Bait catching.

[Yaker]

Since we have no bait shops that sell aquatic life ( minnows ) I'm venturing into net casting vs trapping for my minnows.Our traps are limited to 1" inlet hole,thus eliminates catching shad,or bluegill for cats. ( not sure shad would even enter a trap.)
Any thoughts ,pro/ con on net casting for bait fish,including minnows for crappie would be appreciated.

[CrappiePappy]

If you want Green Sunfish for bait .... the easiest/fastest way is to cast a Road Runner along a rocky bank, keeping the bait either landing or running within 1ft of the shoreline. (I catch them all the time when casting for Crappie & the Road Runner lands too close to the shoreline )

Casting a net for near surface running Shad is not too difficult .... getting the net down to deep running Shad is much harder. And I wouldn't recommend a 6' diameter net for deep running Shad ... you'd be better served with at least a 10' diameter or larger net & something in the range of 3/4" mesh (for the larger Shad). I say that because my 3/8" mesh net would catch 3-4" long Shad, but most of them were hung up in the mesh (& many escaped before getting the net in the boat). The bigger nets will have a lot more pounds of weight on them, too, which helps the net to sink faster. And you have to understand that even though the diameter of the spread out net is 6' or 10' or whatever .... once it starts sinking that diameter shrinks somewhat, as it turns into an upside down bowl shape as it sinks.

I originally bought my 3/8" mesh net to catch Shad to fish for Hybrid Stripers ... bought a smaller 1/4" mesh net to catch smaller Shad for Crappie fishing. I think I got the 3/8" mesh net at Wal-mart, but I got the 1/4" mesh net from Nylon Net Co in Tenn. (because local stores didn't carry the smaller mesh nets). But, I think the company is now called Memphis Net & Twine (I couldn't get on the Nylon Net Co website)
( https://www.memphisnet.net/category/cast-nets )

Also note : they advertise the nets as being X number of feet in RADIUS & not by diameter ... so a 6ft radius net would spread out to a diameter of 12ft. (My nets are 3ft radius - 6ft diameter nets)

[deathb4disco]

My dad used this type of trap for many years. He used a slice or two of bread for bait.




However ... once he learned how to use jigs, he never again used minnows.

Never.

[sharphook]

Hey now most folks over this way use both!!!!!

[Yaker]

Most of our water is still covered in rotten ice,but I've been practicing the art of net casting.I purchased a 3-1/2 ' radius net,opting for the smaller since I will be tossing from a kayak.I will graduate to a size larger,but our state regs really limit the radius and hole size,gotta keep it legal.

[dirtrider389]

I've used a cast net for shad for catfishing for about 6 years and the biggest con is that as soon as the bet touches them they are pretty much dead. Shad are not very hardy in a bucket. Which is fine for channels and some blue cats but I'm not sure what crappie think about dead shad. The other thing is the net openings limit the minimum size of bait caught.

[Yaker]

Since I'm not a stink bait user for catfish,I use gills mostly,but shad is something I've always wanted to try for channels.Our state law states net holes must be 3/8 or under,so keeping it small is required,which is what I would use anyway.

[CrappiePappy]

I've used a cast net for shad for catfishing for about 6 years and the biggest con is that as soon as the bet touches them they are pretty much dead. Shad are not very hardy in a bucket. Which is fine for channels and some blue cats but I'm not sure what crappie think about dead shad. The other thing is the net openings limit the minimum size of bait caught.

When I was using my nets, the boat I owned had two livewells ... so I put the Shad in the front livewell. It worked OK and the Shad stayed alive for a few hours ... as long as the internal pump/spraybar kept running. Biggest problem was the foam it created & the scales & slime that came off the Shad would clog the filter foam that surrounded the lower portion of the intake pump. The square design of the livewell didn't help much, either, since it allowed the Shad to gang up in a corner & beat themselves silly. The best solution for keeping Shad alive for any length of time is a circular shaped tank with aeration, filter, and some form of cooling system ... but, then you're talking some big bucks, not to mention their relatively large size (taking up floor space).

If you can catch Crappie on a dead minnow ... and I know many that have ... you can catch them on a dead Shad. Remember, Shad die-offs are one of the times when Crappie gorge themselves with the dead & dying Shad.
I'm also reminded of a time, back when I was a kid, my Grandfather made a long handled Shad net and we'd catch Shad and fish with them. But, that's not the point of me bringing this up ... you see, my Grandparent's best friends were sometimes along with us, fishing from another boat, and they didn't have a net. We'd share with them & they'd go tie up to some trees & fish with the Shad. Now, here's the point .... they would cut the Shad in half and use them that way, lifting the poles up a few inches every now & then to keep the bait moving (drawing attention with the pressure wave of the moving bait, plus causing the "scent" of the injured Shad to spread thru the water). Now, I can't honestly say I remember seeing them actually "catch" a Crappie while doing this ... but, they were just as much Crappie fanatics as my Grandparents, so I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have wasted their time if it didn't work.

As for the net openings (mesh size) ... you would want the 1/4" mesh to catch Shad small enough to use for Crappie fishing. Like I said in my other reply post ... 3/8" mesh will allow Shad under ~3" to slip right thru the net. The 1/4" mesh size is the smallest mesh available ... and isn't always available "off the shelf".

[trypman1]

I just use jigs for all the reasons stated above. Once you get used to them and learn how to use jigs, you will not worry about bait. Tiny jigs with a nibble will catch all the brim you want.

[Yaker]

I just use jigs for all the reasons stated above. Once you get used to them and learn how to use jigs, you will not worry about bait. Tiny jigs with a nibble will catch all the brim you want.

I agree with you,but I have this weird passion to learn as many techniques as I can,cast nets have fascinated me for many years,I needs to learn it.