I have lived and fished all of my 50 some odd years on the rivers and creeks of the barrier islands./… but I’ll b e Jimminy Cricket if I can throw a cast net properly. I do OK at times and open 3/4 of the way . I do get bait, but cannot master getting the net open as it should, even a 6’
Have you ever watched a video on how to cast a net:question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvH7UR81wlA
Never seen that particular method, but yes, I watched videos and watched it done real time. I have a buddy that makes throwing a 10’ net look easy. Gonna try the technique in this video though… thanks.
Ever try a 3 or 4 footer?
Its all in the hips man… but seriously it could also be your cast net. If its crusty/salty it probably won’t open perfectly. I’ve got a 5 that I use for bait in the creeks and opens perfect every time; you might want to try scaling down a bit. A 5’ fully open net is better than a 6’ opened half way any day of the week!
Redfish Baron Extraordinaire
Lots of my throws are ugly, but still catch something. Don’t stress about perfection. Just cast more times!
spec
1980 Skandia 21 w/ '93 JohnRude 150 gas drinker
Practice, practice, practice. I’ve been doing it for years and I still struggle if I haven’t thrown one in a while. Shrimping season always starts out rough, but by the second pass on the poles I’m usually good to go.
I always take the time to make sure the weights aren’t over one of the lines, and, here’s the biggest thing I usually struggle with at first, you don’t have to throw it real hard. If its wearing you out, you’re working too hard. When you get in the groove, theres not a lot of effort involved in the throw. Most of the work is in the retrieval.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by tigerfinI always take the time to make sure the weights aren’t over one of the lines
^^ Doesn’t matter how good you are – if your net isn’t working right, you won’t throw well.
2000 Sportcraft Sport Cat 255 - “Morning Bite”
Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160
Think about throwing a Frisbee and need to get rotation on the Frisbee. Similar with cast net to help it open. If you just toss it outward, it doesn’t open up. Need just a bit of rotation to open up. Also, don’t direct your outward motion down, I actually toss it slightly upward (slightly above horizontal to water), again to give the rotation some time to open it up and hit water evenly (on plane with water). Only needs about 1/4 to 1/2 turn to open up. Those things helped me the most beyond the various methods to hold that you find online. The motion of the toss to create some rotation (aka its all in the hips!) is key.
If you are using your teeth to hold the net and have dentures, make sure they are glued in tight.
Bob Van Gundy
Marine Designs,Inc.
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
803-727-4069
quote:
Originally posted by Happy BobIf you are using your teeth to hold the net and have dentures, make sure they are glued in tight.
Bob Van Gundy
Marine Designs,Inc.
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
803-727-4069
Someone needs to invent denture floats.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
I’ve thrown a net thousands of Times in my day but probably have the strangest throw anyone here has ever seen. Some of y’all would lose your **** if you saw it.
First, Most, Biggest
I want to catch them all
quote:
If you are using your teeth to hold the net and have dentures, make sure they are glued in tight
I’ve used my teeth for over 50 years, and can throw a net without even thinking about it like that. But now I’m running short on teeth and need to keep the rest. I’ve been trying to teach myself to throw it without holding it in my teeth, still about 50/50 as to whether it will open right or not. Getting there, but got a ways to go 
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
It’s really key to make sure the net is laying properly…no lead line over tag lines and no twists in the part you’re
holding in your hand. And I hold the lead line in my teeth. I use a 6 ft 1/4 mesh for bait, 7 or 8 ft for Menhadden (in front of the islands),
an 8 ft 5.8 mesh net shrimping and a 10 ft taped net for deep holing. Same technique across the board…1/2 of weights in each hand.
I always drag mine behind the boat, but don’t really catch much.
Thanks guys! I’ll have to give that a go, Skinee…
There is a video on the Calusa web site that shows how to with the net held by your teeth!
http://www.calusa.com/videos/
I am right handed. When I am throwing a 6 ft. or smaller net, I coil the rope and grab the net with my left hand about a foot below the horn along with the rope. I raise the net, grab the part of the leadline closest to me, and put it in my teeth. Then I grab the right side of the lead line with my right hand.
I stand so that the “target area” is at about 2 or 3 o’clock, twist my body to the left/counterclockwise, pause for just a second which gives the net time to slap me on the back of the legs which straightens out the net, then as the net begins to swing from behind my legs I straighten both of my arms, twist to the right/clockwise, and use the “frisbee throwing motion” others have described to add momentum and spin to the net’s natural clockwise momentum as it swings from behind my legs.
I am using my outstretched left arm, teeth, and right arm to “open” the part of the net closest to me - and I am using “centrifugal force” as I twist to the right to open the part of the net away from me. Yes, I do throw slightly “up”, unless the wind is blowing strong.
When I watch net throwers that are just learning, they rush things too much. It is an easy twist to the left, leg slap, slight pause for the net to swing off my legs, and then coordinate with the net’s forward motion to “frisbee” it to the right toward my target at 2 or 3 o’clock.
Taco throwers make the mistake of “fighting the net” and trying to muscle it too much. If you watch an experienced net thrower, it is an easy, smooth motion of twist left, pause briefly to allow the net to begin its forward motion, and twist right and toss the net. It is much easier than it sounds.
I still am a “taco thrower” some days, and then other days I can “get in the rythm” and make a lot of good throws. There are many other ways to throw a net that may work better for you. For me, you ain’t shrimping if you don’t have a pluff mud fu manchu!
spec
1980 Skandia 21 w/ '93 JohnRude 150 gas drinker
Spec, my long developed technique is just exactly like yours. I’m having to develop a new one, can’t use the teeth anymore, so far not good results, I look like a rookie again. I’ll work it out. Until then my friends laugh at me
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
bgf, if all that does not work, just drive the boat and get an assistant to throw the net:
P.S.: Cracker Larry, this “assistant” would solve the problem with your teeth!
spec
1980 Skandia 21 w/ '93 JohnRude 150 gas drinker