Cape Cod: Articles: Fishing -- post an article

What is a Trawl?

A trawl has many different meanings depending on what type of fishing you are talking about.

To trawlers or draggermen, men who fish from commercial vessels that tow nets, a trawl is a great net which they drag along the bottom to capture fish; they call it a trawl net, and the act of using it is called trawling or dragging.
otter trawl
In the parlance of lobster fishermen, a trawl is a string of joined lobster pots, buoyed only at each end.

A trawl line or longline (around here called “tub trawl”) is a buoyed line that has many short lines (gangions) with baited hooks attached to them usually at one fathom (or 6 foot) intervals.

A simple variation of this is the single line which a man, fishing from his boat or canoe, permits to drag in the water as he rows or paddles. This action is called “trolling,” another form of trawling.

What do you think about What is a Trawl?? Leave a comment

• tell-a-friend • link to this post •