Blackcloud

and try a 60' gill net....CT only with the license of course. We deploy the gill net and circle it with the boat, the bunker crash into it and wind up in the live well. We get anywhere from 1 to 100, depends how thick they are. If they are thick enough for a throw net....you kill them with the 60' gill net

Blackcloud

Capexcape

Laguna
To get some real good instruction get a copy of Betts How to throw a castnet video .very good instruction and and several methods for several sizes and styles.
Play ,try a few throws play again practice again and soon you will have it .
I found it quite helpful although like said above when the pressure is on I sometimes choke too.
BTW heavier is better as the little buggers can usually outswim any net with less than a pound and a half per foot or lighter ,your arm will get tired after a few throws but the higher sink rate pays off.
Dave

Scup

Blackcloud,

I never tried using my gill net in your fashion. Typically, I drop the ends of it weighted down with cement blocks and I try to positioned it across what I expect would be the path of the fish. The net usually gets left out overnight. The problem with my method is things can get out of hand by morning and one could easily end up with far more fish, than one would want or need. My net is 110 feet long. It seems to me you are using it more like a seine with the exception that you are relying on the ability of the net to gill, rather than trap the fish. Do you use any extra weights on the ends or just use it as is (sort of like a floating gill net?) I would also assume that your operation would only take a few minutes before you retrieve your gill net? Many times, I have seen bunker on the surface, but it just seemed easier, and less troublesome to snag the few I might need. The other problem I have is if I use the gill net, then I am automatically declaring my intentions to be commercial, and cannot chase after striped bass, unless of course it is catch and release. If I snag the bunker, then I could go out as any other recreational fisherman would. I am very interested in exactly how you go about this using your gill net. While I am not that interested in its use for bunker, scup is a fish that I do target. In the wee hours of the morning, I see vast schools of them on the surface. They are so fast that when I toss out my cast net they see it and dive deep and away from the net. They are just too fast and sharp eyed for my cast net. However, should I use my electric trolling motor or oars, I can get almost right on top of them. You have me thinking that maybe I am using my gill net all wrong as I am more concerned that I might catch too much rather than too little. Your method seems to be far more controllable and probably less damaging to whatever has to be thrown back.

CaptChris

I Would Say Use A Bigger Net For The First Time, Believe It Or Not I Find It Easier To Cast A Larger Net Over The Smaller. Once You Get The "technique" Of The Net Down Its Simple You Can Toss Anything.

PFO

One other tip is you can soak your net in a bucket with water and fabric softner over night. this helps relaxing the net for better throws.

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Captain Hook

If you have never done it I would start with a small net, but you probably won't catch any unless you have a 12ft 1/2inch mesh size, because all other nets won't sink fast enough to catch any.

shinerdunker

I probably cast net well over 50,000 lbs of the things to my deck each year so I think I am in a good position to give you some advice. First off, do not start with anything under 8'. If your average depth is over 12', then I would go with a 10 to begin with. I throw both 14' and 16' radius nets depending on how thick the fish are. That size net gets difficult to throw. As long as you take a long term approach (couple of seasons of practice) you will find a method that works for you. If legal in your area, a gillnet is a good alternative for the short term. A gill net will just about guarrantee bait for the day so long as you are on the water at o'dark . If you have any questions about which production nets work best or where you can obtain a good gill net, send me a pm.

LAGUNA

Ok, so with a cast net you basically need to sight fish, and get the net over a school. I don't think gill nets are legal for recreation. What is hte best time of year for the bunker schools to be running. I've noticed them in the later parts of summer, but is there an are to target them in the beguinning of the season.

ReelCrazySportfishing

I believe in mass you do not need a permit for a 60 foot personal use gill net.
i can be wrong so double check.

Gill nets are a Pain but do work very well

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Scup

Shinerdunker,

Post away! I have not been happy with the imported junk I purchased because of its low cost. Two of my nets are mono, and one is actually nylon that I had for more than thirty years. The nylon one casts better (a small baitfish net), might be USA made, but is too slow to catch anything except in poor visibility conditions. I am interested in trying to catch scup (about the same size as bunker) in shallow water 8 to 12 feet deep. All of the commercial guys I have spoken to say it is impossible. I know the scup are are there, and they are fast, but after seeing some of my southern friends toss out cast nets, I believe they are catchable. The shortcoming is probably a combination of me and that of using lousy nets. Since my limit will be fifty pounds, I am somewhat reluctant to use my gill net for them. It makes no sense to me to leave a bunch of dead fish in my wake. A cast net is far more selective and does not harm the fish I have to let go (for the most part.) So if you have recommendations, let it fly. I am sure other form members would like to know who carries decent nets. Not afraid of spending $$$$ or time at practicing throwing it, since for me it will be a write off. I am thinking that I might need something of the order of a 12' radius. Another question I have to form members, has anyone been able to catch scup in a cast net routinely? Other problems I might have is what size mesh to use. Scup are not uniform in size. I would not want to use a square mesh so large that the smaller throwback ones would end up gilling themselves. On the other hand maybe a very large mesh is the way to go as it will allow the smaller ones to pass through but would only gill the larger ones which are keepers anyway. Scup do not live very long once out of the water, so I would want to be able to get the small ones back in quickly. Having a couple of dozen small scup gill themselves to death, does not appeal to me.