OPERATING THE HATCHERY 



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Figure 17. — Wire trap couimonly used by bait dealers. ( I'hotograph courtesy of the 

 Minnesota Department of Conservation. ) 



Artificial ponds that are difficult 

 to seine because of weeds or soft 

 bottoms can be equipped with a 

 wire trap at the inlet (fig. 18). By 

 running a current of water through 

 the trap, the dealer can catch the en- 

 tire population of a pond in 2 or 

 3 days. 



Netting fish 



Drop nets. — One of the nets fre- 

 quently used in harvesting minnows 

 from lakes and ponds is the lift, or 

 drop, net. This net is usually 

 square in design, and it forms a 

 pocket when lifted directly up- 

 wards. Sometimes the netting is 

 supported by a rigid framework 

 which prevents collapse when low- 

 ering or lifting the net. Guy ropes 

 are attached to each corner to en- 

 able the operator to lift the net up- 

 ward on an even keel. On occasion. 



instead of a rigid framework sup- 

 port, the netting is suspended from 

 flexible steel bands running diago- 

 nally across the net. "When the net 

 is lowered, the bands tend to flatten 

 out, and when lifted they bend in- 

 ward, creating a pocket (fig. 19). 



Whether the drop net is small (3 

 feet square) or large (8 to 10 feet 

 square), the principle of operation 

 is the same. The net is lowered to 

 the desired de})th by hand in the 

 case of the small net, and by rope 

 from a tripod and pulley or on the 

 end of a pole in the large net. 

 Bread and cracker crumbs or oat- 

 meal are wetted and thrown into the 

 water inmiediately above the net to 

 attract the fish. T^sually, as soon 

 as the bait has dropped to a depth 

 ecpial to or nearly equal to that of 

 the set, the net can be lifted. When 

 the small net is used, the fish can be 



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