Laguna,
Cast nets are described by the radius. When someone states they moved up to a 12 foot cast net, they are talking about a net that if thrown properly will open up to a 24 foot diameter circle. I have tried both big and small cast nets, and have found all of them to be somewhat tricky to throw with the larger ones being far more difficult. I could practice on my front lawn, by throwing at a old tire, and have it open fine every time. Put me in a situation where I see fish, and I get excited and make a mess of it every time. I have also tried several throwing aids such as Netcraft's cast net thrower (it broke on the second toss) and aluminum throwing rings all to my disappointment. The poorly made cast net imports for the most part suck. I had a net that could never be made to open properly because it was so poorly made. I tried to stretch it out on my front lawn in a perfect circle and I still could not do it. While more expensive, if I had to do it all over again, I would only buy USA made cast nets. You do not need any additional handicaps when first starting out. It is far easier to learn if you would have some height when first starting out. Tossing off a pier is easier than trying to flip it out while standing in waist deep water. My Florida friends would always take turns as who would be the high man. One friend would go piggy back on his buddy's shoulders to gain some height. The low man really had it tough since before the toss by the upper man, the wet net would be dangling in his face and there was not much he could do about it since he had to hold on to his buddy. I have been trying to net scup for years in shallow water (8 feet deep) without any luck. I know they are there, but they are so quick, they can actually swim out from under the net. Throwing a cast net at twilight is not that easy either. |