Casting for shrimp

[C.Crisp]

Looking to catch a few shrimp as bait for redfish down in SC. I was almost able to bare hand a couple in the grass by their antennae, but no luck. Will I be able to use a handled net, or should I get one I can cast?
 

I know Walmart has them in stock, and I’m wondering the quality at $30-40 when Dick’s has them for over $100. I’m assuming they are not dipped for uv protection…

 

[ExcessiveAngler]

What size shrimp are you talking about?  
I’d say in the past 5-6 years we have been getting 4-6 inch ones up in NJ as well sometimes!

Besides all the other crazy stuff coming up here now, I saw a Triple-tail was caught and reported in NJ today!

And back to the shrimps lol.

Last year was really good up here for them

You could literally look over the edge of the bridge and look down and see all the eyes with your spotlight, as they are much more active at night!

We were just cast netting them with a 5-7 ft foot cast net and some of the guys were actually taking them home and eating them as well lol!

I don’t know how well the cast net would work in the reed grass though!

If it were me, I would walk into the grass if possible and cast net them as they flee out of the grass if they’re that thick in there!

If you’re going to go with the pole net and Plan on doing this more often, I would concentrate on getting a decent net(preferably coated)and I always wind up beefing up or extending the handles on all mine!

I have pole nets up to 20 feet for bait and landing fish!

Edit: I also forgot to mention that I like Fitec 1000 Super spreader nets, 5 to 7 foot with 1oz per foot, either 1/4 -3/8” mesh!

I can basically catch anything with these size nets from shrimp up to nice big sea herring! 

 

EA

Edited October 27, 2022 by ExcessiveAngler
Info

[C.Crisp]

5 hours ago, ExcessiveAngler said:

What size shrimp are you talking about?  
I’d say in the past 5-6 years we have been…

Thanks for the info, I failed to include all the facts:

 

-shrimp and minnows 3-5”, maybe some finger mullet if possible.

-Mainly near grass, but also open beach

-Probably no more than 5’ deep water to start

 

i know a tighter weave catches smaller items, but will sink more slowly, I guess I’m wondering if it’s actually noticeable.

[ExcessiveAngler]

That really only happens in super heavy current with the net!

If you’re just throwing the net in 5 feet of water the most important thing is the weight per radius foot if the bait you’re after is super fast and controls how quick the net sinks,

I use the 1/4” for small baits, 3/8” for all else!

In shallower water, I’ll use 3/4oz per ft, soon as I hit the 5 ft depth, I go right to 1oz per foot

This also is for land-based netting for me anyway, I’m sure others will have their opinion as well. And if anybody’s curious why I like the  smaller nets, it’s very easy to take too much bait and waste it, thinking it will get used but not always. And anymore our resources are becoming less and less, so I generally try to control my footprint on the environment!

It truly is a shame because others are not doing this anymore and generally will wipe out anything without a second thought!

You also need to be aware that sometimes when you throw your net, occasionaly there’s more there than you actually think in regards to bait an structure.So, I generally like to have an idea of what I’m throwing my net into, they are not cheap anymore that’s for sure!

One cast could be the end of your net so, pay attention lol!

I’ve come to notice with the shrimp, when they’re not too spooked they kind of just disperse a few feet out side of the reed grasses!

I have one spot where I can literally look over a little concrete ledge under a bridge and at high tide, tops there’s 4 to 5 feet of water there in the corner and it is absolutely inundated with everything right now!

 

EA

[hhager23]

I use a cotton castnet for shrimp rather than a nylon net. 

[ReeferRob]

I've caught thousands of pounds of shrimp over the years in those cheap 4' Walmart cast nets. The trick to catching more shrimp is to tickle them up out of the bottom. Short pulls followed by a pause will allow them to pop up and be netted much like what a tickle chain does on a shrimp trawler.

[PSeggs]

I wish I could throw a cast net. My shoulders say No Way!

But I've caught lots of whatever small shrimps we have in CT with baited fish traps & drop nets.   

[ReeferRob]

18 mins ago, PSegnatelli said:

I wish I could throw a cast net. My shoulders say No Way!

But I've caught lots of whatever small shrimps we have in CT with baited fish traps & drop nets.   

My shoulders are trash too, I just adjusted my throw, more like a discus throw now and I will only throw a 4-6' net max. Mummichogs and Silver minnows are the best bait for White perch and damn if I'm paying what they want for them. If we move down to the Eastern Shore I'll set minnow pots so I don't have to throw as much. I bought a 5' 1/4" mesh net that throws really well.

[RWP]

I don't use shrimp for bait, but I have caught them in my cast nets.

 

I like a 3/8 mesh most of the time, but 1/4 might be better for shrimp. My smaller nets are from Walmart.

 

4 foot, 3/4lb/foot, I use this for shallow water and over rocks and oysters. Usually water 3 feet or shallower.

 

5 foot, 1lb/foot, this will usually get me by for water 6-10 feet deep, or if the schools are massive.

 

For deeper water, you need to buy specialty nets, and they take increasingly more skill to throw. You need a larger radius and heavier weight, or the fish will swim down and away from the net before it sinks. Something like 8 to 10 foot, 1.3 or 1.4lb/foot works well.

[C.Crisp]

On 10/29/2022 at 7:09 PM, ReeferRob said:

The trick to catching more shrimp is to tickle them up out of the bottom. 

Thank you, this really helped me out!  

[C.Crisp]

On 10/27/2022 at 1:12 PM, hhager23 said:

I use a cotton castnet for shrimp rather than a nylon net. 

What are the benefits other than less UV degradation? 

[hhager23]

IMO the cotton seems to hold onto the shrimp better. Maybe the softer weave tangles them more. Downside is the cotton is heavier as it soaks.

 

[C.Crisp]

On 11/7/2022 at 3:02 PM, hhager23 said:

IMO the cotton seems to hold onto the shrimp better. Maybe the softer weave tangles them more. Downside is the cotton is heavier as it soaks.

 

How do you prevent rotting, is it chemically treated? Also wondering if it's more prone to tearing?

[hhager23]

7 mins ago, C.Crisp said:

How do you prevent rotting, is it chemically treated? Also wondering if it's more prone to tearing?

I wash it down well after each use and dry it in the shade. I don't know as far as chemical treatment goes. I have not soaked it in fabric softener as I do with my other castnets as the cotton has always been supple and never stiffened.

 

Since I'm cast netting for shrimp primarily near grass flats I have not had any snagging issues but if I were near oyster beds or a lot of structure that would probably be an issue - especially after a few casts once the cotton starts to get heavier. 

 

Hope that helps. 

 

[C.Crisp]

51 mins ago, hhager23 said:

I wash it down well after each use and dry it in the shade. I don't know as far as chemical treatment goes. I have not soaked it in fabric softener as I do with my other castnets as the cotton has always been supple and never stiffened.

 

Since I'm cast netting for shrimp primarily near grass flats I have not had any snagging issues but if I were near oyster beds or a lot of structure that would probably be an issue - especially after a few casts once the cotton starts to get heavier. 

 

Hope that helps. 

 

Thanks for the input!