Tillery 1/30/2012

[recoil]

Fished Tillery Monday morning. Put in at Swift Island and found bait close but most was small. Caught 2 one 7lbs and a 35. Good day in my book.

I caught my cast net on something and tore about a three food hole in the side and broke around 1/3 of the lines going to the weights. What cast nets does everyone like/use the most since I am now in the market for another net?

[dearl]

I throw a 9' bait buster, 5/8 mesh 1.5 lbs per ft. It sinks real fast, and opens up fairly well if you put enough muscle behind it. they aint cheap, and it will bring you to tears if you get it hung up. Mines been sewed up many times but still does the job. Its a personal prefrence thing in my book, get what your comfortable with.

[Tuscan Toadfish]

I throw a Bett's 10', 1.7lbs per ft, 3/4" mesh. I'ts expensive, but I can't get the cheap ones to open up. Newbies ask: what do ya"ll use for bait and where do you buy/get it? The veterans say: get a castnet and learn to throw it. There are lots of videos on the internet that teach how to throw a net. My advice is get a net and learn to repair it. There are lots of videos on the internet that teach how to repair a net also. Like DEarl, I have repaired my nets many times. Recoil, I am not saying you're a newbie, I am just saying a 3' tear is easy to repair. All the broke brail-lines are more difficult, but do-able. The more you repair castnets the easier it is. The castnet you should buy depends on how and where you are using it. If you are throwing in deep water, you need the largest and heaviest net you can comfortably throw. Castnets with a larger mesh also allows the net to stay open into the deeper depths than a small mesh. If you are throwing into shallow water, you can get by with a much lighter smaller net. If you are willing to use small threadfins for bait you can use a 3/8" mesh, but if you want the larger baits and don't want to kill hundreds of small baitfish gilled in your net you should go with a larger 5/8" or 3/4" mesh (the small threadfin will swim thru the mesh and escape). The 1" mesh will also work with large baits but many of those larger baits will get gilled in the 1" mesh, which will kill many of them. If you are going to use those large gilled baits for cut-bait, killing them doesn't matter; but if you want to use those large gizzards live you would want a smaller mesh so as not to gill them. So get the best net you can afford (knowing you will be replacing it periodically), and try different styles until you find the one that fits your techniques. In fact I have more than 1 net on board all the time. I have 2 Betts in case one is badly damaged and a cheap net to throw into places I feel I may not get it back. And yes, I still lose my good nets when I think I am throwing in safe places.

[recoil]

Yes I am a newbie as far as fresh water bait. Never been one to buy bait unless its just a last ditch effort. At the coast I catch all my own bait shrimp/mullet. This is my first 10ft net and I can throw it fine. I will try and repair this net but with other nets 6 and 7ft nets I have never been able to get the net to close just right with repairs to the lines. The tear is not my main concern with repair as is the brail lines. I finished the day with my 6ft net but harder to catch bait deep with it. This mesh size was another question its just a pain to get all the small shad out so I will start going with a 5/8 or so net. Rookie has thrown my net and it is slower to sink so I am going to try a diffrent net and see how it goes. Maybe I can repair the other net just to have a spare. Thanks for the help Tuscan.

[Tuscan Toadfish]

The trick with brail-lines is keeping them all the same length to get the net to close properly. If one third broke, I would guess many of the others are stretched; so I would replace them all. I would stretch the net out upside-down in the driveway and measure the length of a brail-line, then cut all my new brails exactly 1 foot longer than that brail line (the extra foot is for the wastage when trying your knots). Then mark your leadline with a sharpie to show where brails should attach to leadline. Cut off all original brail-lines. Now simply tie the new brails to the leadline at the sharpie marks and then tie them to your horn; done. If the net sinks slowly because it is light, you can tie regular egg weights to the leadline to make it sink faster; just make sure to space them evenly. So if you tore a $30 net, replace it, it's not worth the effort to repair. If it's a $125 net, I would try to repair it. If the mesh size on the tore net is not what you like, there is no changing that, so again it may not be worth the effort to repair it. JMO, Ted

[fisherhead]

Ted, Post a link from youtube that shows how you throw your net. I use three different ways for three different situations. Just curious.

[YadkinCatman]

I been using a 6ft. joy fish net i bought from os nets on this site and a 8ft.baitbuster i got off of ebay for deep water.They both are awesome nets there flexable and open easy.I been trying to learn this method of throwing so i don't have to use my teeth and stay drier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbmcW...eature=related

[fisherhead]

Bubba,

That's one way I throw it with a lighter 7' fitec net with 1/2' mesh. It is lighter and I can throw it one handed.

However I have tried it with my 8' bait buster which is 1.5 lb per foot and I just ain't strong enough. Not enough wheaties I guess.

I use the method of putting the net in your mouth for the bigger nets but that hasn't been working as well either. I will try to find the third way and post it up. It works for me but you gotta have on rain gear cause it entails putting the net over your shoulder. I get a lot of pancakes with it though. IT was the first way I learned to throw one.

[dearl]

Fisherhead/Bubba remind me Saturday and I'll show you a way to throw a big net without having to put it in your mouth. Its the Easiest way I know.

[YadkinCatman]

Rodger that Dearl!

[FATFLATTIE]

I throw a Joyfish net. I really like them. Reasonably priced and very well made. I usually catch my bait in shallow water so I have a 6ft 3/8. My buddy has an 8ft 5/8 net that'll flat get 'em but it gills the crap out of everything except big shad and big shiners....all smaller shad and shiners are gonna be dead(and God forbid you ever throw that thing on menhaden). I never use live shad anyways so it doesn't bother me.

[Tuscan Toadfish]

Chris, I am not the best castnet thrower by far. I use the traditional "in your teeth" method, but I see I need to try some new ways. I like the method Bubba posted, I will definately give it a shot.
http://www.blackpearlcastnets.com/castnet-throwing.htm

[YadkinCatman]

Originally Posted by Tuscan Toadfish

Chris, I am not the best castnet thrower by far. I use the traditional "in your teeth" method, but I see I need to try some new ways. I like the method Bubba posted, I will definately give it a shot.
http://www.blackpearlcastnets.com/castnet-throwing.htm

This is the method i been using Ted pier pressure showed it to me and it's a good method but i bought that 6ft.net and the other method works better for it.I hav'nt tried the other method with the big net yet but the guy in the video does it well with a 10fter.

[FATFLATTIE]

Thanks YC for the video. Been throwing them in a similar fashion but that for whatever reason just opens up every time(in the yard). Seems to take less effort to throw it like that as well. That's just with a 6ft net but I've thrown up to a 12ft net my way and can't wait to try your method on a big net. Thanks again

[fisherhead]

Yall are some strong boys. I tried the dry no mouth method with my 8' 1.5 lb per foot and just couldn't do it. Too heavy. The net in the video looks light. You tried it with ur 8 footer bubba?

[YadkinCatman]

Originally Posted by fisherhead

Yall are some strong boys. I tried the dry no mouth method with my 8' 1.5 lb per foot and just couldn't do it. Too heavy. The net in the video looks light. You tried it with ur 8 footer bubba?

No i hav'nt tried it with the bait buster yet.I use the same method as ted for it but. that method works good with the 6fter.I'm gonnna see if i can throw the bait buster that way this week sometime.You right its a heavy net dunno if i can do it or not.

[billfish76]

I have been getting my nets from Gander Mt. They sell the Super Spreader nets and you can get a 7 footer for $40. The amount of nets Ive gone through in the past years you cant beat that price.

[recoil]

I am going to order the Betts 10 ft 5/8 mesh. Net I have now is under repair but I can have a spare.

[photocat]

I like my 8 ft 1/2" 1.5lb/ft net, and just picked up a 10ft 3/4" 1.25lb/ft and 12ft 1/2" 1.25lb/ft for bait.

[callahanbigcats]

Heres the best piece of advise I can give you, always keep a bundle of small zip ties on your boat if you dont have a back up net, you can fix a hole very quickly and it doest effect the way the net opens up. I prefer a hoop style net over a panel net, I throw a betts 10ft 3/8 mesh....1lb per foot net. You can pick one up at flemmings candy factory in salisbury for around $110. I have 2- 600gallon bait tanks at home that keep stocked with different types of shad to clean them out and tuffen em up so I spend alot of time catching and picking through all the baits so Im babysitting exactly what size baits I prefer to use. The best way hands down to learn to throw a big cast net is get out on the water and throw it. When you dont have to think about exactly what your doing and you just go out there and throw pancakes every time, you got it figured out. Good Luck with your choice