needed something else to do

I have not been out fishing for awhile. The boat sat sooo long that the battery ran down.

So I needed something to do with my spare time that I found by not going fishing.

Awhile back ( about 5 or 6 years ago ) I had made an attempt to make a hand tied, knot by knot, cast net. It did not go well and I put it in a box on the shelf. Then came a new you tube video that looked better. so I broke out the old net and cut off most of it and started over from there . It worked !!!! I finished that old net. It was much shorted than I had planned ( only a 4 ft net ) but it was done.

But I'm still not going out fishing yet. So back to the table. 14,500 knots and 6 weeks later I have what is starting to look like a cast net.
Attachment 436060

It is a nylon net, 5ft long with 3/4in mesh. the dark edges are a heavier nylon than the main body.

Attachment 436061
I hung a little over 4 lb of lead weight on the net, making it a little lighter for this old guy to throw but still give it a good sink rate.

Attachment 436063

It has 24 braille lines in a 12 panel net.

Attachment 436064Attachment 436065

I dipped the net into a plastic coating ( turning it green ) to give it a protective coating then hung it out to dry. Tomorrow after it has some time to dry out, I will add a hand line and try giving it a throw. So far I have over 60 hours of work into this net. I hope it opens on the first try.

Nice job Jim! Lot of satisfying labor there!

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Great looking net

I tried tying one as a teenager. It didn't turn out to well.

Nice! Hope it works good for you.

You have patience for sure. Looks nice! Congratulations

That is definitely a dying art around here, I learned how to patch nylon shrimp nets but it would be a hard pass for me to build one, she looks good slim [emoji106]

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There are actually some very well known and lesser known cast net makers here in Florida.
Tim Wade is very well known up and down the coast and resides in Melbourne.
I have one of his in a 6’ 3/8” mesh and one in a 5’ 1/4” mesh.
At the time i bought them they were about $100 each.
There is also a guy who runs the Bait Bucket bait shop in Fellsmere who makes what ever you want at an even better price than Tim Wade.
He seems to be kept very busy both making and repairing nets.
Lots of the Tilapia fishermen use his nets.

I’ve seen this net and it’s very well done. Also something I must respect cuz I couldn’t hold my patience in check long enough to get one done. Nice work Jim, I’ll bet it will open just fine.

Wow, 60 hours, coulda been fishing 60 hours, doh......Just kidding, great job. It looks really good.