stronger line, such as 15 pound or 20 pound fishing line.
- Cut a long piece of thin nylon cord about 13 feet long. This will be the top straight support for your Gill Net.
- Cut a 26 foot long piece of fishing line. This will be used to tie your top row of Gill Net diagonals.
- Tie the fishing line into a mesh pattern going from left to right to the thin nylon top cord at 1.5 inch intervals with a 60 degree angle going down to a temporary support stick and a 60 degree angle going back up to the thin nylon top cord with an up and down length of approximately 1.5" in each direction. The long wood stick or piece of wire will keep the fishing line from becoming tangled. Tie the fishing line to the thin nylon top cord. Continue looping the fishing line around the wood stick and tying the fishing line to the thin nylon top cord until you reach the right end of your Gill Net and then tie the fishing line to a straight piece of nylon cord that will run from the top to the bottom of the Gill Net (see the illustration of a finished Gill Net in the middle of the page below).
- Cut another 26 foot long piece of fishing line. This will form your second row of Gill Net diagonals. You will need a second wood stick or piece of wire to hold the bottom of this piece of fishing line stable just like you did on the top row of fishing line diagonals. Tie the fishing line to the bottom of each loop of the top fishing line with a knot, then loop around the bottom stick, and repeat until you reach the end of your Gill Net. At this time you can remove the upper stick and use it for your next row of diagonals.
- The interior mesh diagonals will be two sizes. The shorter diagonal (side to side) will be approximately 1.5 inches wide, and the longer diagonal (top to bottom) will be approximately 2.5 inches wide. To create this finished pattern, tie a knot every 1.5 inches. The size of the opening should be based on the average size of the head of the fish in your area. The head of the fish should be able to enter the net up to a point past its gills. However, the body of the fish should NOT be able to pass completely through the opening in the net. If the fish in your area are larger than normal, then you should increase the size of the diagonals by tying the individual knots further apart that 1.5 inches, such as 2 inches.
- Cut a second long piece of thin nylon cord about 13 feet long and tie it to bottom of the mesh diagonals so it can be used to anchor the Gill Net to the bottom of the lake after it is placed in the water. Remove and discard the two wood sticks that were used to keep the fishing line from becoming tangled during construction. Your finished Gill Net should look something like the illustration below. (Note: The length and width are approximate sizes and your net may be bigger or a little smaller than the illustration.)
How to Use a Gill Net
Gill Nets are NOT used like a conventional fish net. A conventional fish net is cast into the water in the hope that it will fall over the fish and capture the fish inside the net. A Gill Net is NOT used this way. A Gill Net also does NOT use any fish hooks.
The correct way to use a Gill Net is to tie a long rope to each of the top corners of the Gill Net. Secure the end of each rope to a tree or other stationary object near the water, so the net can be stretched straight across a stream (or straight across the curved bank of a lake). Later you will use these ropes to pull the net of fish from the water.
Tie several weights (rocks) to the lower edge of the Gill Net. Drop the weighted side of the net into a lake, stream, or other body of water. The entire net should be under water. The fish will not see the thin mesh of the net and the fish will swim into it. Small fish will swim through. But the head of the larger fish will enter the net but its body will not pass through the net. The front gills of the fish will become caught in the net as it tries to free itself. Several fish can be caught at one time in this manner. You should check your Gill Net at least once per day and remove the fish and then reset the net.
Revised August 14, 2007 - Added two wood sticks to keep the fishing line stable during construction.
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