How To Make Your Cast Net Last Longer (And 4 Mistakes That Will Ruin It)
- By: Luke Simonds
- on May 13, 2020
You invested in a nice cast net…
It wasn’t cheap, so you’re hoping to make it last as long as possible.
But how do you make sure your cast net lasts for years?
That’s exactly what you’re going to learn in this video.
I’ve had one of my cast nets for over 20 years now and by taking good care of it, it’s nearly as good as new.
You’ll learn:
- the 4 mistakes to avoid with your cast net
- where to store it so it lasts as long as possible
- how to clean it after you use it
- how to make sure the rope doesn’t get all frayed
- and much more
If you want to make sure your cast net lasts a long time, check out the video below.
Cast Net Care [VIDEO]
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4 Mistakes To Avoid With Cast Nets
Here’s what you don’t want to do:
- Never store a cast net in the sun
- Never store a cast net in an area with lots of moisture
- Never store a used cast net with the lid on the bucket
- Never clean your cast net with soap
Now, let’s get into what you do want to do…
How To Take Care Of Your Cast Net
After you use your cast net, always wash it down with fresh water and dry it.
But if you’re not going to be using it for over a week, I recommend soaking it in fabric softener.
Put half to a whole cup of fabric softener in the bucket that you keep it in, fill it with water, and then put the net in mesh-side down.
By putting the weights in last, you can make sure that the net is totally submerged.
Let it sit for 12-24 hours, then hang it on a pole or tree outside to dry.
And here’s a tip for letting it dry: make sure to leave the weights touching the ground when you hang the net.
You don’t want it to stretch out as it’s drying.
Once it’s completely dry, put it back in the bucket, leave the top off (there’s likely still some moisture in there), and store it inside.
It’s best if you can store it in the house because the temperature won’t be as extreme as the garage, but if you have to store it in the garage that’s usually ok.
As far as keeping the rope in good shape, if you see ends that have frayed off, use a lighter to burn them off.
That will help ensure that the rope stays in good condition.
Do This Before You Use A New Cast Net
When you first take your cast net out of the bucket, it’s usable, but there will be a lot of kinks in it.
The kinks will hinder how well it works, so I would advise getting them out before using it.
To get the kinks out, all you need to do is soak it in fabric softener like I outlined above.
After 12-24 hours, your net will be kink-free and ready to go.
Conclusion
So if you want your cast net to last 20 years like mine has, make sure to keep it dry, wash it with fabric softener, and store it in a cool room.
Do you have any other tips for making casts nets last a long time?
Let me know in the comments below.
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
I saw on another website that you are not supposed to use fabric softener it says instead fill a bucket half full of hot water but not boiling and drop a couple drops of mild dish detergent in the water and let your net sit in that .is that correct at al
Drill some holes in the bucket lid so it can get some air! Then you can put the lid on and not trap moisture inside.
Does fabric softener have any bearing on the scent that attract or repel fish? i.e., Positive, Neutral, Negative Scent Video
It most likely is a negative scent, but they likely won’t sense it until it’s too late:)
What can you do to try and restore them if its been stored improperly and “ruined” Keep soaking it in warm water with fabric softener?
I’m not sure if warm water is good or bad… I soak mine in regular temp water with the fabric softener. Perhaps try a couple soaks to see how much can be rejuvenated.
I don’t know exactly what you call “ruined” or what exactly you mean by restore, but I will offer what I do as part of my repair & maintenance routine.
I place the net in bucket as described on this page, with a fairly large amount of fabric softener [I’ve found the cheaper Suavtel to work better] and Hot water. let soak until it’s not uncomfortably warm. then I hang the net, and locate any mesh that has been pulled out of weave. The softener should have the net somewhat slippery, & I grab areas adjacent and tug back & forth to massage them back in place. When I’ve done that, I then hose it off & let hang dry.
Hope this helps
Thanks for making time to post the helpful tips!
Is this for a nylon net or fabric? Or both? Thanks
This video was for nylon nets. I’m not sure if it all applies to fabric too or not… but at least most of it should.
Thanks. All I use is nylon, so great. This is very helpful.
Awesome video, i knew nothing of how to care for my cast net and was about to scrap an old one, but that fabric softener did the trick and put some life back into it. Thanks for the info.
So glad to see that you enjoyed this cast net care video!
Luke, enjoyed the video. Thanks. What I would like from you is how to properly store the net in the bucket…wind it, fold it, a combination of the two? Thanks.
Thanks James! I haven’t found that one way works better than any others as long as the net is cleaned with fabric softener and then dry before storing.
I have been doing this with fabric softener for decades just as you posted and just sold two that were over thirty years old. Thanks for all your knowledge. David
Thanks Luke, I know you mentioned it, but can’t stress enough to wash the fabric softener off before drying it and using it on the boat. Nothing worse than a slippery deck when you pull up a net that still had fabric softener on it.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment Jeffrey!
A cast net mini mastery course would be excellent. My net is definitely ornamental.
Here’s a link to an assortment of Cast Net tips that we’ve posted so far: https://www.saltstrong.com/article_categories/cast-nets/
Are there any other topics that you’d like us to add to it?
Get Jessica Jae to instruct how to throw the net!!!