Alaska is the spawning ground for millions of salmon.
Every year as the fish returned to their spawning grounds
thousands of men and women release their nets into Alaska's waters
with the hopes of catching some of these fish.
The net is one of the fisherman's most important tools.
But if the net is not designed properly
the fisherman's efforts maybe in vain.
Every gillnet fishermen needs to know how to build a net
regardless of whether he or she is hanging it themself
or purchasing it pre-hung. Because the design of the net
will vary with each fishery.
If the net is purchased pre-hung the fishermen still must be able to describe
how he wants the net hung to the net hanger
or if while fishing the net is damaged or not fishing well
the fishermen needs to know how to make the repairs
or be able to describe the problem to the net hanger.
There are five steps to hanging a gillnet.
They are planning the net, buying supplies, determining the hanging ratio,
hanging the net and finishing up.
To plan the net begin by asking yourself a few questions. Where will I be fishing?
Am I using this net for setnetting or drift netting?
What species of fish will I be catching?
What are the currents and the tides like in my area?
And are there weeds and snags in the water?
Will I be scratch fishing or expecting a heavy run?
Will the net be pulled by a roller or by hand?
Since every area and fishery requires a different net design
research what works best in your area. It will save a lot of time.
While each net hanger has their own technique, much can be learned by talking
to your local net salesman
or an experience net hanger or two other fishermen in your area
about what has worked for them.
Find out what size and type of corkline you should use.
How much weight is needed on the lead line? Do you need a weed line?
How much web should you hang on fifty fathoms of line?
What depth of web should you use? How far apart should the knots be spaced
on the corkline and the lead line?
How often should a cork be tied on the corkline and what strength of hanging twine
should be used on the lead line and the corkline?
The next step is to buy the materials.
You will need web, corks, corkline
lead line and weed line if you are using one,
needles and hanging twine.
Also a hanging board or bench will be useful along with a yard stick and some black electricians tape.
Salmon gillnet web is generally made of
multifilament strands of nylon.
How much to buy will vary based on a variety of factors
but in general the amount of web purchased will be twice as long as the finished net.
Mesh size, breaking strength and color of the web
will vary with the species of fish you are targeting.
The depth of the net will vary from area to area.
Lead line is made of flexible lead core covered with braided polypropylene.
The lead line is purchased by weight. The weight can vary
from 30 to 300 pounds per 100 fathoms of line.
The line is sold in 55 or 110 fathom lengths.
The strength of the lead line varies with the weight. The heavier it is
the greater the breaking strength.
The appropriate length, weight and size again will vary with each fishery.
Corkline is made of braided polypropylene.
The thickness and stiffness will vary.
Generally a stiffer corkline holds the net straighter but is more difficult to
handle for hand pulling and setting.
A thicker corkline is considered easier to handle.
Corkline is sold in 55 and 110,000 fathom lengths.
Corks are made of closed-cell foam. They vary in both size and buoyancy.
The amount of flotation needed depends on the weight of the lead line
and the amount of fish that will be caught in the net.
Hanging twine is made of braided nylon.
the twine is designed to shrink 12 to 15 percent
when it gets wet, to cinch up the hanging knots.
Generally drift nets use a lighter hanging twine for the lead line than the corkline.
Setnetters often use a heavy twine for both the lead line and the corkline.
There are two types of needles,
flat and Norwegian style. Both types come in a variety of sizes.
The Norwegian needle is more popular because it is easier to load.
Establishing a hanging ratio and a hanging distance
is critical in constructing a gillnet that fishes well.
The hanging ratio is the length of web divided by the length of the corkline or lead line.
Hanging one hundred fathoms of web
on fifty fathoms of corkline, a ratio of 2 to 1 is standard.
The hanging distance is the length between the hanging knots.
To establish the hanging distance, decide on the number of meshes
that will be picked up between each knot.
On the corkline it is standard to pick up two meshes when hanging a king salmon net
or three meshes when hanging other salmon nets.
On lead lines the general rule
is to pick up two meshes and skip one
for a standard net with a hanging ratio of two
measure the stretch length of the number of meshes
that will be both picked up and skipped between each knot and divide by two.
This will establish the hanging distance.
A standard net hung even has a ratio of 2
where 100 fathoms of web is hung on 50 fathoms of corkline.
However if you are scratch fishing use more web and hang the net in.
This means the hanging knots will be closer together
the net will look baggy and fish will be tangled more easily.
If you're expecting heavy run use less web and hang the net out.
The hangings will be spaced farther apart
the web will be stretched out and the fish will be easier to pick out of the net.
The lead line on most nets is about three to eight percent longer than the corkline.
This means the hanging distance will be longer on the lead line
than on the corkline.
The hangings are generally a quarter to three quarters of an inch greater.
Corks are generally spaced between 36 inches and 42 inches apart
depending on the number of corks used.
The amount of floatation you need depends on how many fish will be caught and the weight of the lead line.
If you have decided on a net design, bought your supplies
and figured out the hanging ratio and distance
then you are ready to hang your net. Begin by filling up your needles with
the size of twine that you will be using on the corkline.
A machine designed specifically for this purpose will speed up the process.
Next lay the web out and identify the selvedge.
The selvedge is the edge of the web. These are the meshes that you pick up when hanging the net.
Tie the web off at various intervals keeping the selvedge exposed.
There are many ways to set up a hanging operation
but the most common ways are to use either a hanging board or hanging bench.
A hanging bench is a wooden seat equipped with a movable arm to adjust for hanging distances.
A hanging board is a piece of wood about 12 to 20 feet long
set at a height that is comfortable to work at while standing.
If using a hanging board lay some masking tape down the center of the board and
mark it with the established hanging distance.
Then lay the cork or the lead line on the board and gather up the web
so that the selvage is accessible.
The measures are picked up and a knot is tied at every mark while moving backward.
when a stretch is completed the last knot on the line
is brought up to the first mark and the process is repeated.
If using a hanging bench tie the web with the line to a beam or some other
strong spot in your workplace.
Adjust the bench arms to the appropriate hanging distance.
The hanging drop distance will be set by the distance from the bench to the selvage.
It is important to keep the distance between the knots
and the drop distance from line to web accurate and consistent.
Check the knots with a ruler every so often as you build the net.
Many knots are used in hanging a net
however the best knot for the beginner is the double knot.
This knot as commonly used by those working on a hanging bench.
To make the knot pass the needle around the back of the line
and cross the twine under itself going towards yourself.
Put your thumb on the cross and hold it against the line with your index finger
throw a loop to the left and on top of the line.
Bring the needle underneath the line, up through the loop
and then pull the knot tight to prevent it from slipping.
This variation is the same as the double knot
except the needle goes back through the loop again.
Whether to tie a double not or the variation is up to the individual.
The double is faster and makes it easier to strip the net.
The variation is a little slower but less likely to slip.
Corkline will twist if it is coiled.
however the twist may be prevented by storing the line in a figure eight.
Begin hanging the corkline by stringing all the corks you plan to use onto the corkline.
There are several ways to begin hanging the corkline
but the most common method is to tie a pendant hanging.
To make the hanging tie a knot on the corkline
then pick up 6 to 12 meshes and double or triple tie them back at the same knot.
This will add strength to the edge of the net.
Tie 2 corks in a row. This prevents the cork from sliding and wearing out the hanging knots
and keeps the cork stationary when the net is pulled by a power roller or reel.
To double tie a cork, tie a knot on the corkline,
slide up a cork, past the twine over the cork and tie it.
Then bring the twine back to the original knot and tie it.
Pick up the meshes bring the twine back over the cork
tie your final hanging knot and go on.
Have the corkline close to the web to prevent fish from swimming through
but not so close that the net does not hang straight.
The minimum generally is three and a half inches from web to corkline.
Remember to allow for twine shrinkage when the net gets wet.
When you reach the end of the corkline finish it up with another pendant hanging and double corks.
Before hanging the lead line
readjust the bench or board to the new hanging distance as calculated earlier.
Like the corkline never store the lead line it in a coil. Stored in a figure eight.
Most lead lines have a color line called the tracer
woven into the braid.
If the tracer is kept in a straight line while hanging
the line won't be able to develop a twist.
Begin hanging the same as for the corkline leave a short bit of lead line at the
end for finishing
and tie a pendant hanging with a double or triple knot.
When hanging the lead line the general rule is to pick up 2 meshes and skip 1.
Although when hanging king salmon nets and setnets the rule is to not skip any meshes.
To keep the net from rolling up
use a drop distance of 10 to 11 inches for a driftnet
or 6 to 8 inches for setnets.
With the web hung on the corkline and the lead line there are only a few steps left to finish up the net.
There are many ways to finish up the corkline
but the most common method is to form a loop at the end of the line.
To make the loop double the corkline back on itself to the desired size.
Allow six to eight inches to overlap beyond the loop.
Whip the end to the corkline with a series of half hitches
and cover the ragged end with black electricians tape.
The lead line is generally finished by attaching it to a fan belt
overlap the end of the lead line around the fan belt.
Whipped the two together and cover the ragged ends with black tape.
The fan belt prevents the end from coming back through the web.
A breast line is used in high volume fisheries.
The breast line strengthens up the net and protects the sides from tearing.
A heavy braided nylon twine or seine twine is used for making the breast line.
A sider knot is usually tied to every mesh on nets up to 45 meshes deep.
On deeper nets the top 15 or 20 meshes are tied
then every third or fourth mash is tied. The ends of the breast line
are tied to both the corkline and the lead line leaving enough slack
so that the net may hang to its proper depth.
Many fishermen may want to incorporate a weed line into their nets.
A weedline is used in regions that have a lot of seaweed or floating debris.
It is also useful in stormy areas to prevent the web from being jostled
around due to bobbing corks.
However hanging a weed line takes some extra time.
The first up is to hang the weed line to the web.
Make the line out of dark green or yellow hollow braided polypropylene.
About a quarter to three eighths of an inch in diameter.
Make the weed line at least three fathoms longer than the corkline
so that the weed line can be tied onto the corkline later.
Do not let it get twisted. Hang the line to the web
just as you would the cork line including beginning and end.
Normally the weed line is hung even. With the web now attached to the weed line
the next step is to prepare the corks and the corkline.
To begin you will need to tie some heavy twine into loops.
Take about 60 to 70 inches of twine
and tie the ends together with a double overhand knot.
these loops will be used to tie the cork to the corkline.
Next thread all the corks onto the corkline then figure out how far apart
the corks will be spaced on the corkline.
This may vary with the number of corks you are using.
Tie the corks onto the corkline with the heavy twine loops that you made earlier.
To do this tie the twine loop onto the line. Pull the cork over the line
so that there is a loop on each end of the cork. Tie another knot.
Then bring the loops together in the middle at the cork and tie a knot.
A 7 to 8 inch loop will be created called a dropper.
The dropper should be tied close to the cork.
Repeat this until all the corks have been tied to the corkline.
The next step is to attach the corkline to the weed line.
Begin by wrapping the weed line around the corkline and splicing the line back into itself.
Line up the weed line so that the first hanging is even
with the first dropper.
Tie the weed line to the dropper. You will need a fid.
Drop distances between corkline and weed line will vary from 3 to 7 inches
depending on the area.
Too much space will allow the fish to swim through the net.
Too little will cause problems when the twine shrinks. Allow for twine shrinkage.
To finish tie off the weed line as you began.
Choosing the right combinations of web strength and color
amount a flotation and leads and looseness and tautness of the web
well all affect how well your gillnet fishes.
This program has simply presented the basics of hanging salmon gillnets.
With experience each fisherman will modify the techniques
and be able to decide what works best for them.
For more information refer to Marine Advisory Bulletin number 29
titled Gillnet Hanging.