What’s The Best Cast Net For Baitfish In Shallow Water?
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
What’s the best cast net for baitfish in shallow water?
In this video, we’ll talk about the best size cast nets for small baitfish such as pinfish or whitebait in shallow water.
Take a look!!
Best Cast Net For Baitfish In Shallow Water [VIDEO]
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This question came up recently and is a great time to address it now that we’re fastly approaching spring.
Before looking at anything else, the most important thing to take into account is the size of the mesh in the net.
If the mesh size is too big, the baitfish get stuck in the mesh and create a huge headache for you.
The 3/8 inch is the most common mesh in casting nets, but for targeting those super small baitfish in the springtime, I recommend using a 1/4 inch mesh net.
The tough thing is not many tackle shops or stores carry the 1/4-inch net, however, it is basically what I use 90% of the time now.
Most importantly the smaller mesh saves you time and helps you catch the baitfish efficiently.
I recommend using the 1/4-inch mesh when fishing in less than 5 feet.
Anything beyond that and I bump up to bigger mesh for larger fish.
As far as the total length of the net, I prefer the 8-foot net.
It is effective and overall easy to use.
There are a lot of brands and different nets out there, but my current favorite is the 8-foot 1/4-inch mesh net from Black Pearl.
The weights on the Black Pearl net are covered with mesh that mutes the sound.
So if you drop the net or hit the boat, the fish won’t swim off.
Moreover, it decreases the odds of the net tangling and wrapping itself.
If you are in need of a new casting net, we just added Black Pearl Cast Nets to our store!!
Please share your feedback down below in the comments!
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would be nice to have a 7ft version as that is max legal size in Texas
Hey Luke
Just moved down to Florida from NY last year. With your help. I’m learning the salt water fish down here, attempting to go shrimping. Now I bought a net. Have to learn how to throw it. Do you have a video for net throwing?
Yes, we have many lessons on throwing cast nets. Here’s a link to see the assembly of cast net throwing lessons we have on the site: https://www.saltstrong.com/search/?wp_searchable_posts%5Bquery%5D=cast+net+throw
I spent 22 years netting rare tropical fish in Hawaii and agree absolutely you will damage less fish and have an easier time getting them out of the smaller net
Will you guys carry the extra heavy 1.9lb per foot version?
I haven’t thrown a cast net since I was a teenager. Now they have them with silencers on the weights?! What will they think of next? All jokes aside, good video and thanks for the information.
Luke, thanks good video. I live on Charlotte Harbor, new resident, but I am having difficulty finding white bait consistently. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Thanks!
There has been a lot of red tide in that area lately, so that surely making it very tough to find bait. I recommend focusing on lures for another few weeks for the red tide to push out and the bait to push in.
Thanks Luke! We were able to get white bait a week ago but enjoy using my power prawns too!
Luke, good info and I couldn’t agree with you more on the mesh size. Dropping from 3/8 to 1/4 is the best thing I ever did. For the sake of both me and the little fish!
Thanks for making time to post the helpful info Matt!
What is the weight per foot of the net recommended? How much difference does it make?
For shallow water, it doesn’t make a huge difference… I just go with whatever their most popular option is and it has worked just fine. For deeper water, that’s when you want to make sure to go on the heavy side.
The 1/4 is out of stock. Is there none at your supplier? Can it be drop shipped directly from distributor which would save you some money on shipping?
We have more on order and expect them to arrive towards the end of next week. If you need one sooner, you may want to buy directly from Black Pearl or find a local store that carries them.
No hurry, thanks
Thanks for the great info Luke! Keep ‘em coming, learn something new and useful every day! Tight Lines!
Glad to see that you enjoyed this lesson!
I would like to have a meet up where the sole reason for getting together is learning to throw our cast net or doing it better.
Is there a coach out there who could teach such a “class” who is well versed on many different ways to do it?
I like the idea about having a meetup with cast net throwing lessons… will add that to our growing list of great ideas.
In the meantime, here’s a video that shows the two most common methods for throwing a big net: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how-to-throw-a-cast-net/