Commercial fishermen were in the business of catching as many fish as quickly as possible. In order to do this, they could not rely on a simple hook and line.

By the mid-1850s, commercial fishing in the area included the use of the pound net, or trap net, an invention that allowed the fishermen to increase their catch. Pound nets (short for impoundment), consist of an assembly of mesh nets attached to anchors or pilings, that funnel fish into a tunnel that does not allow them to exit. They are often used close to the shore and can be seen from water level, making them easy to view. The use of these nets quickly spread across the northern area of Lake Michigan, as it allowed fishermen an easy way to capture a high volume of fish in a short amount of time. Fisheries were established on both Washington and Rock Islands in the 1850s, with Washington Island having established three docks and several fishing communities by 1860.

Another commonly used tool for large-scale fishing in the waters off Door County was the gill net. According to Door County North, the gill net selectively entangles fish of a certain size, depending on the diameter of the mesh. A difference as small as 1/16 inch in diameter could be
crucial. Fish larger than the target size bump the net and turn away; smaller fish pass through the openings. When the net is lifted, the usable fish are picked out by hand, while species that are not legally kept by commercial fishermen (trout and salmon) are returned to the lake. These species are only allowed to be harvested by sport or tribal fishermen.

Commercial fishermen were allowed to keep quotas of whitefish, perch, and deepwater ciscoes, a type of lake herring that is now extinct.

Today, there are less than five commercial fishermen in Door County compared to the whopping 300 in the 1800s. While other fishing methods have been introduced over the years, gill and trap nets remain the most popular methods of bringing in the catch.