How to Make a Fish Shocker

A fish shocker was once a relatively popular way to harvest large numbers of fish from streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Old timers often used the magneto from a hand crank telephone to provide the electrical power for the shocker, scooping up all the fish they wanted as the stunned fish floated to the water surface. Today, the practice is illegal in many states, except by licensed fish biologists who use the shocker to estimate and evaluate fish populations under carefully controlled conditions. The parts are still available for making a fish shocker, though you must find a legal place to use it. Here's how make a simple fish shocker.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Telephone magneto
• Wire stripping tool
• 30 feet of #10 insulated stranded electrical wire
• Wooden Boat
• Net

1. Obtain the magneto and crank from a hand crank telephone. See the resource section for a source for magnetos.

2. Locate the positive and negative posts on the rear of the magneto.

3. Cut the #10 stranded wire into 2 15-foot lengths. Strip 2 inches of the insulation off one end of the 2 15-foot lengths. Attach the stripped end of one wire to the magneto's negative post and the stripped end of the other wire to the magneto's positive post.Strip about 10 inches of insulation off each wire's trailing end.

4. Take a companion and row the boat to an area where fish are likely to school or hide. Drop one wire over one side of the boat and the other wire over the opposite side of the boat. It's best to have at least two people for successful "electrofishing" (taking fish with a fish shocker).

5. Tell your companion to stand by with the net while you crank the magneto, being careful not to touch any area near the rear of the magneto where electricity is generated. A telephone magneto can generate from 8 to 110 volts of electricity, depending on the size of the magneto and how fast you crank. Stop cranking as soon as you see fish rising to the water's surface.

6. Instruct your companion to scoop quickly, because once you stop cranking and generating electricity, the fish recover and swim away.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with the speed and duration of cranking it takes to generate the right amount of current to shock the fish and bring them to the surface.
• A wooden boat is less likely to conduct any current from the water than an aluminium boat.
• Don't touch the water while you're shocking the fish. While the amount of current may not be enough to seriously hurt you, it can still deliver an unpleasant shock.
• Check local regulations for legal species, limits and places for fish shocking.
• Almost all sports fishermen consider this method to be unsporting and condemn the practice as a way to catch fish. You won't make any friends among fishermen who respect the sport.

Resources

• Source for telephone magneto

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