Fyke net(Fish trap) sorry very pic heavy.

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Hi folks, i made this over the past few weeks and thought you may like a look, i took pics as i went along.

My tool kit for this consisted of, a hand carved netting needle and gauge, my knife, Hazel sticks,cordage and fire :).

First off i had to make the net, which was knitted in a tubular fashion.

I cast on 18 loops,knitted for 6 rows then made even spaced decreases,then knitted another 6 rows, and then again more decreases, and so on until i was left with just 6 loops. I then tied these 6 loops together, giving me my outer net.
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Next i had to knit the inner cone. Again i cast on 18 loops, but this time i had to get down to 4 loops, in just 6 rows. So needless to say i had to make alot of decreases.
Inner cone.
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Then it was outside for the fire,which i used to heat up the Hazel, then i manipulated them into hoops.
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So after they had cooled off for a couple of days, it was time to scrape off the bark. Also you can see the outer net at the bottom of the pic.
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Next off i had to thin down the ends of the hoops, ready for binding
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The binding material is Lime(Tilia) bark, which i soaked before applying.
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I used a whipping stitch, so no knots would show on the bindings.
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Any fuzzy ends from the Lime bark were now burned off,whilst the bark was still damp.
Finished hoop.
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Now it was time to put the hoops into the net and then bind them in place.
Hoop ready for binding.
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Hoops bound into the outer net.
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Now it was time to bind the inner net onto its hoop.
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Next up i bound the inner cone onto the first hoop on the outer net, then i had to attach the inner cone hoop onto the second hoop, so as to make it suspend in the centre.
The picture will explain it better than i can put into words.
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And heres the finished article.
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And heres how you would stake it up in a river or loch. A bait would be suspended from the 3rd hoop, so as to entice fish into the trap. When retrieved from the water, to get your catch out, just undo the knot, which held your 6 loops closed at the thin end, pour out your catch,then tie back together, rebait and set.

fykenet42640x480_zpsde7c9498.jpg


Anyway thanks for putting up with the long post, and i hope you find it informative.

Cheers Stuart.
 
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JAG009

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 20, 2010
2,407
2
Under your floor
Great work as always Stuart ,,bigger versions of that trap are still used on some estuaries to this day I think
 

grey-array

Full Member
Feb 14, 2012
1,067
4
The Netherlands
That looks awesome Stuart, never ever apologize for that craftsmanship again,
One day I'm going to teach myself how to do this thanks to this post, but until then I think I should first finish my other 56 projects ^^
Yours sincerely Ruud
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Hi folks, thanks for the kind coments.

Great work as always Stuart ,,bigger versions of that trap are still used on some estuaries to this day I think

Hi Jason, thanks. Aye there seems to be fyke nets used down england for Eels, with a licence. I have never seen any in Scotland though, just Salmon nets, like the ones at Creetown.

Atb Stuart.
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
That looks awesome Stuart, never ever apologize for that craftsmanship again,
One day I'm going to teach myself how to do this thanks to this post, but until then I think I should first finish my other 56 projects ^^
Yours sincerely Ruud

Thanks Ruud, yes there will always be many more projects to be making, and a list that will just keep on growing ;).

Thanks again Stuart.
 

Niels

Full Member
Mar 28, 2011
2,582
3
27
Netherlands
I like how our languages are alike. The dutch word for fyke is 'fuik', and in Zeeland it's called a 'fuuke':) If you get caught using one here (on large scale) nowadays you go to jail. Only proffessional eel fisherman are allowed to use them. Great job making it, and thank you for posting the pictures!
 
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asemery

Settler
Aug 11, 2005
557
285
83
Pennsylvania
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