Articulated fishing drum

A method of reeling in a fishing net onto a fishing vessel from a deployed position in a body of water, said method being particularly adapted to permit the reeling in of said fishing net during conditions of low yield catches or high yield catches with a minimum of time and physical effort, said method comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a fishing vessel having longitudinal and transverse axes and having a cockpit area defined by a floor portion, side walls and an end wall of said vessel, said end wall being provided with a rotating power roll member aligned along the transverse axis of said vessel, said cockpit area having a forward portion and a stern portion;
• b. providing a drum member having a first lower operating position at the level of said side walls of said vessel, and a second upper operating position raised above said first lower operating position providing passage thereunder for crewmen on said fishing vessel, said drum member having an axis of rotation aligned along said transverse axis of said vessel, said drum member having hydraulic power means to effect rotation of said reel about said axis of rotation;
• c. providing for movement of said drum member from said first lower operative position to said second upper operative position, by first actuating means mounted to the side walls of said vessel and to said drum member;
• d. providing for location of said fishing net upon said drum member in an evenly-spaced distribution by means of a guide mechanism movably affixed to said actuating means, moving said guide mechanism between a first upper operating position and a second lower operating position by operating second actuating means rotatably attached to said guide mechanism;
• e. operating said guide mechanism in said first upper operating position when said drum member is in its first lower operating position, and operating said guide mechanism in its second lower operating position when said drum member is in its second upper operating position, such that a line drawn through the axis of rotation of said drum member and said guide mechanism will be substantially horizontal with respect to said body of water when said drum member is in either said first lower operating position or said second upper operating position,
• f. operating said drum member in said first lower operating position during periods of low yield catches such that said net is removed from its deployed position and reeled directly onto said drum member, with the aid of said power roll member affixed to said end wall, said fish contained therein being removed as said net is reeled onto said reel;
• and
• g. moving said drum member to its second upper operative position during periods of high yield catches, such that said net is removed from its deployed position and placed in said stern cockpit area of said vessel with the aid of said power roll member, and the net is thereafter reeled onto said drum member in its second upper operative position and the fish are removed therefrom as said net is reeled onto said drum member,
• whereby, when said drum member is moved to its second upper operative position, said stern cockpit area of said vessel is appreciably enlarged, so that during periods of large fish catches said drum member may be removed out of said cockpit area to its second upper operative position to enable said net with fish therein to be adequately contained in said stern cockpit area.

An apparatus for retrieval of a fishing net under conditions of high yield fish catches or low yield fish catches, said apparatus being adapted for attachment onto a fishing vessel having longitudinal and transverse axes, said fishing vessel having an enlarged cockpit area defined by raised side walls and a rear end wall, said cockpit area having a lower receiving surface for receiving a quantity of fish and fishing net, and having a forward portion and a rearward portion, said rearward cockpit portion being adapted to receive fish and fishing net in periods of low yield catches and said cockpit portion being adapted to receive fish and fishing net during periods of high yield fish catches, said rear end wall being provided with a rotating power roll member to aid in the retrieval of said fishing net into said cockpit, said apparatus comprising:

• a. a drum member being adapted for having wound thereon a quantity of fishing net, said drum member having a first lower operating position at a level of said side walls of said vessel, said drum in said first lower operating position being positioned substantially in said forward cockpit portion adjacent said receiving surface when retrieving a partially loaded fishing net, and a second upper operating position raised above said first lower operating position, said drum in said second upper operating position being positioned above said forward cockpit portion such that a fully loaded fishing net may be positioned on said forward portion of said receiving surface, said drum member being mounted for rotation about a generally transversely aligned axis of rotation,
• b. actuating means mounted to said vessel and to said drum member and adapted to move said drum member from said first lower operating position to said second upper operating position, and
• c. guide means adapted to space said fishing net evenly upon said drum member when said net is retrieved upon said fishing vessel, and
• d. means to rotatably drive said drum member about said transverse axis of rotation when in said first lower operating position or said second upper operating portion,
• whereby, upon actuation of said actuating means said drum member is moved from a first lower operating position to a second upper operating position, such that said drum member may be utilized to retrieve and place a partially loaded fishing net in said rearward cockpit portion while in said first operating position or said drum member may be utilized to retrieve and place a fully loaded fishing net in said forward and rearward cockpit portion while in said second operating position, and said drum does not interfere with the retrieval of said fishing net into said forward cockpit portion when in the second upper operating position.

An apparatus for retrieval of a fishing net under conditions of high yield fish catches or low yield fish catches, said apparatus being adapted for attachment onto a fishing vessel having longitudinal and transverse axes and having an enlarged cockpit area defined by side walls and a rear end wall of said vessel, said cockpit having a lower receiving surface for receiving a large quantity of fish and fishing net, said apparatus comprising:

• a. a drum member being adapted for having wound thereon a quantity of fishing net, said drum member having a first lower operating position at an approximate level of the side walls of said vessel, and a second upper operating position raised above said first lower operating position, said drum member being mounted for rotation about a transversely aligned axis of rotation;
• b. actuating means mounted to said vessel and to said drum member and adapted to move said drum member from said first lower operating position to said second upper operating position, and
• c. means to rotatably drive said drum member about said transverse axis of rotation when in said first or second operating position,
• whereby, upon actuation of said actuating means said drum member is moved from a first lower operating position to a second upper operating position, such that said drum member may be utilized to retrieve a partially loaded net in said first operating position or a fully loaded net in said second operating position, and said drum does not interfere with the retrieval of said fishing net into the cockpit area of said vessel when in the second upper operating position.