In many situations throwing a cast net is the very best way to catch your own live bait. It is not, however, easy to throw a net of 10′ or more and smaller nets are far less effective. Stage one is simply learning how to make the throw, which can only be accomplished with lots of practice in the back yard. Once you have that part of the process down pat and you can get the net to fall open a good percentage of the time, these tips for throwing a cast net will help you load up that livewell in no time.
- Don’t throw blind. It takes a lot of physical energy to throw the net, and most people will see declining results as they tire out. You may be able to get that net to open perfectly for 10 casts in a row, but by the 20th throw there’s a good chance you’ll only be getting it perfect half the time. Don’t waste your energy, and thus your best throws, by blindly casting that net here or there. Wait until you’ve sighted the baits and are close enough to know you can make an effective throw on the school.
- Use the right net for the job. A net with larger mesh will allow small baits to escape, but it will also sink faster than a small-mesh net. Different nets are also weighted differently. So, a net that works incredibly well for shrimp probably won’t work well for menhaden, and vice-versa. Look in the shed of a serious live bait angler who partakes in many different fisheries, and they’ll probably have three or four different nets in there to match different situations.
- Get as elevated as possible when throwing. It may be a little precarious to stand up on the forepeak of a boat rolling around in the waves, but trying to throw over a tall gunwale is extraordinarily difficult as it forces you to throw up and away all at the same time.
Put these tips for throwing a cast net to work, and you’ll find that your livewell will be overflowing before you know it – and soon after that, the fishbox will be stuffed as well.