BigBendFishing.Net

I failed in my attempt to sell a 14+ foot cast net I found in the swamps while wade fishing, so now I'm going to award it to the person who can best get it to open.

Here's the contest details:

When: NFGFC February Tourney weigh-in, February 4, 4:00pm.
Where: St Marks Outfitters
Entry fee: 5 bucks cash.
How to Win: Whoever can get this beast to open the most wins the cast net. I will personally judge the throws, but I can be influenced by spectators who subsidize appropriate libations.
What if just one person enters?: You still gotta throw it, but you will earn a $200 cast net for embarrassing yourself, if nobody else has the cajones to try.

Sign my Nephew, Josh up. I will pay the entry fee.
- Steve Stinson

PS. - Are 14+ foot castnets even legal in Florida??

Hopefully that net is slightly LESS than 14' long...

Nets
The following types of nets may be used for recreational purposes
in Florida waters:
■■ Bully nets (for lobster only) no greater than 3 feet in diameter.
■■ Frame nets and push nets (for shrimp only) no greater than 16
feet in perimeter.
■■ Hand held landing or dip nets no greater than 96 inches in perimeter.
■■ Cast nets measuring 14 feet or less stretched length (stretched
length is defined as the distance from the horn at the center of
the net with the net gathered and pulled taut, to the lead line).
Cast nets may be used as harvesting gear for the following species
only: black drum, bluefish, cobia, flounder, mullet, Florida pompano,
red drum, sheepshead, shrimp, Spanish mackerel, spotted
seatrout, weakfish and unregulated species.
■■ Beach or haul seines measuring no larger than

You are spot on about legality, Steve. Probably the reason I discovered the net was because a poacher hid it (not very well). It's 15 feet from horn to lead line without modification. I gathered up the first foot from the horn with zip-ties to convert it to a legal 14, but will likely take the zip-ties off for the contest, just to make it the most fun possible.

While inspecting the net for holes, I laid it out on our school gym floor. Fully open, it about covers one side of a volleyball court.

And tell Josh to eat his wheaties; this net weighs over 15 pounds.

That's a great idea! Have fun....

A BIG man over in Deston fishes for mullet with a net this large. He gave me a mess of mullet one day. He had a boat load of mullet. One of the biggest, strongest men I've ever seen. A real nice fellow that was happy to share. I offered to buy the fish but nothing doing.

Sounds like a fun contest!

Cool idea Gary. Steve, do I understand correctly that it is legal to harvest reds, trout, flounder , cobia etc. With a cast net? I thought that was very illegal. Thanks for the clarification

I too was surprised at the seemingly inexplicable list of cast net-legal species. I have a friend who regularly nets sheepies off his dock. Looked it up to make sure he was above the law. Indeed he was.

Still, I would carefully check the FWC list, AND be sure there are not regional restrictions!

The notes I posted are copied directly from the FWC website.
Thanks - Steve

if you caught a miss of fish you need a friend there to help pull the net that's a big net

Last time I was down that way I saw some guys using a cast net off of the bridge over the Wakulla just below the park. They had 2 really nice Sheepies. They just waited for them to swim downriver out of the park. I was surprised to see Sheepies that far upriver.

I can't image what a mess a mad cobia would do to a castnet if you netted it. That net better be super strong or its going to cost you a new net.