William R. Heard

The Use of Hobbled Gill Nets in a Commercial Fishery of Lake Carl Blackwell, Oklahoma

A modified gill net known as a hobbled gill net was utilized in a commercial fishery in 3,300-acre Lake Carl Blackwell in Central Oklahoma from September, 1957 through December, 1958. A total of 3,200 fish weighing 20,252 pounds was taken in 1,085 net days, a net day being 300 feet of net fished 24 hours. Non-game fishes represented 97 percent by weight of the total catch. Hobbled gill nets proved particularly effective in taking flathead catfish, which comprised 63.4 percent by weight of the total catch. The average catch of flathead catfish increased from 4.9 to 13.0 and 14.6 pounds per...