Spoke with Billy at The Fish Net Company, Jonesville, La.
Asked about how to properly utilize these things. Apparently they were never designed for blind dragging for shad. He said that when you spot shad on the surface, then you deploy the net, starting on the outside of the school and start making a circle around the school. Circle the school of shad making tighter and tighter circles, slowly rounding them up, till the net starts pulling through the mass. When you feel it start to load up, then turn back out to the outside and leave the boat in gear moving forward, idle down and pull the trawl in. This leaves the school intact in case you need to make another pass.

I was hoping that you could just drag and catch, but apparently you need to have a visual on a school for them to be effective. Hope this info will help. Thanks to whiteperchjerker and randallewis for the offers. I think I will try the cast net route, cause the odds of spotting a school when I want some live shad, may not provide like the cast net will. Thanks again guys for the offers.

boatstall

Yeah, Boatstall, you'd look like a pogy boat working a school of shad like that! LOL! Actually, that was just for insinuating I was old! NOT! Just a bit gray. And so what if I can't catch a crappie on a dare! I've been giving those other "specks" fits! On flies, too!
Eat your heart out!
Pete

If I leave catfish bait in one of my onboard storage boxes again, where we store the life jackets, my bride may just start calling the toon a pogy boat. Glad you are wearing out the specks, somebody's got to do it. Hope this low pressure provided some good fishing without any wind damage. Thought about you today and figured you had the big anchor in the canoe with plenty of scope out. Clousers?????


boatstall

A modification thereof with an ice chenille body.
Headed south in an hour or so, hunting a rip out of Morgan City. No telling what kind of goodies that storm pushed towards shore. I know there are tripletail out there - maybe today we can find a lemonfish or two. Hope I haven't forgotten how to do it!
Pete

Sneaky, Hope ya'll are having a great day. There sure ought to be some interesting stuff floating. May your rips be long, with lots of debris, targets galore, and huge crabs for dipping. Bout time for you to set a new record, hope today is the day.

boatstall