The Net Makers

By Hannah Lindgren
In rural Southern Indiana, two men carry on the tradition of crafting hoop nets and commercially fishing in the White and Wabash Rivers. Despite the threat of invasive species, climate change impacts, and the shifting dynamics of commercial fishing and social norms, Larry and Danny spend countless hours hand-tying thousands of knots to create the intricate hoop nets used in the area since the Great Depression. While they take their own approaches to craft their nets, both recognize the precarious state of this tradition and hope that the culture of hoopnet-making will be picked up by future generations before it becomes lost to time.