I was requested to start this topic from another thread, where I made mention of finding some native American fish traps. Was also asked to post pictures. Sure. I don’t think that’s a good idea:smiley:
The fish traps I am talking about are not like your average pinfish and mud minnow traps. These are large scale. I have found 1 in Georgia and 2 in SC, both of those are near Dawes Island, Broad River, Port Royal.
I usually spend a day on the water by fishing some known proven spots, then fishing some other fishy looking spots, then explore some spots I’ve never been to before. Take the creek we ain’t been in yet. Learn something new every day is my motto.
I was poking around in the creeks about 15 years ago off the Broad River near Dawes Island and found a spot that appeared to be a natural fish trap. There was a long funnel made of high oyster berms leading from the main river into a little creek, long and wide at the mouth and facing the river current, funneling down to about 10’ of width at the base, then emptying into a containment pond, roughly 1/2 acre in size. The pond is blocked on both ends by oyster mounds, big dead oyster mounds at about 1/2 tide height. Dead oysters don’t grow that high. Fish on the incoming tide are funneled into the pond though a 10’ wide chute that could easily be blocked, then trapped in there on falling water and can’t get out. It’s a perfect fishing scenario and we’ve had many 200 fish days in that spot.
After I fished it a few times at every tidal stage I realized it was too perfect a set up to be natural. Looked at it close on google earth and could tell that it had to be man made. Just too perfect to be natural. The funnel mouth from the main river is about 100 yards wide and 200 yards long, tapering down to about 10’ wide where it enters the catch pond, which is about 1 cast wide and 3 casts long blocked on each end and easy to gate it off if you wanted to. At low water you could walk it with a seine and pick up 1,000 fish. We only catch about half that many with a
Very interesting Larry. Thanks for posting. I just think that is really cool and interesting. BTW I wasn’t looking to steal a spot by asking for pictures. I was thinking it was some kind of rake or something like an artifact, not a location. Thanks you are alright in my book
quote:So, how do you know it was made by Native Americans and not by Prehistoric Oyster Barons?
Well, I reckon what’s the difference:smiley: The folks who made those traps were the barons of the times. My guess is that human nature is what is, and has been fairly consistent through recent times. If those natives had the Internet back then they’d be probably be raising hell on here about somebody fishing in their fish traps
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
The flip side of fishing inside these traps is that the fish don’t always come into them. Some days they do, some days they don’t. Go figure. But you almost have to totally commit yourself to fish them. You are trapped just like the fish. You have to get into the catch basin before the tide falls too far, and the fish draft less than the boat. Then you are committed to stay there until it comes back in again 3 or 4 hours later. If the fish are there it’s a great 4 hours, if they aren’t you better have a crab line, food and drinks, and enjoy the scenery
Anybody else here know what I’m talking about?
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
You have definetly stirred some interest. Thats neat.
We used to fish a hole that formed on low tide behind the jetties in Little River when I was little. This one was a depression in the sand, no oysters. We would take carts and carry little jon boats over the jetties and fish this pond on low tide. Flounder would get trapped in there. I can remember seeing hufe schools of rays swimming around in circles waiting for the tide to come in so they could get out.
larry…was talking to daddy this morning thinking I would be able to tell him something cool that he didnt know about and he said that he has seen one like this up the wambaw…said old folks also got their ideas to do this from these and he has seen smaller ones made of woven sticks and stuff when he was little where they would wait for the tide to go out and get the ebbed out fish!! thanks so much for sharing this with us. it is way cool information. I am going Crabbing with daddy tommorow so Im sure he will have more stories to share with me about this! thanks!
Nah, but I’m sure some will. I’m just interested in it from a historical perspective. I’ve got enough fishing spots. In the future I will probably root around the sat images for any in the edisto area. I bet there are some.
Thanks alot Larry, now I have a headache from straining my eyes looking at Google earth!! Just kidding, but I have heard of this before, and know of a place like that just north of St.Helena sound. I just never had the nerve to get stuck in it when the tide dropped out.
quote:
Anybody else here know what I'm talking about?
quote:larry...was talking to daddy this morning thinking I would be able to tell him something cool that he didnt know about and he said that he has seen one like this up the wambaw....said old folks also got their ideas to do this from these
I knew there were some old river rats besides me who knew what I was talking about Should have known your Dad was one of them
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Native Americans also used similar traps in the mountain streams to catch fish, the remnants of some are sti visible in some places. The funnel would be built with river rocks and a basket or corral of some type would be anchored in the stream at the base of the funnel and fish would be pushed down stream through the funnel into the corral where it would them be blocked off. Just so happens these funnels make great current breaks that hold trout that it once trapped.
I know of one up around the Bulls Bay area, but I thought it was natural. I don’t have the guts to try to get out of the boat and check it out because of the location, but if I ever get up there in a kayak, I’ll be all over it.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
quote:
I'm just interested in it from a historical perspective.
Me too. I find it fascinating. Daws Island is amazing, and there are several colleges doing archeological digs there now. They have dated some of the middens at over 12,000 years old!
I took a buddy into one the traps a couple of months ago and he needed to go ashore to answer a nature call. We pulled up to a shell midden and when he stepped out the boat there was a spear head about 9" long laying right there in the shells. I wish I had photographed it, it was beautiful. Fish spear I presume. I asked him to push it back into the mud and leave it. I take nothing but my trash, leave nothing but my footprints, ain’t messing with no Indian spirits.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:I know of one up around the Bulls Bay area, but I thought it was natural.
Take a good look at it on last years google earth at low tide. I bet you will find that it’s not natural:wink: There are probably dozens of these around the coastal islands.
quote:
Native Americans also used similar traps in the mountain streams to catch fish,
They knew how to catch fish
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I read this article a few weeks ago and it seems like it is the same basic concept. There are many of these sort of traps in the streams and rivers here in TN and I’m sure many that have not yet been discovered. What amazes me about it is with all the floods, storms, and hurricanes that these still exist and do what they were built to do. Some good pictures in this article that show the same basic principle I bet. These things should be preserved and protected.
