cast net - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

taggermike · 01-30-2010, 02:36 PM

You can use cast nets north of Point Conception, but not in So Cal. I lived in North Carolina a few years ago and learned to throw a cast net seated in a kayak. It wasn't real easy but I made it work. I was usually in shallow water in creeks and marshes so I didn't need a wide fast sinking net. Your wind up is reduced, you can't use your legs, and you can't really follow through your throw so you really have to focus on your hands and get a good spin going early in the cast and then let go early so the momentum doesn't carry you off ballance, like maybe right out of the yak. I used a small net, like 4 or 5 feet diameter and didn't try to throw it too far. Small menhaden and shrimp aren't too smart so mostly all I needed to do was get the net spinning to open it up and then drop it fairly close to the side of the yak. If I tried to throw far the net would often "taco" or not land on the water flat. It's not a great analogy, but think of a guying tossing a pizza dough. He gets it spinning and moving up, then he catches it. I sort of spun the net up and then let it land just a few feet from the boat. Mike

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01-30-2010, 02:36 PM	#10
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	You can use cast nets north of Point Conception, but not in So Cal. I lived in North Carolina a few years ago and learned to throw a cast net seated in a kayak. It wasn't real easy but I made it work. I was usually in shallow water in creeks and marshes so I didn't need a wide fast sinking net. Your wind up is reduced, you can't use your legs, and you can't really follow through your throw so you really have to focus on your hands and get a good spin going early in the cast and then let go early so the momentum doesn't carry you off ballance, like maybe right out of the yak. I used a small net, like 4 or 5 feet diameter and didn't try to throw it too far. Small menhaden and shrimp aren't too smart so mostly all I needed to do was get the net spinning to open it up and then drop it fairly close to the side of the yak. If I tried to throw far the net would often "taco" or not land on the water flat. It's not a great analogy, but think of a guying tossing a pizza dough. He gets it spinning and moving up, then he catches it. I sort of spun the net up and then let it land just a few feet from the boat. Mike