(Luke 5:1-11)
The Lake of Gennesaret was also known as the Sea of Galilee or the Sea of Tiberias. Fishermen on the Sea of Galilee often used bell-shaped nets with lead weights around the edges. A net would be thrown flat onto the water, and the lead weights would cause it to sink around the fish. Then, the fishermen would pull on a cord, drawing the net around the fish.

Generally speaking, the best time to catch fish was at night in deep water. If they did fish during the day, it was done in the shallows. So when Jesus told Simon to go out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch, Simon was less than enthusiastic.

Nevertheless, he did as Jesus said and the catch was phenomenal.
(Life Application Bible, New International Version, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois, and Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1991, 1802.)

Hebrew Law and Custom

As Jesus finished His discourse standing in Simon Peter's boat, He asked a skeptical Peter to try fishing once again. Soon, Peter would experience a miracle as he brought in an abundant catch.

Peter, as well as six of the other disciples, were commercial fishermen prior to leaving this trade and joining Jesus' band of followers. Commercial fishing in the first century was very hard work. It was most certainly not done for sport as it is today. Being a fisherman required a strong body and fearless attitude. The most common method of fishing was with large dragnets, requiring each boat to have a crew of several people. The nets typically had metal weights along the bottom and a cord threaded through the bottom edge of the net. This cord allowed the nets to be drawn up into a closed trap holding the catch. Most fishing was done at night, with the day reserved for the sale of the fish and the preparing of the nets for the next outing.

In this particular scene, we see Simon Peter fishing the Sea of Galilee. Found 98 kilometers (60 miles) north of Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee is fed from the fresh waters of the Jordan River. It is surrounded by mountains and its surface is 230 meters (700 feet) below the Mediterranean Sea. As a result of the mountainous terrain surrounding the sea, cool mountain winds colliding with the warm waters of the sea often cause sudden and violent storms. This provided a special challenge for the fishermen of these tumultuous waters.
(Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, s.v. "Galilee, Sea of." Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986.) (New Bible Dictionary, s.v. "Fish, Fishing." England: InterVarsity Press, 1982.)