Let's talk about cast nets....

So, I don't have a cast net. I threw one for the first time the other day. How many of you catch your own bait to crappie fish with?

3/8 mesh seems to be the most common size of net out there. Admittedly I know nothing about this, but wouldn't 1/4" mesh be more suited for catching crappie sized minnows?

I'd imagine that a 1/4" mesh would sink more slowly than a 3/8" mesh. Does that keep you from catching minnows as often? I guess I'm asking do the minnows swim out from under the net or is their escape response to swim up?

Am I just going to catch larger bait with a cast net and it's not worth fooling with for crappie fishing?

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Originally Posted by FurFlyin

... not worth fooling with for crappie fishing?

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This, IMO ^^^^^

The game and fish commissions have put out warnings across states that have Asian carp populations to put them on ice or in a
dry cooler to be sure they are dead before bringing them to a lake that is carp free. The small ones look almost identical to young
shad.

It is the fastest way to gather bait once you've located the source.
1/4" mesh would be best for small minnows for Crappie fishing.
Sink rate is faster with large mesh size, but the lead line is also a factor.
Cheap nets have less lead than better more expensive ones.
Remember that a 6' net has a 12' radius when spread out.
A cheap net in my opinion is next thing to being useless, and a pretty decent one will pay for lots of minnows.
I paid $90 each for a 5' 1/4" and a 6' 3/8" custom Tim Wade nets about 5 years ago.
Frankly I can buy a days worth of Crappie minnows for $5 and get free information, so I don't even bother using them.
At 20 to 25 dollars a dozen for shiners, id consider doing that.

All that has been said so far I know to be true. I’ve been around em since the early 70’s. A person would think that I would have learned to throw one by now, but I have not. One of those smarter than what you’re working with things. Salt water guys wouldn’t be without one. What came to mind is Mississippi. Folks out that way use small shiners like most of us use minnows. One gent told me that he buys 5 lbs of shiners to pick out a pound to a pound and a half of really big ones. I don’t know much but I’m sure that would get pricey on a regular basis. I think that regular minnows would be a choice you had to make but for the unusual I would give it no brainer status. Even cheap ones last a good while if kept out of the sun so it might be worth a shot to see if it fits your needs.

Thanks for the replies. One thing for me is that we only have one store that keeps bait in the summer. When I want to go north on the lake fishing, which is most of the time, I have to drive 30 or more minutes out of the way just to get minnows. I may get one just to play with but spending $100 on something to play with is the problem....

I could buy 2 more rods for that. :)

IMHO .... they are good to have, at times, but you can't always depend on them for catching Shad.

You are correct that a 3/8" mesh net is the most common size you'll find in local stores, and they're not going to catch Shad of a small enough size. A 1/4" mesh net will work better. I have both, and have used both, and that's been my experience with them. Both of my nets are 6' diameter nets, and I've thrown them from a boat & caught Shad that were schooled on the surface. The biggest problem I encountered was keeping them alive, once caught (not having the proper shaped holding tank).

Yes, the 1/4" mesh net will fall a little slower, and a 6' diameter net isn't going to fill the tank with bait in one throw, in most cases.

I bought my 3/8" mesh net (probably) from Walmart, but had to order the 1/4" mesh net from The Nylon Net Co. ... decades ago ... and it's probably been a couple of decades since I last used them. So, knowing what I know now, would I buy one today .... probably not. nonono

Please, Please, Please don't catch minnows in one lake or body of water and take them ANYWHERE else. Catch minnows where you fish and no where else. The Asian carp disaster is beyond description. Baby carp look just like baby shad.

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Originally Posted by yobuck

It is the fastest way to gather bait once you've located the source.
1/4" mesh would be best for small minnows for Crappie fishing.
Sink rate is faster with large mesh size, but the lead line is also a factor.
Cheap nets have less lead than better more expensive ones.
Remember that a 6' net has a 12' radius when spread out.
A cheap net in my opinion is next thing to being useless, and a pretty decent one will pay for lots of minnows.
I paid $90 each for a 5' 1/4" and a 6' 3/8" custom Tim Wade nets about 5 years ago.
Frankly I can buy a days worth of Crappie minnows for $5 and get free information, so I don't even bother using them.
At 20 to 25 dollars a dozen for shiners, id consider doing that.

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12' radius is huge. How on earth would one throw that, it's bigger than a bass boat is long.

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Originally Posted by speckfinder

12' radius is huge. How on earth would one throw that, it's bigger than a bass boat is long.

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He meant diameter. The measurement of nets, ie 4',5',6',8' and so on is the radius of the net.