Posted By: FurFlyin
Castnet PSA - 10/10/19 11:56 PM
I decided to get a castnet to take advantage of the abundance of threadfin shad that we have on Lake Guntersville. I can obviously use them crappie fishing. I can also catch shad to use for catfish. I got the net a week or so ago and had been practicing in the yard. I got good enough with it that I knew I could catch bait. When I went fishing yesterday afternoon I ran to two bridges because normally at this time of year, threadfins are schooling around the bridges by the gazillions. I didn't see a single bait ball close to the surface at either bridge. We went and shot docks at a marina for a little bit. When we got up closer to the shallow end I saw a ripple on the surface and a couple baits flip out of the water.
I jumped up, grabbed the net, loaded it, turned the live scope towards the last place I saw them. There was a big blob close to the surface. I rare back and let her rip. I hit right where I was aiming. I start pulling the net up but it's really heavy. Really, really heavy. I'm thinking I have the mother lode on my first throw. I finally got it up off the bottom and when I can finally see, there's a whole lot of green in the net. There's also silt running out around the sides. I tried to grab the horn and dump my load of millfoil back in the lake but no dice. It's got the braille lines so clogged up that they won't release. I had thrown a "syrup tub" in the boat for a makeshift bait well and I'm glad I did. A syrup tub is what we call a mineral lick for the cows. The come in a plastic tub probably around 30 gallons in size. I picked the whole mess up, with the help of my fishing partner and dumped it in the tub. We start pulling out the lead line a little at the time and dumping millfoil back in the water. We finally got the worst of it and sifted out 4 threadin shad from the mess and kept them. LOL I spent 30 minutes this afternoon picking that mess out of the net just to get it back usable. I may never get all of it out of the net.
SO, if you've got vegetation in your lake, don't throw your brand new cast net up amongst it.
I jumped up, grabbed the net, loaded it, turned the live scope towards the last place I saw them. There was a big blob close to the surface. I rare back and let her rip. I hit right where I was aiming. I start pulling the net up but it's really heavy. Really, really heavy. I'm thinking I have the mother lode on my first throw. I finally got it up off the bottom and when I can finally see, there's a whole lot of green in the net. There's also silt running out around the sides. I tried to grab the horn and dump my load of millfoil back in the lake but no dice. It's got the braille lines so clogged up that they won't release. I had thrown a "syrup tub" in the boat for a makeshift bait well and I'm glad I did. A syrup tub is what we call a mineral lick for the cows. The come in a plastic tub probably around 30 gallons in size. I picked the whole mess up, with the help of my fishing partner and dumped it in the tub. We start pulling out the lead line a little at the time and dumping millfoil back in the water. We finally got the worst of it and sifted out 4 threadin shad from the mess and kept them. LOL I spent 30 minutes this afternoon picking that mess out of the net just to get it back usable. I may never get all of it out of the net.
SO, if you've got vegetation in your lake, don't throw your brand new cast net up amongst it.