cast nets

[noname]

just a thread to get your opinions on the subject, mono vs cotton, top pocket vs draw string, any thoughts ?? and what you mainly use your net for..

thanks robbo

[MichaelJ]

mines a mono 9ft botom pocket and i mainly use it for prawns but whenever i need bait i use it for mullet etc

[Shrimpo]

U get many prawns in a bottom pocket? I got a 10ft i think bottom pocket and was considering giving it a go for prawns but then thought nah u need a top pocket to be successful?

[Dec]

I have two mono cast nets a bottom pocket use it for landbased it doesnt have the best bottom pocket it is all riped. Then a top pocket that I only use for prawns from the boat or pontoon. Also I dont like the cotton ones just dont like the feel of them after my mono cast nets.

[Red Dog]

mono doesn't get as heavy as cotton when its wet. your arms to get sore after casting for ages from the weight

[MichaelJ]

Shrimpo wrote:

U get many prawns in a bottom pocket? I got a 10ft i think bottom pocket and was considering giving it a go for prawns but then thought nah u need a top pocket to be successful?

yeh but when it hit the botom i give it plenty of time u have to lift it up a bit first though and the prawns all swim up and get caught near the top anyway and the straglers are in the botom pocket

and when theres other guys using top pockets i norm get as much as them

[benno573]

i had no probs landing a few in a bottom pocket cast net on friday night mate. secret is to pull the net in really slow and on an angle as opposed to straight up and down. i use an 8ft mono net usually, i have a 12ft mono one that is dam hard to throw off the boat properly, i usually only use it for prawning off the bank when conditions allow!

[Shrimpo]

Wheres the best place to go on the northside?

[adri4n]

I use a bottom pocket net as well, simply cos I don't have the cash to cough up for another net, in theory a drawstring net would be the best for all situations as you'll never lose a fish, but for prawns i find the bottom pocket works alright, just let it sink all the way to the bottom, and lift slowly, jerking it slightly to stir up the bottom, the prawns usually try to kick up to the top and just get caught up the top anyways even without the pocket.

[adri4n]

Oh and in regards to the cotton vs mono issue, I'm not an expert but I've spoken to people who were practically born with a cast net in their hands and most of them feel that mono is probably the way to go, takes a while to break in but after that it doesn't soak up as much water so doesn't get much heavier, and lasts way longer compared to cotton/nylon in long term use and its more abrasion resistant hence more likely to stand up to snags.

And as I mentioned I find my bottom pocket rather adequate for baiting and small time prawning, managed to get close to a kg worth once on a good session, I didn't find that I was getting less prawns than the rest with drawstring top pockets, only reason they pulled in more was they had a 12 foot and could get it to spread perfectly, and would just spend 4 hours throwing the net non stop, while I would only get a perfect spread occasionally and was trying to throw out some livebait at the same time. I recall we've had this discussion sometime before and I know its a little hard to search on the site but give it a go and see what you come up with. Cheers

[mangler]

My cast net consists of a 2 pack of bait jigs for $2.35 and a bait trap. Until this year, basically all of my saltwater fishing was done in NSW so no cast nets allowed, as well as that I'm too stingy to buy one.

[adri4n]

you know I've been meaning to get some baitjigs as well as I'm a little tired of getting wet and throwing the net around, are all bait jigs made equal? if so I'm just going to get the cheapest i can get my hands on...

[mangler]

I usually just grab the cheapest ones too, sometimes get the glow in the dark ones. Mainly only catch herring, but also get onto the odd winter whiting occasionally.

[adri4n]

Thanks, thats good enough for me, I like herring as a bait, might just get some for the times I'm too lazy to throw my net, Just one last question before we get back to topic :do they work well at night as well?

[Mack_attack]

In my limited experience of using them the ones with the little flashy fly material work the best on yakkas offshore whereas the ones with plastic wings barely raise a scale.

[mangler]

I've had reasonable success in the glowing ones at night, work best in clear water. As mack attack said the flashier the better, but sometimes they are a bit harder to find.

As for castnets, I may fork out & get myself one day, after I'm completely confident in casting with my mates ones first of course :laugh:

[Confused]

btw i purchased a 8ft castnet from ebay a while back from western australia and OMG it was the best mono net i have ever had it works on a draw string when thrown out and your pulling in the main line the top of the net compacts to the bottom first to trap everything in no possible escape so for deep water throws and straight up pulling it's the only way to go , however i lost it to a snag

[adri4n]

tough luck with the net... thats one thing about drawstrings though i think, can't really use it over an area with snags...

[Do$tylz]

I'll never turn back from a drawstring net and personally for me I do like the thread/cotton ones. They do get a little heavier but we could all use a workout sometimes.

I don't have any dramas throwing for a couple of hours on end and I'm only a medium sized bloke.

If you wanna see a drawstring, 12ft, thrad net let me know Rob. Easy as to cast off the William Gunn Jetty.

Also for those bait jigs, check on Ebay. I bought a mix pack of 10 for $10 delivered a few months back. Have only used one pack so far though.

[tj_tom_rules]

mono for sure and defitnaly string net. string net catch everything and have better expanding motion.

[noname]

Do$tylz wrote:

I'll never turn back from a drawstring net and personally for me I do like the thread/cotton ones. They do get a little heavier but we could all use a workout sometimes.

I don't have any dramas throwing for a couple of hours on end and I'm only a medium sized bloke.

If you wanna see a drawstring, 12ft, thrad net let me know Rob. Easy as to cast off the William Gunn Jetty.

Also for those bait jigs, check on Ebay. I bought a mix pack of 10 for $10 delivered a few months back. Have only used one pack so far though.

yeah mate i've thrown them before, but i find they get to messy,lol, i've got 12 footers,top pockets, 2 are nearly 7 kilo, i feel it if i haven't thrown it for a while, but when the prawns are on i don't notice the weight,and sometimes i start at 3.30 in the arvo and go till around midnight, but the next day, omfg, and go and do it all over again...

[adri4n]

wish I had read your post before I bought a packet today, lol already cost me $4.

[Shrimpo]

Yeah theirs one ending soon on ebay for $3.99 Buy it now with $6.80 postage for ten of em makes it $10.80
/>http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Bait-jigs-Sabiki-size-7x10-pacs_W0QQitemZ170267936960QQihZ007QQcategoryZ27414QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[adri4n]

yeah thanks for that, think I'll let this one go for now and see how I like jigging for bait instead of castnetting, I'm sure there will be more deals like this on ebay. Cheers