quote:

Originally posted by MLindsay:

The seafood industry in coastal Louisiana is unbelievable. I enjoy it weekly!. Thank you very much

I didn't know so many catfish were caught commercially in the Louisiana coastal area.

https://youtu.be/RAIgk-cmPo4?si=8RkYXpRoKgJy-c6l

In this video we used hoop nets to catch 6,000 pounds of catfish.

Brought back some memories. Friends used to run hoop nets in the Little Wichita, out of Wichita Falls back in the early 70s. (Our deal wasn't as legal as described in the video.)

If you left them too long, nets could get sanded-in to the point we couldn't even pull them.

Our nets were not placed vertical as described here. They were parallel to the bank with a wing that directed the fish into the net as they swam upstream.

We've pulled nets that might have had 400 to 500 pounds of catfish in them. There were times when we had zero freeboard as you tried to roll the net into the boat.

If the river was up, it could get pretty dicey. Trees falling in, banks calving.

We would have to deal with dead gar and turtles, and get them out of the net. When the net broke the surface the flies would just cover us. The smell was pretty ripe.

Everything was done by hand, unlike what was shown in the video. You had to be careful you didn't get spined. That would ruin your day.

The best part was calling a bunch of friends later that day, having a party on the bank with plenty of fresh catfish and blue-sock (Crown Royal).

Ledvm might have more to add, I believe he was about 3/4 renegade in those days.

You description was good and accurate. We were just about 50 miles SE of you in the West Fork of Trinity doing exactly the same in the same period.

That's a pretty accurate depiction of reality, from experience, Kensco.

The video shows a recent commercial endeavor.

I've never deployed the hoop nets, and don't know anyone who has.

Years ago, I have used what we call "baskets". They are made of wire mesh. Nowadays they are regulated as commercial and have certain required specs.

Anyway, although I have several "baskets" I haven't used them recently. My preferred technique is trotlines. I set up several short trotlines with about five circle hooks each, no more than five lines. I catch about 25 bream for bait and use a bait well with an aerator to keep them fresh. I target the prime zone close to the bank, near a deep hole, the hunting zone for flathead at night. I catch more catfish that way than I can use or give away.

I like the thrill of having a decent size flathead on the line. I know I've set the trap right. The baskets are for channel catfish. with the right bait, there is no challenge.

One thing I learned is that channel catfish can be caught on a trotline baited with nothing but chunks of zote soap. It is almost too easy. I had to pull my long lines because I was catching too many fish. No more freezer room. The best thing about zote soap for bait is no turtle bi-catch, and 95% channel catfish, with an occasional blue.

Accordingly, when using bream for bait, I don't use cut bait and dead bait is removed asap.

One thing I want to get into is fishing at night, with the right boat, anchoring in a likely spot, and targeting flathead with a rod and reel. The boat needs to be one I can just stay put and go to bed when I'm ready, with a cabin at least. I'm working on it.