Cast Nets

On my first trip down last year, I used fresh dead shrimp as bait. As I caught various non-game fish, I turned many of them around as cut bait. My experience was that I got less trash fish on fresh cut bait than I did on shrimp.

This time around, I was considering trying to catch some bait with a cast net. What is the best inexpensive cast net, and what is the smallest recommended size? It needs to be something that I can order online, so that I can get some practice in before my trip. Also, are the Walmart cheapos worth buying? Those are available on the shelf in my area.

I might not get much opportunity to use it, so I'd rather not spend a ton of money on it. On the other hand, if you tell me the cheap ones aren't worth using, I can understand that as well.

I guess my biggest question is, what is the smallest practical size. I figure the smaller ones are easier to learn with, and are less hassle overall to deal with.

I started out several years ago w/ a 4' (8'diameter) net and have never felt a need to go larger. My last 2 trips, the net never got wet... red ribbon nets and sabiki rigs have provided all the bait we could need.
But if you feel the need, a small diameter net is much easier to learn to throw, and will be quite productive even for shrimp near the grass in the lagoon.

1/4" mesh will save time and the lives of many bait fish that get gilled and then beheaded trying to get them out of 3/8" mesh.

If you throw a net at Perdido Pass, watch out for rocks; I have lost a net or three throwing in unfamiliar areas.

I tell people not to waste their time with frozen shrimp or frozen squid. I'll bet it's been 20 years or more since I used frozen shrimp! Maybe 30! I've used a small cast net before and the small ones are not too difficult to master. You can easily catch shallow water baitfish with a cheapo net! I say "shallow water" because the cheapie nets sink so slowly that the fish get out from under them in water more than a couple of feet deep. You may catch a few if they're really thick in deeper water.

What FinChaser said about throwing in unfamiliar areas. Rubble often has pieces of steel rods sticking out and that will ruin your net, which, again, makes a strong case for "El-Cheapo"!

I use an 8' dia., 1/4" nylon I purchased 20+ yrs. ago at the old J+M store. It all I have ever needed.

Even though I can't throw a cast net for crap, I can still manage to get some bait with my 8' from J&M. If you need any help learning to throw banana-shaped casts, I'm your man---dammed good at it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Haywire

Even though I can't throw a cast net for crap, I can still manage to get some bait with my 8' from J&M. If you need any help learning to throw banana-shaped casts, I'm your man---dammed good at it.

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Be careful throwing that bait net in J & M. They'll get mad if you knock over that stack of Yeti's.



Sorry, I couldn't resist.

It ain't easy gettin' that net to spread in their live bait tank. I've given up on the big freezer.

my sweet and lovely wife believes that the banana cast is intentional; she says I do it really good.

Finchaser is spot on about mesh size. The 3/8" is a nightmare to get minnows out of. Here is a cheap one with 1/4" mesh(3.5'). I have used it down there for a few years and it works fine in shallow water for menhaden, bull minnows and glass minnows.

Betts Tyzac Nylon Cast Net

Thanks for the recommendation Chill. Just bought that net and can't wait to try it out. Plus, now I don't have to see my wife tear up as I rip heads off the little guys that get stuck in my 3/8 net.

I started with a 4', then mover to a 6', now an 8'. I find the 8', which as a 16' diameter, much better, More weight actually makes it easier to throw and when I do make a banana, still has enough area to catch bait.
If you ever throw onto school of anchovies and pull in a net with 200+ little fish stuck in the net, you quickly learn not to throw on anchovies ever again.

I like the smaller size because it is easier to land it in thr confined spaces in some of the backwaters around GS. Most of the places I use it are less than 3' deep. Rebar, old dock posts and riprap will take a net from you and not even kiss you first.

Fisherman's Discount on highway 98 has some great nets, i havent tried J&M's nets but their nets are nice, the bait nets have a really limp netting opposed to the walmart nets that seem to puff up and they have both larger company made nets and handmade nets that he makes himself in the store, i have a 7 foot bait net and a 10 foot mullet net both from there and ive never had any problems except for normal wear and tear from snags

At a tackle show several years ago I asked one of the people at Bett's why some nets are good and others are not. The answer I got was it depended on where in the shipping container it was stacked,where on the ship the container was,how long the container sat in the sun, but most important,what time of year it was shipped. In other words,a net that was shipped in Augest that was in the top box of the top pallet and the container was on top of the stack on the ships deck,it would be in 140 degree plus temps for weeks. Not very good for mono. Thats why Momoi ships all their mono climate control.