Pond netting and fish on the wrong side of the net

[Litzi1964]

This spring I put a net over my pond. Despite having a skimmer, I still ended up with a lot of leaves and debris on my pond bottom. So I ordered a net from Drs. Foster and Smith. Things were ok until one day I found one of my fish swimming on the wrong side of the net. The day before I had been in the pond cleaning the filter and I thought maybe he escaped then. So I put the fish back and re-secured the net. Well, a day or 2 later I found the same fish back on the wrong side. I found a hole in the net and I repositioned the net so the hole was not in the water, and I put the fish back. Well, a day or 2 later I found a different fish on the wrong side of the net. So I sewed the hole shut and put the fish back. This morning I found 3 of my fish on the wrong side of the net. I figured there must be another hole somewhere, so I pulled the whole net out, which was something of a project because the net ran under my Nessie statue. I had to move each piece off its pedestal, and they're concrete and weigh about 40 lbs each. I'm unsure if I want to put a net back in before fall. Anyone else have Houdini fish ?

 

[sissy]

Those pond nets are not good at all .Frogs and birds get stuck in them

 

[fishin4cars]

It should be tightened and pulled above the water level. The tighter the net the less likely critters will get caught in it.

 

[Litzi1964]

That might be tricky because my Nessie statue is set up so the bottom of the pieces are at water level. I'd have to cut a large area out to accommodate the statue.

I do have to admit the pond looks a lot nicer without the net, and the fish are more visible.

 

[mrsclem]

I have mine stretched about 8" above my water but it didn't help these two. It took me quite a while to cut them loose. I'm guessing they were after frogs. My hubby and I had spent Monday afternoon watching a mocking bird try to drive the blacksnake away from it's nest. The bird actually attacked the snake. I'm sorry to see it get killed but not so much the other one. Black snake -5', copperhead- 3'. Don't think I will go back down there for awhile!

 

[Litzi1964]

Aren't copperheads venomous???

 

[mrsclem]

Yes and this is one of the largest I have seen-

 

[addy1]

I sure hope they are not out here, I have only seen the black king snake.

 

[mrsclem]

I took down the overhead netting because so many dragonflies and butterflies were getting trapped. I don't know how many hummingbirds I have had to release. I guess I will have to put it back up and hopefully that will also keep out the deer and red tailed hawk. I feel bad for the snakes as they were tangled so bad.

 

[addy1]

I took down the overhead netting because so many dragonflies and butterflies were getting trapped. I don't know how many hummingbirds I have had to release. I guess I will have to put it back up and hopefully that will also keep out the deer and red tailed hawk. I feel bad for the snakes as they were tangled so bad.

That is one reason I picked out the fish net with the 5 inch openings to put over our ponds. I did not want to worry about the critters. So far nothing trapped.

Mine is black, high enough the heron can't do a strike.

 

[gardengimp]

Red Tail Hawks are usually after the frogs rather than the fish. At least, that's how it is around my pond.

The day I had to cut a black racer snake lose from the netting over the tomatoes was the day hubby and I took it down.

Over the pond, I have a net over the one side that is stretched between stakes at 3 feet off the ground. Then I have garden edging fencing around the bottom.

 

[mrsclem]

Addy- where did you get your net from?

 

[addy1]

Addy- where did you get your net from?

From here:

http://www.memphisnet.net/category/netting_multi_277

It is fishing, gill netting. I had to call and ask them how to order it. A real nice guy, Jason, helped me out. The stuff I got came six foot wide, as long as you want. I paid extra to have it black dipped, for uv and not as easy to see.

It comes 6 foot wide, I used fishing line to weave the sections together to make it the width I wanted (30lb test greenish fish line)

It is hanging around 3 feet over the pond here, I am standing on the upslope shooting down on it, around 9 feet above the pond water. Using the flash to make sure it shows up well for the photos.





I also wove a poly rope through the edge used to hang it




You can see here the squares are sort of pulled the next picture they look squarer the netting pulls like that when working on it. I laid it out in the yard, one edge anchored as I shaped it to weave the sections together.







Not a simple buy a net and throw it up, but critter safe.


To me it is not as eye bothersome as the small weave netting, which i used to use until birds started getting trapped. I changed out last year. Totally happy with this netting, nothing trapped since I put it up. No heron attacks either.







Our hawks sit on the camera next to the pond all of the time, even before I netted the pond, they are just going after the frogs / birds. I have never seen them go after a fish.

 

[Litzi1964]

We don't have a lot in the way of snakes up here (Except on LaSalle St. downtown ! LOL) Of the four species of venomous snakes native to Illinois, three only live in central or southern Illinois. We do have a fair amount of foxes, coyotes, raccoons and raptors.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

001.JPG

002.JPGI Black snake -5', copperhead- 3'. Don't think I will go back down there for awhile!

That looks like a Northern Watersnake, not a Copperhead. Non-venomous.