Raider said:
OOh! Hey KJUN, whats a proper frog net? Also, what about "Good pole, limb, and/or bush lines"? Do you just tie the line on a limb and bait it?
I've used cast nets to catch bait but never big enough to eat. Lousy technique maybe.
Hey,
A frog net is a net on the end of a round pole about 10' long (longer if you can handle it). The diameter is just over the body length of the longest bullfrogs out there. (They get bigger than most people think, too.) The net is atleast 2' long, but I perfer one about 2.5' long. 3' is probably getting a little TOO long. There is a string tied to the REAR of the net and to the end of the pole you hold. Pull the string tight and the net gets tight, etc. Use the string to hold the net from sagging until you put it over the frog. (Of course, the net is attached to a metal ring on the end you don't hold.) Once the metal ring is around the frog and the net is over it, use the string to pull on the net. Frog jumps to the end of the net, and you let the string go slack. These leaves the frog hanging in the net which is sagging over the edge of the metal ring so there is no way for the frog to escape. You pull it back to you and get the frog out. If you are good, you can catch 4-5 frogs without empting the net. I don't recommend that, though, because you'll lose a bunch learning the trick.
Pole/limb/bush lines are pretty much the same thing, but people sometimes use them differently for slightly different methods. I don't care who calls what method what, so I'll just describe the methods I meant. Cut a straight pole. Young, straight willowtrees work good, but beavers like to cut them. Stick the pole out in the water at an angle so you can tie a string towards the top that hangs down in the water with a hook on it. No weighed is recommended unless there is a STRONG current. If there is a strong current, I'd suggest finding a new spot to fish. You DO NOW want enough slack so it is easy for the fish to swim AROUND the pole and get all tangled up. Works good for larger catfish and nongame fish. (If you want LARGE catfish, stick with deepwater trotlines.) If you tie this to a brach or a small limb (small limbs can act somewhat like a yo-yo, but don't work well at all for larger catfish), you can cut out the pole, BUT you are more limittedin where they go, wasps are a bigger concern, you are usually in shallower water, harder to check/bait/etc them, yadda yadda yadda.
All you need for any of the above methods are some string and hooks. Weights IF you want to fich anarea with lots of current, but I don't like those areas. I can NOT say that this is legal in all 50 states, so check your local regs.
I grew up throwing a cast net - my gradnmother made me my fist 3' net back before I started school. I love them, so I may be a little biased. In my states, it isillegal to keep game fish in castnets, but I can go out and catch bass, catfish, bream, "sac-a-lait" aka crappie, etc. almost every time when I try NOT to catch them, so I know I could get them if I tried. I have eaten a lot of nongame fish that are legal to catch in a castnet including mullet, bowfin, etc.
Let's thing of long-term survival gear near water that would be a big help made of string: trotlines, bush lines, cast nets, crab lines, crawfish dropnets, etc. I've got those now, but I wouldn't suggest people stock up with them. I would suggest people put a couple 1lb rolls of a few different size twine on the shelf and a couple of twine knitting needles. Then, you could knit any of these you needed AFTER it hit the fan (and you'd have more time than gear) on a as-needed basis. This is a time where raw materials might be better IMO than having JUST finished gear. Of course, leave a few finished products at the camp.
The monofiliment cast nets for beginners sold at Wal-Mart are good, but MUST be considered disposable. Us them readily (I do since they are cheap!), but keep some good nylon or cotton ones on hand for LONG-TERM quality - as long as you know how to patch a net, they can last you for a VERY long time.
KJ
