"cast netting" from the sea shore

blowin · "cast netting" from the sea shore

The kind of net which documentaries show people throwing out to catch fish . I am sure it would be a successful technique for mullet but am equally sure that you'd be suspected of poaching salmon or sea trout . Has anyone tried it ? Is it even legal over here ?

bref

I dont think so, however I have a friend who is a fishery officer and I will ask him about cast netting and a few other things as well. I would be interested to see if it would work for mullet (have you ever eaten mullet) as I suspect that the smaller mesh used on I suppose the 'normal' ones would cause the mullet to bounce off it. I might just have a go at making one! Smile

blowin

Thanks bref . Good point about mesh size -- I hadn't thought about that ( for those who aren't familiar with them , the common grey / thick lipped mullet have relatively wide heads ) . What do you reckon -- 1 1/2" ? I wonder whether that would be a permissible size ( if there is one ) .
We could keep your Fisheries friend busy with plenty of questions ! Like -- whether Signal crayfish have reached Ireland ? is the native species protected ? what about freshwater mussels ? and at what point does "estuary" become "open sea" as far as fishing regs are concerned ?

I have eaten mullet . It is fairly bland , which suits me because I am generally not that keen on fish . I fillet then fry until it is golden brown , with plenty of salt & lemon juice added . Must have a go at them this year . There are good fish in the harbours and I have seen shoals of what I would guess to be 5+ lb fish within feet of the rocks in very shallow water .

wayland

Mullet is great to eat providing you work at it a little. I can imagin that it is a bit bland if just fryed. The same gose for Pike me thinks. The recipe that Rick Stein published was very good. I am told that the native crayfish is protected. I have also heard that the Yankey ones are bred in fish farms in Ireland. I hope that they know that the signals can support their own weight on dry land and just walk off. A point that was over looked in the UK Crying or Very sad

bref

Well a 1 1/2 inch mesh would still be fairly small, I'd be thinking of more like 3 inch as you are actually trying to get them to 'mesh' in the net and not get wrapped up in it(I believe by the way cast nets are constructed this is what needs to happen.
In case you didnt know mesh size is measured fron one knot to the other when the mesh is streched.
So the below mesh size is 70mm.

blowin

So Signals will be everywhere then , it's just a question of time ? I have just remembered that about 18 months ago a neighbour was about to restock his aquarium but first wanted to find a good home for the colourfull crayfish which had eaten everything else . It had been bought at a well known Irish pet store not a million miles from here . If I didn't want it , could it go in my pond ? I explained about Signals and even left a message at the shop but don't know what the outcome was . So maybe they are already here Shocked

.
Thanks for the tip about mesh measurement . I was doing it the wrong way, as I'm sure you guessed Wink

. But at least we both have the same sort of size in mind ( 3" , done the right way ) Laughing

So , how to get a permit then ? I'll see what I can find on the Fisheries' website .
I think it is more likely that we would be locked up for being mad than for breaking the law anyway .

GB

no no no PLEASE dont use 3 inch mesh, you will NEVER CATCH ANYTHING Shocked

unless you are after whales Laughing

speaking as one who's first net had a 2 inch mesh even large fish can get away quite easily Sad

The way the net works is to first cover and pin the fish against the bottom and then to scoop the fish up in a purse type arangement of mesh and draw strings. Mullet are the perfect fish for this type fishing because when startled they jump, instead of heading for the bottom. Go for a mesh of quarter to half inch and about 6 to 7 foot (12 to 14 ft spread) that size will also net you shrimps, crabs and flat fish as well as other fun stuff Very Happy

Oh, and dont bother trying to make it as they are diabolicly hard to make for such a simple looking thing and they only cost about £50 on E bay
I love fishing with them and have spent many hours doing so. Just watch the bottom isnt to rocky or you will be spending all your time trying to retreve it and not too deep or the fish have time to cop on to what you are doing.

good luck and if you need any pointers just pm me
great hobby

wayland

I have got loads of purse nets Smile

So with a large/ huge purse net we can catch fish!!! Ok. I am away to Ebay and have a look. This may be fun. Cheers GB.

wayland

Moving on. There is a cast net on Ebay. It has small mesh and is 4ft 6in. Would this be the radius? If so it would make a 9ft net when cast. If it is just 4 ft 6in in diametre it seems a it small. I see that there is a DVD on how to use one. I`ll get it. Wink

GB

%$%&^&*&&& computers grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr its taken me 20 min and agro to get this far Evil or Very Mad

but never mind, at least I made it Very Happy

That would be the radius. If you can find a bigger one It would be slightly more effective but more difficult to learn to throw so its swings and round abouts, really. Throwing is really just a trick, like getting a Frisbee to go where you want it. The larger sizes seem more daunting but the extra is just looped with the rope so you really are just casting the same amount, just with more force. I wish I had had a video when I started, picture little girl with 6 ft net grimly throwing again and again, not knowing that the mesh was to big to catch anything other than suicidal fish Laughing

ah, those were the days

wayland

Found this interesting link. If you have broardband then no probs if you dont go and make a cuppa, walk the dog etc etc etc http://www.castnets.com/video/castnet-throwing.wmv

jon

Interesting link once we got it downloaded. The bloke makes it look rather too easy. It could be a good way to stock up with sand eels etc.

Jon

wayland

I have been scanning around the web for info on these and found that a US Co make a "Mullet" cast net. These differ from the other "Bait" type in a few ways. They can be up to 8ft <Rad>, the weights are heavier, and the mesh size is 1.25 ins. The idea is that the net sinks quickly and the mesh size and heavy weights will help this. They do look quite low tech once a suitable net is found. There are a few sites in the UK that give info on material used in their nets. It may well be a DIY project. Wink

GB

It is really simpler to weave your net from scratch than to try to cut and peice a cast net from existing nets. If you can get one to examin you will quickly realize why. It is not just a flat net with draw strings through it but several diferent sizes from middle to edge to alow the net to billow out. I am probably not explaining it well but if you have the time making one from scratch is relitive easy. If not, just buy one, you will save money in the long run. Just on time if nothing else.

And I am speaking from the been there done that have worn out the T shirt place. Laughing

and as soon as it arives in the post you can be right out there catching things with it. Just a few practice throws is all it takes to gain enough skill to catch fish with one, although the first thing I caught was the family dog. She ran out into the water just as I threw it out and bang, netted dog. Boy, was she suprised Shocked

blowin

I am going to be really lazy here and ask whether someone would very kindly post up a link to whichever is generally agreed to be the best net(s) for A/ mullet and B/ sandeel . Wink

And if you could then tell me which harbour .............. Laughing

GB

I always found a 7 to 8ft radius bait net (14 to 16ft spread) to be the most efective for both mullet and, well, bait Laughing

If you find it doesnt settle fast enough retro fitting more weights is a sinch. Its no harder to throw a 3 ft net than a 9ft and E bay is your friend Very Happy

wayland

You are saying just what the vidio clip shows GB. Its good to have an expert on the subject in this forum. Blowin.!!! Have you heard of "Google"?. Well its a very easy to use gizmo site that finds things for yer. Laughing

just type in cast nets UK and you will find two sites. One in Wales and the other Devon. There is loads of US sites advertising them. It was from one of these that give out details of their "Mullet" net. As the vidio clip takes an age to download <Eircom, bless them> I will email it to you and you can load it up off line. Cheers again GB. Wink

GB

I am just thrilled that more people are becoming intrested in my favorite way of fishing Very Happy

It targets just what you are after and if you do happen to catch something else (dogs for instance Rolling Eyes

) you can release it without any harm to the animal Cool

Good luck with it, I am now looking forward to getting one myself soon and finding a good place to use it. Oh, and it has one other really great advantage is that you dont run the risk of todlers getting hold of your fish hooks Wink

blowin

wayland

GB

We had a friend (now long gone Crying or Very sad

) who use to tie his own nets. I remember watching him in amazement as a kid Shocked

he was soooo fast. He taught us to rope bottles and we still have a few. He was in port and had just finished a gill net, no idea how long as from a kids point of view it went on for miles Laughing

but we all went out in the ships boat (sharky, it had a sharks face painted on the bow) and set it out. It was gone when we went back for it, a ship had dragged it into its wake and eaten it Shocked

Months of work, gone. He just laughed. Taught me something about how to deal with things like that though, just shrug and let it go. Cool

wayland

Poor bloke. I have to watch out for my long line, which may well suffer the same fate Crying or Very sad

. In my last house I had two hooks fastened to the chimney breast. I found it quite relaxing walking backward and forward tieing my nets. I used hemp twine and it took a fair time to make a fifty yard section. These comercial mono nets are so cheap that it makes making my own not really worth it, but its nice to think that I am doing an old craft, like the old boys of the north norfolk coast did when I as a child. Wink

blowin

Sorry to be thick but I have been following this thread and a similar one on another forum with great interest but am now in a bit of a muddle .
For mullet and/or sandeel , the net should ideally be around 8 ft radius Question

( sorry to shout ) .
And the mesh size 1.25 inches Question

These nets are "tailored" and incorporate different sizes of mesh .... but the predominent one is 1.25" so that is what I order .
From ebay .
When they have got one .
just sort this out for me and i will leave you all alone !

GB

I find a three quarter inch mesh works best, for every thing and the radius is the distance from middle to the edge. (I wont even begin to tell you how many years it has taken me to remember that Embarassed

)

So an eight foot radius gives you a net with a 16 ft spread. (thats if its spread out on the ground and measured side to side) Used on a beach no cast net will catch much but used on a river mouth or estuary on the out going tide (the fish HAVE to get by you ) when the water drops to about 4 ft and used untill the water is just about gone. You wont catch much at 4 ft but you will get your hand in with your net so by the time the water has dropped a bit you should be throwing well.
If you do go with a mesh size of over an inch you will catch fish, just not shrimps and bait fish so it wont be as much fun. Well, I think its fun, just like lucky dip fishing Cool

hope this helps Wink

wayland

I think I have got to grips with the theory. I will get one of the 3/4 mesh size for the reasons stated by GB. If I were to go for fish like Mullet it may well be a good idea to go for a second net of a larger mesh. This net must sink as fast as possible and carries more weight around the rim to aid this. The mesh of the net must operate in a similar principle as the fabric on a parachute and so the larger mesh will let water through it quicker than a finer mesh. So it sinks quicker. Well leastways thats how I see it. Laughing

blowin

Brilliant . Many thanks for all the input and the summary .
Could you please order me one ?
Or two ? Confused

wayland

An eightfoot cast net can be brought on-line from a fishing tackle shop in Devon. I will see if I can find the URL. I will get one my self. Wink

blowin

Perhaps we could order them together -- poss get a discount and / or save postage ? Might get me out of this valley for once if I have to come and collect it from you !
I'll pm you Wink

. Cheers . N/

wayland

Have you seen this site Blowin?

http://www.anglingcentre.net/acatalog/s_Baitnet.html

blowin

Did anyone get as far as chucking one of these things into the water ? I have to admit that I haven't but it is still on my wish-list . Wink

wayland

Not as yet. Things are a bit hectic at the moment but looking forward to more quiet times.