General Information on a Cast Net

Wherever you may fish, live bait is always the best lure. To save time and money, you need to keep live bait ready. Cast netting is the most economic tool for catching your own bait. You can also use a cast net to catch shrimp, larger fish, mullet, etc.

Cast netting is very popular, either in fresh or salt water, and can be used in different applications from Sport to Commercial fishing. Many people use cast nets, from kids to experienced professional fishermen, almost everywhere in the world.

CAST NET BASIC STRUCTURE

• Swivel: two metal loops or rings attached together, that turn at both ends.
• Hand line: a rope which is attached to the swivel on one end, with the other end attachded to the caster's wrist.
• Horn: a ring with an indentation around the center, where the top of the net is tied.
• Lead Line: a rope with sinkers attached. This rope is at the outside perimeter of the net to sink it.
• Brail Lines: lines attached to the swivel at one end and to the leadline at the other. Their function is to pucker the net, thus trapping the catch.
• Netting: made from nylon multifilament or monofilament to form the desired mesh.

HOW CAST NETS WORK

Throwing the net creates a driving force that causes the lead line to open the net to a flat form, the lead weights then sink the net. After the net has sunk, and the brail line is pulled, the lead line is forced to close, thus, creating a pouch in the net which holds the catch, trapping a school of shrimp or fish. After pulling the net from the water, opening the leadline will cause the catch to fall out.