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jeffnsa
08-29-2008, 08:06 AM
if tshtf i will probebly be at home in a suburban neighborhood and deciding if it would be better to stay at home or pack up the truck and head for the hill country. either way i won't have a little back pack for survival and will make do. one of the things i think that is essential would be a couple of castnets. with it i could catch bait and occasionly dinner, it could be used for trapping small game, or be stuffed with brush for camo netting. this along with a couple spools of 3lb, 10lb, and 30lb fishing line you could do a lot. just curious what yall think.

crashdive123
08-29-2008, 08:36 AM
Cast nets are a very good addition to any survival kit (even more so if you will be near water). The first time I tried my hand at throwing one.......well let's just say that I thought I would never get free from it.

Gray Wolf
08-29-2008, 10:42 AM
if tshtf i will probebly be at home in a suburban neighborhood and deciding if it would be better to stay at home or pack up the truck and head for the hill country. either way i won't have a little back pack for survival and will make do.

jeffnsa, why wouldn't you have put together a BOB or a survival kit, if your thinking that any kind of disaster is possible?

chiggersngrits
08-29-2008, 03:40 PM
got one at walley world a few years back. practiced in the yard til i thought i had it down. next day headed to the river below guntersville dam on my buddies boat. huge schools of threadfin shad were running everywhere. got up on the bow of the boat, got ready and heaved her out into the river. only problem i didn't have quite enough grip on the rope:eek: so the whole thing goes straight to bottom of the river(about 30 feet deep). it took us about 20 minutes using weighted treble hooks but we finally snagged it and got it back on board. eventually we caught some bait and headed to the catfish hole. i would think for a survival situation a small gill net would be better than a cast net.

jeffnsa
08-30-2008, 11:02 AM
i could make a backpack and try to head away from the cities just like everyone else or stay at home where i have weapons and tools. besides i really don't think i could survive in the wild with my wife and kids, by myself maybe but that wouldn't be an option. i see deer, squirel, and others around the neighborhood, that i could support myself on for quite a while.

i have used cast nets for awhile and am pretty decent at it, so for me it would be better than a dip net.

chiggersngrits
08-30-2008, 12:20 PM
nothing wrong with cast nets or dip nets. only thing you have throw them or dip them. with a gil net you set it and leave it to do the work while you do other task. also my 4ft. radius cast net weights almost 5 lbs. an unweighted 10' x3' gil net weights next to nothing. the design of the gil net mesh makes the net a lot more flexible so i would think it would be better at entangling birds and small critters, but i have never used one on land. good idea using to make camo blind. what do you fish for down in the lone star state?

jeffnsa
08-30-2008, 10:32 PM
usually catfish and panfish with the kids, but occasionly bass, trout stocked in a river, redfish, or i'll go deep sea fishing at the coast. my daughter loves fishing and now wants to go shoot guns for the first time so i will probebly be taking her soon.

jeffnsa
08-30-2008, 10:39 PM
using a castnet is an easy way of catching snakes. first catch some shad but don't pull them out of the net and put the net in shallow water, then wait about half an hour. pull the net out of the water and you usually have a water snake or mocasin tangled in the net going after the shad. in the heat of summer the snake are everywhere and nobody fishes the shoreline under tree because one tree can hold as many as 10 snakes in it.

Rick
08-31-2008, 07:05 AM
(writing note to self) Never...leave....cast net...in water. Never...stand...under...tree...on...shoreline...in ..Texas.....scribble, scribble, scribble. Stay....out....of...Texas! There, that ought to do it.

Weaponbb7
09-05-2008, 01:20 PM
Thanks for the tips bought a cast net to add to my kit

Gray Wolf
09-05-2008, 02:19 PM
Make sure you practice using it!

erunkiswldrnssurvival
09-05-2008, 04:39 PM
Make sure you practice using it!

BE careful in Texas though you might get caught by a snake! I use cast nets,
They are good for hunting, fishing,Blinds, and the ever popular hammoc!

Weaponbb7
09-05-2008, 11:59 PM
yeah man snakes are a risk how ever i have found the oldest rule "dont F*** with them they wont F*** with you" snakes are very unique

Rick
09-06-2008, 07:14 AM
And check your locals fishing laws concerning cast nets. They may not be legal in your state. There are restrictions in Indiana.

"It is illegal to use the following devices to take fish from public waters: a weir, electric current, dynamite or other explosive, a firearm, a crossbow, hands alone, or any substance that may weaken or poison fish. Cast nets cannot be used to catch sport fish."


I doubt your DNR folks would buy into the, "Hey, I'm just practicing in case I need it" explanation. You could always tell them you're after carp, I suppose. But the 54 bluegill laying in your cooler might give you away.:rolleyes:

Rick
03-11-2009, 09:47 PM
I've been intrigued with this post ever since it first appeared. I think it's a great idea so I've tried to research it a bit. Unfortunately, I'm confused about which is better; gill nets or cast nets. So I'm looking for someone that knows a bit about each. I've never used either one. From what I can tell cast nets are pretty effective and can produce results rather quickly. But they are heavy and you have a learning curve on how to use them. Gil nets, on the other hand, are very light weight and easy to use but can become tangled very easily if used in flowing or choppy water. Which is the best? Thanks!

crashdive123
03-11-2009, 09:53 PM
Rick - I've tossed a cast net a few times (been awhile), but around here it is almost the standard for loading up on bait. Driving near the water there is always somebody using one. They are very effective.

Rick
03-11-2009, 09:55 PM
But from what I read they weigh in around 5lbs. That's a haul for a survival kit or to carry with you in a pack. And they look pretty bulky, too. Am I wrong?

crashdive123
03-11-2009, 10:00 PM
Depending on the size, they can be. I've seen (never thrown some huge nets) You've got to remember that the perimeter is weighted so that it sinks rapidly. The larger the net, the heavier it will be. For survival kits, or camping I would stick with smaller ones because of the weight.

catfish10101
03-12-2009, 03:28 AM
EVERYBODY STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!!!
Before you go running out to wallyworld to buy a castnet, there are a few things you need to think about.
Those monofilament castnets will work, but they are about 1/2 a click above disposable. They will snag and tear to shreads on anything at all, and then they are next to impossable to repair or use.
The best option for a castnet is to buy a good quality nylon castnet. You will not find them at walmart, but they are well worth the few extra dollars they cost. For packing in a BOB, a 3 or 4 foot radius (6 or 8 foot diameter when open) should do well. A nylon net will withstand much more abuse, and last an average of 30 times longer (that $30.00 mono net getting a bit costly, LOL).
In a survival situation, you do not want your gear to be distroyed the first time you use it.
For those who have time on their hands, you can even make your own castnets, but I do not reccomend it for most people.
It's funny this came up on here, because I have started makeing one for myself a couple days ago. It's going to take about a few weeks at my pace to finish it, but a good netmaker with plenty time could do it in a week. If anyone is interested, send me a PM, and I will let you know where to get the info on how to make nets, patterns for castnets and even a link to see my progress on mine.

RunsWithDeer
03-12-2009, 06:51 AM
I agree, buy a good castnet, not the cheapie monofilament ones. They work well for catching baitfish, we use them off the pier to get bait for trout and salmon in lake Michigan.

edit: most cast nets are monofilament, get one with heavier line, Fitec pro-series are good.

Rick
03-12-2009, 07:58 AM
Catfish,

Can you post a link of the type of net you are talking about. I've looked through a lot of web sites featuring nylon cast nets but they don't look a lot different than the monos to me (both look cheap) and the cost is not that much different.

If you can give me an example at least I'll know what to look for and the approximate price to pay.

Thanks for the info!!

crashdive123
03-12-2009, 12:44 PM
Here are a couple of links that may help.

http://www.fishing-catalog.com/leefisher/info.htm

http://www.castnetworld.com/bettscastnets.html

SARKY
03-12-2009, 05:31 PM
I've been intrigued with this post ever since it first appeared. I think it's a great idea so I've tried to research it a bit. Unfortunately, I'm confused about which is better; gill nets or cast nets. So I'm looking for someone that knows a bit about each. I've never used either one. From what I can tell cast nets are pretty effective and can produce results rather quickly. But they are heavy and you have a learning curve on how to use them. Gil nets, on the other hand, are very light weight and easy to use but can become tangled very easily if used in flowing or choppy water. Which is the best? Thanks!

If you have flowing water, ie a stream or tidal flow a gill net works great. If you have still waters, ie a lake or ocean or pond a cast net is the better choice.

catfish10101
03-12-2009, 11:17 PM
Here you go Rick
http://www.justforfishing.com/browse.cfm/4,4799.html
Take a piece of mono netting and give it a pull, you can rip it with your hands!!! Next, try it with nylon netting, but don't hurt yourself!!! LOL.
Here is a pic of my progress so far, I am guessing that I have about 8 hours total in it. I just started row 11.

Rick
03-13-2009, 07:47 AM
Thanks to you and Crash for the links! That looks great. I know the pattern is probably pretty simple and straight forward albeit time consuming. But you sure make it look like a work of art!

crashdive123
03-13-2009, 07:50 AM
....and it looks like Bud is a requirement to assist in the work. Nice job Catfish.

Dennis K.
03-13-2009, 11:55 AM
I'm glad you guys chimed in on the weight. A net in you pack is fairly heavy.
The monofilament ones aren't the best. But, that's all I've ever used. They do the job and are better than nothing.
Part of castnetting is learning where to throw & where not to throw.
A bunch of submerged rocks? A monofiliment will snag. Same with a really nice expensive one.

In general, I think they would be a great addition to any survival kit or cache in coastal areas.

Also, in general, they can not be used in freshwater - only saltwater - due to fish & game laws.

Rick
03-13-2009, 02:20 PM
You can use cast nets in Indiana for bait fish. The law states, "Cast nets cannot be used to catch sport fish."

RunsWithDeer
03-13-2009, 04:18 PM
You can use cast nets in Indiana for bait fish. The law states, "Cast nets cannot be used to catch sport fish."

Same in Michigan, can't use any type of net to take game fish. Except, the Native Americans can use nets for Whitefish.

catfish10101
03-14-2009, 12:38 AM
Thanks Crash. The Bud offers a bit of anastasia so you don't realize how sore your hands are getting from pulling on that twine. :drunk: .
Rick, the pattern is really simple, it's just hard to keep track of where you are since it takes so long to complete. It actually gets harder to keep track as you get further in to it because every third row you add wideners and that adds to the number of knots between wideners. In the end (depending on how big you make it), there could be as many as 30 knots between wideners, and all the wideners have to line up with each other. It's "knot" for the weak minded. :lol: (please tell me I didn't go there!!!!)
It is a work of art, unfourtunatly, a dyeing art. There are so few people who can actually make their own nets (even a simple dipnet) and most of those are old watermen from the coast. Less and less of our young are interested in learning these types of things that in a couple generations, there may be none left. You would not believe how hard it was to find a castnet pattern (I had to buy a second edition book that was first published in the 60's. I have done extensive research on the internet and have found very little about netmaking in general and nothing actually telling you how to make an actual net.

Durtyoleman
01-28-2010, 10:41 PM
Did you get a castnet Rick? I've used them for many years to catch mullet, shrimp and blue crabs, shiners for bass fishing, Pin fish for snook trout and redfish, ect. The smaller ones are swift to master but for bigger fish a six foot net isn't gonna do much unless you use it for bait and fish with the bait. As to the weight, I keep mine with my regular tackle, not in my bob, for the bob I'd go with a small dip net for bait and a gill net.

D.O.M.

Rick
01-29-2010, 12:06 AM
I did not get one. Oddly enough, I was looking at them again in December. There are a lot of options between opening size, weight size, etc. And some of them are a might pricey, too. Catfish said to stay away from the mono nets but it seems like most of the nets out there are either mono or way too expensive. I just thought a cast net would be an excellent addition to the BOB.

Durtyoleman
01-29-2010, 12:16 AM
Perhaps I'm the odd man out. I use the cheap mono from wallyworld and toss em after a couple years when they get too torn up but the current one I have is three years old and I might get another season out of it if lucky. I just try to avoid snags when throwin'...lol If you are interested you might want to try a cheap one for practice then move up to the nylon. I stick with the cheap ones cause I know even nylon can snag and I'd rather buy another cheap one than spend time fixin' the other.
Either way they are great bait nets and once you work your way up to the larger sizes...good food nets.

D.O.M.

Rick
01-29-2010, 08:43 AM
I've looked at gill nets as well. I guess the advantage to the gill net is the ability to use it on land. Anything that helps gather food in a long term emergency would be a good thing. Thanks!!

Here's a link for anyone interested:

http://www.bestglide.com/deluxe_gill_net.html

Batch
01-30-2010, 03:43 PM
Here you can catch supper in one cast most of the time. Talapia school up on corners one cast brings in a net full.

I have used the cheap ones and the better ones and I have had one of the cheap one wrecked bad enough it wasn't worth repairing. Some odd shaped rock in the water with mussel shell on it or something. Ripped the hell out of that net. Other than that I wouldn't spend the extra money myself because they all get hung up. Though our cheap ones probably missed a shiner or two because a piece of mono was shorter here or there. No big deal as there was usually plenty.

We use them for shiners, shad and mullet mainly. In the ocean we use cast nets or sabiki rigs to catch bait.

2dumb2kwit
01-30-2010, 04:13 PM
I've looked at gill nets as well. I guess the advantage to the gill net is the ability to use it on land. Anything that helps gather food in a long term emergency would be a good thing. Thanks!!

Here's a link for anyone interested:

http://www.bestglide.com/deluxe_gill_net.html

Hey Rick...the next time you're in wal-mart, go to the camping section, and check out those $10 or $11 net hammocks. If you take the sticks out of them, they roll up pretty small and light. They could be used as a hammock, or cut in half to make the seats for 2 of those 3 legged camp chairs, or they could be used as a net to catch stuff, or hang stuff up off the ground, etc., etc..

I bet if you used one of them and some para-cord, we could make a whole thread on thing's that could be made.:innocent:

Rick
01-30-2010, 04:34 PM
I guess the bottom line is if you are going to do ocean fishing where water is at some depth and you expect to do it often then a good quality cast net is probable well worth the cost. If, however, you intend to fish lakes, ponds and streams where snags can be all too common then an entry level or less expensive cast net would work well. Would that be a true assumption?

For a survival situation, would it really matter whether or not it's high quality? On the one hand, you can probably gather fish with a Walmart net. On the other hand you stand the risk of snagging and tearing a $300 net and still not have any food. Again, true?

Rick
01-30-2010, 05:04 PM
Would you please get a skyhook for that poor bear? Personally, I think he's been into the fermented blueberries.

smittysurvival
01-30-2010, 07:15 PM
" Cast nets cannot be used to catch sport fish."

its illegal in all states to catch game fish with a castnet. i dont advise it at all. we have gotten in trouble becaus we didnst through back bass right away

crashdive123
01-30-2010, 07:16 PM
" Cast nets cannot be used to catch sport fish."

its illegal in all states to catch game fish with a castnet. i dont advise it at all. we have gotten in trouble becaus we didnst through back bass right away

In a survival situation it wouldn't matter. And if the game warden came upon you using one, at least you could follow them out.

Rick
01-30-2010, 08:23 PM
we have gotten in trouble becaus we didnst through back bass right away

Well, yeah. But you were eating them, too.

Rick
01-31-2010, 08:58 AM
You da man!!!! There's is nothing better to these eyes than seeing an injured animal rehabilitate and released into the wild. Thank you!!!!!! (although the current one is pretty funny)

smittysurvival
01-31-2010, 07:42 PM
no we didnt eat them. we were putting the shad in the buckets so they would die right away and we didnt throw the bass back right away.

Ted
01-31-2010, 08:17 PM
I just had a brainstorm here fellers! In a survival situation only mind you, I bet you could use your nets as bird traps. I know I've read if you take a wad of discarded mono and stake it around and even in a bird nest,and the birds feet will get entangled and there easy pick'ins. So I figure you could stake out your net, bait it accordingly to what you want, and walla fowl for supper!

crashdive123
02-01-2010, 08:29 AM
Oh great! Now everybody is going to wonder what happened to that poor polar bear that was having some difficulties.

Rick
02-01-2010, 11:36 AM
Or why the new bear only has three legs.

Rick
02-01-2010, 11:38 AM
Hey, Ted.


No water… no problem, our emergency gill net is strong enough so that it can be used as a snare or trap for rabbits, partridge, pheasants and other small game.

Great minds and all that.

gordy
03-20-2011, 05:05 PM
But from what I read they weigh in around 5lbs. That's a haul for a survival kit or to carry with you in a pack. And they look pretty bulky, too. Am I wrong?

Just get a six foot monofilament cast net, it's all you need. It's lighter but it will catch all the fish you can eat.

I have filled my net full of fish in one cast, and fed myself and others for days on one cast.

A 50 foot drag net will bring in heaps of fish, but it's a lot heavier and bulkier than a cast net.