[fisherman505]

It's been hit and miss with last night being one of those hit nights. We caught 8 walleye with 6 being big enough to keep. http://picasaweb.google.com/rac55ster/ForumFolder/photo?authkey=0sUSCZzIRT0#5228875797899650738 is a 5 1/2 pounder which was the biggest for the night.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rac55ster/ForumFolder/photo?authkey=0sUSCZzIRT0#5228876361009484802 is a picture of the shad gillnet and what it looks like after a couple of hours in the water.

We also caught a bunch of white bass up to about 3 pounds which are great fighters but nowhere near as good eating as the walleye. Caught two drum or sheepshead which we threw back.

Cheers.....

 

[Wes Ramsey]

Sounds like a good time Bob! Nice catch!

 

[jerry dean]

fish505,

I didn't know it was legal to run one of those shad nets @ night.

And didn't you mean that you threw the drum on the bank???:biggrin:

 

[grits and gravy]

Jerry, you are correct.
It is illegal to operate a shad seine at night. It is illegal to operate a gill net at all on Bull Shoals. So I am assuming that was a shad seine, and not actually a gill net.

 

[leserz]

nice going guys. how were you catching them? i would not have a clue how to go about fishing for walleye on bull shoals lake. till i get a boat never can try.

 

[Wes Ramsey]

I think a shad seine is just another name for a small shad gillnet. As far as I know its a legal method of catching baitfish anytime. But I've been wrong before. I just know several folks up that way that use nets/seines like that all the time.

 

[jerry dean]

I just know several folks up that way that use nets/seines like that all the time.

Tell 'em not to do it @ night. It's 100% illegal for a commercial fisherman to use a seine, throw net, shad trall, shad gill net or any other bait catching device @ night in Arkansas. It might be different for non-commercial, but I'm pretty sure it's the same. I found out the hard way 2 years ago to the tune of $300.

 

[Wes Ramsey]

Sure enough...

During daylight hours, baitfish may be taken using
• seines no larger than 50 feet long and four feet wide with quarter-inch mesh;
• square traps or lifts no larger than six feet by six feet by three feet with half-inch mesh and with
a throat size of two inches and round traps no longer than three feet in diameter and six feet in
length;
• cast nets with one-inch (or smaller) mesh;
• shad trawl nets with one-inch (or smaller) mesh;
• glass, plastic or wire mesh minnow traps no larger than one gallon with a one-and-a-half inch
(or smaller) throat;
• hand-operated dip nets or lifts with one inch (or smaller ) square bar mesh for use while
sportfishing. This method may be used day or night. All other species of fish must be
immediately released.

I'm not sure what a 'lift' is, so maybe he was legal since he was sportfishing?

 

[fisherman505]

Sure enough...



I'm not sure what a 'lift' is, so maybe he was legal since he was sportfishing?

The mesh on this thing is 3/8", which is pretty small. I think as long as I am sportsfishing and not commercial fishing, I am okay. If I am not, there's a whole bunch of people on Norfork and Bull Shoals who could make the G&F financially independent.

But the foregoing discussion about using a gill net at night is worth checking into with the G&F. I'll send them an email and see what the response is.

A while back, I was having problems with commercial marinas on Norfork giving me a hard time for fishing near their docks. I shot an email into the G&F and got a very nice response back saying that unless there are signs posted by the G&F or the COE, that I should enjoy fishing near any dock that I like. I always carry a copy of that email with me to educate the person that is giving me a hard time.

Anyway, thanks for the input. I'll get back to you as to what the G&F says.


Cheers.....

 

[Hobbshunter]

If I am not, there's a whole bunch of people on Norfork and Bull Shoals who could make the G&F financially independent.

That's a pretty common practice on Beaver. I've thought about giving it a shot over here sometime, especially since they've been stocking walleye. I know some of the old-timers would keep meat grinders mounted on the side of their boats. They'd run the little pin-head minnows through it for chum.

 

[fisherman505]

That's a pretty common practice on Beaver. I've thought about giving it a shot over here sometime, especially since they've been stocking walleye. I know some of the old-timers would keep meat grinders mounted on the side of their boats. They'd run the little pin-head minnows through it for chum.

After the underwater light has been submerged for a couple of hours, you get a band of baitfish buildup from about 10-feet to 20-feet down. I am sure it also consists of other critters like freshwater shrimp and such. Could be that this is why the baitfish build up in the first place.

Anyway, on the fish-locator you can see fish below the band feeding on the baitfish. At times, you can drag lures like jigging rapalas across those feeding fish till your arm falls off and maybe only get a bump or two. Other times (usually when the water is cooler), the jigging rapala can outfish live shad because you are not constantly wasting time messing around with putting one of the little critters on your hook. But when the fish are bumping the jigging rapala, they will never pass up a live shad. So that is why the shad net is so important. There are times that only shad will give you a successful fishing trip.

I like that idea of grinding up bait for chum. Sounds like a stinky messy process but I guess if you can keep it on the right side of the boat (over the water), it would be okay. Would sure bring in the catfish. Not sure if it would work for walleye because they like live bait. Speaking of other fish, I catch a lot of catfish, crappie, whites, hybrids, stripers and even drum and gars with these shad but I rarely catch largemouth, kentuckys or smallmouth. Never have figured out why that is.


Cheers.....

 

[fish]

I think a shad seine is just another name for a small shad gillnet. As far as I know its a legal method of catching baitfish anytime. But I've been wrong before. I just know several folks up that way that use nets/seines like that all the time.

A seine and a gill net catch different and are in different legal classifications.

 

[fisherman505]

The mesh on this thing is 3/8", which is pretty small. I think as long as I am sportsfishing and not commercial fishing, I am okay. If I am not, there's a whole bunch of people on Norfork and Bull Shoals who could make the G&F financially independent.

But the foregoing discussion about using a gill net at night is worth checking into with the G&F. I'll send them an email and see what the response is.

A while back, I was having problems with commercial marinas on Norfork giving me a hard time for fishing near their docks. I shot an email into the G&F and got a very nice response back saying that unless there are signs posted by the G&F or the COE, that I should enjoy fishing near any dock that I like. I always carry a copy of that email with me to educate the person that is giving me a hard time.

Anyway, thanks for the input. I'll get back to you as to what the G&F says.


Cheers.....

It took awhile but I finally got an answer about the legality of using this type of net for night fishing. What follows is the G&F response to my email on the subject:

This practice is legal because the nets are small throw nets and not commercial. The following is how the code reads.

Baitfish Tackle Restrictions:
Throw nets and casting nets with square mesh not larger than one inch, or SHAD TRAWL NETS with square mesh not larger than one inch is legal. Code 37:04 section is legal.

Captain Ronald Aaron
Enforcement
Calico Rock Regional Office


Kim Cartwright
Information Officer
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

​

From: Bob Clark [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2008 2:04 PM
To: information
Subject: Need help on this question


I have read in the Fishing Regulations that certain gill nets are illegal, especially if used at night.



I have seen many people fishing at night on Lake Norfork and Bull Shoals with a submersible light and a small shad net to catch shad which are attracted to the light and figured it must be legal if they do it so I now have a net and light.

What this amounts to is anchor the boat and throw out the light which is florescent and runs off the boat's battery and is submerged about 10-feet below the boat. You then put down a small 3X6 or so net and when the threadfin shad start milling around the light, they get hung up in the net. Then all you do is take a shad out of the net and put it on a hook and sink it down to the bottom and hold on.

I can't believe this type of fishing would be illegal but I sure would like clarification from you. This is no way a commercial operation. Just a fisherman enjoying a night out on the lake.





Thank You,

 

[Wes Ramsey]

Good to know Bob! Still nice fish :biggrin:

 

[jerry dean]

I'm gonna have to disagree w/ Captian Ron on this(and so does the AG&F in Little Rock).

A gill net is not a Dipnet or a "lift" and these 2 items (dipnet & "lift") are the only means by which a commercial fishing guy or sport fishing guy can obtain bait with at night.

Section 37.04 has about 20 sub codes with it, but it is very clear that a dipnet or "lift" is the only things you can use at night.

 

[fisherman505]

I'm gonna have to disagree w/ Captian Ron on this(and so does the AG&F in Little Rock).

A gill net is not a Dipnet or a "lift" and these 2 items (dipnet & "lift") are the only means by which a commercial fishing guy or sport fishing guy can obtain bait with at night.

Section 37.04 has about 20 sub codes with it, but it is very clear that a dipnet or "lift" is the only things you can use at night.

No point in beating this thing to death but I will add that my original request for response was addressed to AGFC Little Rock and they forwarded it to Calico Rock for action. Had this been some type of glaring problem, I am sure the folks in Little Rock would have jumped on it.

I will take a copy of Captian Ron's response and put it in the boat's glove compartment to be used if I am ever queried on the subject.


Cheers.....

 

[jerry dean]

:thumb: