A hoop net is a fish trap made up of five to nine round wood or metal hoops of decreasing diameter held together by cotton netting. The nets were knit with net knitting tools.
In the past, the nets were tarred in vats
to retard rotting. Today they are manufactured of nylon netting and fiberglass hoops.
A single fisherman can handle the hoop net, which is used in rivers. A hoop net is secured underwater to a stump or secured on poles in the river bottom, positioned so that the current flows through it. Fish enter through the large hoop, encountering an inner throat that acts as a one-way gate.
Hoops nets are also threaded through holes in the ice for winter fishing.
One rope is tied to the open end of the net, and another is tied to the tail end. Two men lower the hoop net into the water by pulling on the tail end rope. The other man pulls up the net after it fills with fish. More fish were caught in the winter than in the summer.