Cast netting for bait

[thudpucker]

How many of you guys use your cast net regularly?
Do you use it at all?
Why did you quit?

I'm interested in getting one.
I want to hear the suggestions and complaints you guys have so I don't have to re-invent the wheel or get a ticket for using the wrong thing.

[crappieseeker]

just be sure not to keep any gamefish you catch in it, but I am sure you know that. I use to use one regularly and do not really know why I stopped using it. Here lately I do not have time to do much of anything though.

[sulphurspringsfisherman]

i have one and it works good after a day of using it hang it up to dry so the stuff its made of doesnt get brittle

[CrappiePappy]

How many of you guys use your cast net regularly?
Do you use it at all?
Why did you quit?

I'm interested in getting one.
I want to hear the suggestions and complaints you guys have so I don't have to re-invent the wheel or get a ticket for using the wrong thing.

... and used to use them quite often. The only reason I don't use them much, anymore, is that I don't fish live bait as often as I used to. Also, not having a boat makes it less effective. It also requires a circular bait bucket, to hold the baitfish .. and that takes up room (in an otherwise crowded boat :o ).

My best suggestions are to get one that's at least a 6' diameter net. That's the smallest one I recommend using. And get 1/4" mesh .... anything larger, and the size baitfish you're looking for will swim right thru it. Get one with at least 1lb/ft of lead weights, heavier if you can afford them .... but, a minimum of 1lb per ft is best. Nylon or mono netting is your choice.

Be prepared to pay between $90 - $140 for a quality castnet of these dimensions.

ALWAYS put the retrieval cord loop around your wrist BEFORE you even start trying to throw a castnet ..... many a castnet now lie at the bottom of lakes, just because the thrower FORGOT to do this :p

You don't need to purchase a throwing device, or instructional video .... the web is full of "how to" instructions & video's, or I can walk you thru it. Backyard practice is well worth your time & effort

Avoid getting into trouble (ticketed) by simply checking the regulations of your state or the body of water you intend to use the net on. Check for the number (amount) of baitfish species that are legal to possess & use as bait, as well as the species that are legal to harvest.

Avoid trouble in the boat, when throwing a castnet, by eliminating ALL obstacles within the net's reach ... when swinging the net to throw, and when bringing the net back into the boat.

I used my castnets primarily for catching Shad. I used the 1/4" mesh for catching Shad in the 1-3" size range (Crappie) .... and the 3/8" mesh for catching Shad in the 3-4" size range (Hybrid Striper/Catfish).

.... cp

[thudpucker]

That was a fine treatise on the cast net operation CrappiePappy.
I appreciate all that experience put into clearly worded instructions.

Many thanks.

[Harold]

Crappiepappy why does it require a circular bait bucket for the bait????

Harold

[c1bigocarp]

Crappiepappy why does it require a circular bait bucket for the bait????

Harold

Shad are too stupid to navigate corners and will go into one and just bang thier nose on the side and die. They do not do it if circular because they have no corners. Just my observation.

[Yadkin Guide]

There is some good advice in this thread for a cast net but I need to clarify a few things. Cast nets are measured in radius and not diameter. Radius is the measurement of the center to the edge or one half the diameter. When you buy a 6 feet net it is actually 12 feet in diameter but this is the one you probably want. The net will say 6 ft radius.

I teach cast net seminars at fishing shows and I do not recommend putting the loop on you wrist. I know of two people who have drowned this way. Attach it to a rod holder or the boat's rope cleat. If you slip and fall the net will not weight you down and you will actually have a rope to help you get back to the boat.

When you buy a new net you can help soften it up by using fabric softener mixed in a 5 gallon bucket and soak you net from about a half hour to over night. Then rinse it very well and hang it up straight to dry. Nets should be stored hanging up and not in their buckets so they will stay dry and straight. Good nets are expensive and should be cared for properly.

Yadkin Guide

[olduckhunter]

it's a thing of beauty to watch the men down on lake okeechobee throw their big cast nets. these men catch shade and sell them to bait shops so it's a job to them and they have to be good at throwing them. i watched one man and he'd wrap the net completely around his body and kinda "boot" his asx to get it started back around and into the "balloon" shape when it's thrown. they would go around first and throw out bait and had their spots marked with a stick of pvc pipe. in a while they'd make their rounds back casting the net.

[TDHcrappiemaster]

I use my cast net all the time when I'm going after catfish. I have the 6' radius net and it's all I want or need. Any larger and I think it would really be tuff to throw.
This is my second net in about 18 years so don't be afraid to spend the money on a good one because they do last provided you take care of them.

Tom
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