I had luck at night with a flashlight shining down on the fish while they sleep. The light puts them into a freeze because the get a bit scared and it was easy to net them out.
I had luck at night with a flashlight shining down on the fish while they sleep. The light puts them into a freeze because the get a bit scared and it was easy to net them out.
That's an interesting idea - I'll try that, too.
As I said on another post yesterday it was AMAZING when I put a stinky BilJac Liver Treat in the Frabill minnow trap. Within an hour it was filled with comet fry. I rebaiting and got another load. I rebaited this morning and my husband tells me there are more in there. Comets can't resist a nasty BilJac Liver Treat!
Where do you get those treats? I don't think I've ever seen them.
It's a dog food treat. http://www.biljac.com/store/products/dogttrtM.asp All the big box pet stores carry them -- many grocery stores too.
BTW, the BilJac treats in the frabill minnow trap removed ALL the fry, every last one -- 50? 60? I did immediate culling of some. Survivors (about 30) are all in the basement QT and I need to cull down to about 6 soon.
Interesting! I'll have to look for them.
Netting hints that I have found.
1. It's almost impossable to net a fish swimming away or to the right or left of the net.
2. Fish know you are after them and go hide.
3. The faster you move the net the faster the fish swim.
4. Fish move in the opposite direction from the way the net is comming from first. Then move right or left when they come to the end of the pond.
5. Last resort they move up.
6. I find what works best is slow net movement, since any fish can out swim a fish keeper with a net attached to the end of a pole. Water is very resistant to things not covered in slime and shaped like a torpedo.
7. First I pick out the fish I want. I start slow entering the water with the net, slowly moving it down towards the fish observing the fish behavior. Follow it down or to the right or left. The key to netting it is getting it to swim towards the net. As the net gets closer to the fish he reacts moving further away untill he runs out of pond. The he hesitates, stop moving the net untill he decides to move right of left at this time move the net the same direction he moves. This will confuse him and he will move the other way, do the same thing moving the net closer and closer. When he decides to move up or towards you move in and scoop him up.
8. Note It is not worth the fishes health moving the net as fast as you can all you will do is stress them into a heart attack.
9. Oh This does not work with female fish!!!! Happy netting Ron
I catch the larger ones with a large tub or bowl and a net. The best way in a very large pond really is with 2 people. Maybe someone from your local pond club or a landscaper would be willing to help. Good luck, Gail
If you have a largish tub handy (or large net), you might try a 'tilt' trap... Where the tub is floated with a stick leaning on it, so one side is low enough for fish to move in and out easy.
Toss a few worms or cooked chicken tid bits in to get them used to finding tasty morsels in the tub...
Get the fish used to the tub being safe to enter and leave as well as a place to find tasty morsels...
A couple of days later, let the tilt trap close when the desired fish are in there, very gently remove them to minimise alarm to other fish, gently reset the trap...
If there is one time when fish are relatively easy to catch that would be when they are expecting to find a tempting tid bit
Regards, andy
http://www.members.aol.com/abdavisnc/swglist.html
http://s93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/adavisus/
bekko i posted a pic of him and his WHITE legs on a seperate thread.they are just a little to white.
tammy
i joined yada yada club
just keep swimming,just keep swimming
mine,mine,mine
waiting on summer
I have caught some wild goldfish for my fish pond in the garden. This is in a large pond (not privately owned).
It took some time but I bought goldfish feed from the pet store and put it in the net. I submerged the net at the bank where there were multiple goldfish. The trick is to wait a while and force the net against the bank. You can't catch them just in the middle...you have to trap them against the wall. If you position it right near the surface and facing the embankment they have only left or right to escape not up or down. or forward backward. It takes patience. But the only way they can escape is left or right. Trick is to put tons of goldfish food in the net so it is trapped in the net. Then keep going to places where the goldfish are congregating. I caught some big ones pretty fast 1 hour maybe 5 nice specimens.
This is in Japan so I was feeling pretty stupid an odd person walked past me. I said I was catching frogs.
Transporting them home in my old nalgene bottles times 2. fun. I don't see why people have a hard time catching them. I admit it takes a couple hours at most. The trick is goldfish food in the net force them to the embankment. I don't know which season is best. Summer is when I caught a lot pretty easy. The pond was half an acre. The fish were swimming near the banks in groups. I put food in the net and slowly approached the groups with the net not to startle them. Then waited...and slowly some of them started to feed in the net...Scooped them up by bringing the net to the bank.
Goldfish are fun pets. The wild ones are aggressive. During feeding time they are fighting for it...so I don't like mixing wild golds with pet store goldfish. Different personality.