Netting crappies on LOTW

[jerkin'm]

A few years ago (I believe it was 99') I went out of Stevens bay on LOTW, saw some net buoys across a bay I had gone across on the way out. The guy flagged me down as he didn't think I saw his net. He was as white as I was. He said he was netting crappies to be sold in the U.S market. I am in the restaurant biz and have never heard of crappies being sold commercially. The price he claimed to be getting was astronimical. Any one else seen this out there? (Incidentally I whacked a rock turning around to avoid his net in my two week old boat) The guy also claimed it is impossible to catch the crappies with hook and line in summer? I plan on trying in a couple weeks. Any reports?

[JZ]

Never heard of netting crappy. I have heard of hitting rocks with the boat. Good luck catching any #'s in the summer.

[Daryl]

Almost every fall the natives net crappies up in Miles Bay. I have personally witnessed this. I have also 'heard' that large amounts have been netted by Hay Island but have never seen the nets.
I have watched the harvest in Miles and they get LOTS of crappie and tullibee.
Only saw one net for walleyes this spring and that was on the southwest corner of Bigsby Island. I don't know where the netters some from but that is a long way from anywhere.
Daryl

[puckey]

Daryl,

i was up in Miles Bay Area this week. I saw 3 nets, in 3 different areas that have eather blown up on shore or have just be left behind. What a shame, who knows what has been rolled up and killed in these things. The one I checked had all sorts of fish and crayfish bones rapped in the mess of green mono. We also talk about catching such small fish, i can say that I watched 2 natives all week putting up 3 or 4 nets every night, they wern't in high traffic areas but still, think of the fish that must be taken. Talked to a white guy last year that used to net crappies around the biig grassey river area, he said it was a lot easer because he could ship the fish in the whole, and not have to clean them. I didn't ask to many ? I didn't want to sound dumb.

Puckey