Home Page Cast Nets and Ordering Beach Seines Choosing a Net Why a Custom Net? Throwing Techniques
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CHOOSING A NET- WHICH NET AND
OPTIONS ARE RIGHT FOR YOU?

The right cast net for you will depend on what you are using your your cast net to catch, your casting ability, where you are casting and many other variables. One of the advantages of buying a custom castnet is that you can have that net tailored to meet your needs. One net might be best if all you will use it for is shrimping while another is better suited to catching pogies along the beach. It would be great to be able to have a top quality net for each use, and many people do, but for others a net that meets a multitude of needs may be what they need. For those who know exactly what they want or need this page may not be necessary, but for others I hope that this page can help you decide what you need in a custom cast net. Please email or call me if you have questions that are not answered here or would like my opinion on your net needs.

What are you catching?

What you plan to use the net to cast will have a large effect on the net you buy. The main option here will be the size of the mesh that you need, it will be very different depending on wether you are catching glass minnows or large mullet. For info on how mesh size affects the net go the the "Why a Custom Net?" where that is discussed. For a basic idea of which net sizes I feel work best for various bait and fish refer to the chart below.

MESH SIZE FOR VARIOUS BAIT AND FISH
	MESH SIZE ( BAR MEASUREMENT)
GLASS MINNOW, TINY SHRIMP	1/4"
BAIT SIZED SHRIMP, FINGER MULLET, SMALL GREENIES	3/8" min, 1/2" preferable
FOOD SHRIMP, "RIVER" POGIES	1/2" min, 5/8" pref., 3/4" for larger ones
"OCEAN" POGIES, MEDIUM MULLET	3/4" to 1"
LARGE MULLET	1" to 1 1/4"

Cast Netting Ability

If you are new to cast netting then a smaller 5 to 6ft net will be easier to learn with, but as you can see in the table below, these nets cover so much smaller an area of water that most people will want to move up to an 8ft net before long. Almost any adult or larger child can learn to throw an 8ft net, but the amount of lead hung on the net will become more important. It is important to make sure you do not order a net that will be to heavy to use, especially if you are shrimping and will be throwing the net for longer periods of time. Most nets have a range of weights that will work well on them so scaling down the weight is not usually a problem.

CAST NET COVERAGE
Cast Net Radius in Feet	Coverage in Square Feet
6ft	113sq ft
8ft	201sq ft
10ft	314sq ft
12ft	452sq ft

Where you are casting

Along with the type of fish you are catching, the conditions in the area you will be casting can be important. In clearer water and with faster bait a larger, faster sinking net will be needed to prevent them from escaping when they see the net. Also, if you are in an area where the bait stays near the surface a heavier net can be used since it will not need to stay open in deeper water. If the fish or shrimp you are after are near the bottom in deeper water a heavier net may have closed to much by the time it reaches them. Another option is heavier mesh. In areas with alot of snags and a rough bottom, or if you do not want to have to repair you net as often, a heavier mesh net may be the right choice. There are some disadvantages of the heavier mesh though, it is not as easy to throw, is stiffer and sinks slower due to the higher drag.

In General

The lighter the mesh you can use the better your net will perform. Within reason, the heavier the net is leaded the less suited it will be for deeper water, opposite of what most people think. While it will make the net sink faster it also creates more drag and closes the net sooner. The heavier nets are best suited for catching faster and larger bait fish that might escape a slower net and also for use when you will only be throwing a few times, not throwing all night shrimping.

Home Page Cast Nets and Ordering Beach Seines Choosing a Net Why a Custom Net? Throwing Techniques
Care and Repair Shrimp, Mullet or Bait Links

Tim Currie
Currie Custom Cast Nets
95 Halyard Way
Townsend, GA 31331
(912)368-5452
email: tcurrie@curriecustomnets.com

Copyright © 2001-2008 by T. Currie
All Rights Reserved