I fish St. George. I use a 6 ft 3/8" mesh net casting for Pilchards/menhadens, mud-minows, etc. I'm lookingfor a bigger net with more weight per foot to catch bait in deeper water 8' to 10'. The small net does not drop fast enough.
Will a 9ft, 1.5 lbs per foot, 1/2" mesh do the job for pilchards, or do I need to stay with the 3/8"?
Bait Casting nets
Moderators: bman, Chalk, Tom Keels
In my opinion,(I certainly don't know it all)
you might want to rethink trying to find bait in 8 to 10 foot of water--especially if all you're interested in is inshore bait. If you're going offshore and want fresh bait that's a different story.
I would focus on spots where the bait concentrate in 4' or less, especially up in sloughs where the net you already have can cover bank to bank. 8' and + water is also increasing your chances of snaring up the net on "square rocks" or any other number of things.
Like I said I certainly don't know it all, but you're also looking at starting to spend considerably more money on a net larger than 6 feet. You can always add weight to the net you already have as well,
Hope I didn't bring you down, new toys are always fun.
you might want to rethink trying to find bait in 8 to 10 foot of water--especially if all you're interested in is inshore bait. If you're going offshore and want fresh bait that's a different story.
I would focus on spots where the bait concentrate in 4' or less, especially up in sloughs where the net you already have can cover bank to bank. 8' and + water is also increasing your chances of snaring up the net on "square rocks" or any other number of things.
Like I said I certainly don't know it all, but you're also looking at starting to spend considerably more money on a net larger than 6 feet. You can always add weight to the net you already have as well,
Hope I didn't bring you down, new toys are always fun.
....My experience has been that a bigger mesh size will fall much faster than a smaller mesh with the same weight...I would assume this is because there is more surface area on a smaller mesh net and therefore more resistance encountered as the net settles....I would go up to the 1/2" mesh and don't go too far with the diameter(like waht you alreday said)...throwing a 10-12ft net is much more difficult than throwing a 6ft...My back still aches from netting shrimp in MS last year with a 10ft.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: wxguy on 2002-02-26 6:33 pm ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: wxguy on 2002-02-26 6:35 pm ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: wxguy on 2002-02-26 6:33 pm ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: wxguy on 2002-02-26 6:35 pm ]</font>
Thanks. It is part new toy thing! But I have chumed up pinfish and seen pilchards hitting the top of the water in deeper water. And everytime I cast the smaller net smack dap on top of them they scoot out from underneath.
I fish with live bait most of the time and like a livewell full of 'em. Bigger net, less time hunting!
I fish with live bait most of the time and like a livewell full of 'em. Bigger net, less time hunting!
My bet is that you will be able to catch the same bait..incidentally, I have caught bait with my 6ft 3/4 in 15ft of water...if the bait is on the surface just close it mid way on the fall...menhayden and ale-wives are easy to catch like this as they tend to just swim straight ahead instead of under the net....