Experience with a Net Rig?

What do you want to know? I hunted with one last fall, not mine though. My first reaction was "It'll never work and will end up FUBAR" - I was wrong. Worked very well but you need a really big boat and you MUST be organized and, most importantly, practice before the season opens.
 
Well I wanted to know if you could get a dog to cross over it. And if it is legal to paint gold?
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No on the dog. No way a dog could get through it.

"And if it is legal to paint gold?" Huh? Don't know what you are asking

 
Pretty neat idea. The video helped me see how you would do it. As far as painting gold I am pretty sure you are ok. I knew a guy that would use the white plastic chain. He would use 3 or 4 pieces that were about 5ft long. Then he bundled each one to look like a pile and zip tied in a bunch of places to hold the pile shape then painted each pile of white plastic chain yellow. He used them in one spot that he hunted that was about a mile from a park where the ducks were fed corn. He said if the ducks flew by close enough to see the fake corn piles they would drop in every time. He called the local game warden before using these fake corn piles. The warden said it wasn't bait and would be considered a decoy he said it was ok to use. He tried using them in other hunting spots that were not near the park. He said he thinks it did more harm then good in these spots as the ducks were not use to seeing piles of corn.
 
The net rig is really popular in my neck of the woods. I've never actually used one myself, (I use long lines), but I know a couple of guys that think it's the best thing ever. I've seen their rig. They use net with very small mesh, like a shrimp net, and zip tie their decoys to it. They just pile the thing up in the bottom of the boat when they pick it up and then set it out from that position. I think that is the key and I apologize for my lack of vocabulary when trying to explain it. I mean, they put it in the boat like you would stuff a throw line in a bag. Or how I put my long lines in their bins. You know, so the stuff will feed out correctly. They anchor each corner. They have about 100 decoys on each net. I would consider setting my rig up this way if I didn't already have a gagillion dollars invested in my long lines and a pretty good process figured out for using them. I've also run across a fellow who uses an old shrimp net that is naturally shaped like a triangle. This set up only has three corners to anchor. I like this idea the best.
 
As far as legality, you need to check with your state. I think it would be ok with the federal regs, but I know here in PA it would not be legal. Anything that looks like food is considered bait, i.e. plastic corn, astro-turf in the snow...
 
Dont get that rig wound up in your prop on a cold windy day! I used to run some gill net for a living, leaning over the transom with waves coming over it, trying to untangle that mess can be downright dangerous. Carry a real sharp knife hoseclamped to a broom handle, could save your life. Rich
 
I recall that a group of hunters up here were had up for hunting over 1/2 litre plastic water bottles that they had painted yellow. Big fines and suspended licences.
No doubt they thought that it was the world's best idea right up until "Could I see you licence and ID, sir".
I expect that regulations are different by jurisdiction but in Ontario if it looks like bait and acts like bait, it is bait. Your mileage may vary...
Dano
 
I rigged one here last year and had some trouble with it. I used 1.5" mesh and it was WAY too big. Everything got hung up....keels, bills, eye bolts....etc.

I hope to make a new one using a fine mesh seine net this time. I like the idea of the triangle.

As far as painting it gold, I think the baiting language says something along the lines of "lure and enticement" meaning it doesn't have to be food to be illegal. It's not worth it anyway, in my experience, it's the food the ducks are after and once they've eaten it the game is over. Believe it or not, I've heard that many ducks use their sense of smell to find sub aquatic foods, especially corn and milo.

-D
 
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