How to throw a cast net.

[wingtime]

I have never been able to toss a cast net worth a darn.  You always see those guys that can toss a perfectly round throw every time with little effort.  Well a gentleman I bought a prop off of last week turned me onto this web site with a how to video.  http://www.calusa.com/welcome-to-the-calusa-trading-company.html   I just came in from practicing in the front yard and I can tell you the technique works!     Give it a try!

[feeling2damgood]

not to make you feel bad but my grandfather could throw a 12ft. cast net from a pirouge(canoe).
my dad could throw a 10ft. out of a pirouge.
i could throw a 4ft. out of a boat, perfect everytime at 10 yrs old.
now i can throw a 10ft. from the bank cant pull it off in a boat went over once and wont do it again.
i think its part of being raised as a cajun, like getting a gun for your 8th birthday.
yeah kids with guns          

[John Jones]

Yep.  I learned how from the Calusa video.  I'm no pro but I get the job done.  I have a friend that grew up netting mullet with his dad.  He can throw a 12' perfectly every time and get more distance than I ever thought about.

[feeling2damgood]

yea my grandfather would have it over his arm, in his mouth,and two weights in his nose(not really but close) lol.
i could never figure it out had to come up with my own way of doing it. everyone has to figure out what works for them. i have seen them thrown about a million ways it just finding what works for you and it sounds like i got it.

do you throw poly or nylon. i find they both throw different. i prefer nylon just cause thats what i grew up on.

[John Jones]

I thought you Cajun boys just skipped the nets and went straight to dynamite.  

All I have ever thrown is regular monofilament nets.

[feeling2damgood]

i have a couple of fish sticks hanging around somewere(quarter stick)
i have a nylon but after its wet it gets heavy and hard to throw so i have a poly in back up.

[wingtime]

Right now I just have what I would imagine is a monofilament cast net.  I wasn't going to spend big $$$ on something I probably couldn't throw worth a crap anyways.  I practiced the Calusa technique some more before the sun went down and it works pretty well.  at least now I will have some sort of a chance to catch some bait without looking like too much of an idiot!

[John Jones]

I find that I throw much better in the yard than I do from a boat.  Still trying to figure that out.

Every year they have a thing on Terra Ceia Island called Mullet Smoke Off.  One of the competitions is a Mullet  Toss.  Yes, they actually throw dead mullet.  They also have a cast net competition.  There are some pre-teen kids there that will put most men to shame.

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/site ... mullet.htm

[feeling2damgood]

my grandmother at one time before all the medical problems would make them by hand in the livingroom. the last one i had that she made lasted me 7 years before it got it hung on pipeline and lost it. the best cast nets are made by hand by lil old cajun ladies on front porches in south louisiana.

[gran398]

feelin' you're right about old ladies making nets. We are the only state left where gill nets are legal   and the older ladies still hang the best. They have a hundred and fifty yards of creosote posts every fifteen yards in a straight line,  and use them to hang the mono...lead on the bottom, floats on the top. Most are 100 yards, and used to catch spots two weeks every fall. Some still make "striking" nets for flounder....usually 50 yards long, big mesh...set the net across a creek mouth or  small bay mouth....then go inside the creek and "strike"....beat the water with a paddle, scaring the fish out of the creek and into the net. Not sporting. But effective for the commercial guys.

Cast netting practice, realistic environment......Throw off the top of a picnic table. Set some frisbees out....long, short, left, right. When you can load and throw with your eyes shut...you're good to go.

[RickK]

I find that I throw much better in the yard than I do from a boat.  Still trying to figure that out.

me too  

[feeling2damgood]

i find on top of a post at sunset on a beach is the best way to practice with a lil old chinese man sitting next to you catching flys with a set of chopsticks.lol  
i was told by a old cajun man that if you watch the water and forget that you are standing with your feet half off the edge of the boat that you can throw like you are in the yard. now i stand on the bow without fear

[John Jones]

i was told by a old cajun man that if you watch the water and forget that you are standing with your feet half off the edge of the boat that you can throw like you are in the yard.

and my old clumsy ass would be swimming most of the time.

[rodman]

see you are practicing in the front yard .
it is not a good thing to do .
it best to practice from the boat or from high ground .
i used to practice standing on a bucket, it gave me the same feeling as being on a boat.
note ,   i fell on my a-- several times.
i throw a 14' custom made.

[gran398]

Throwing a cast net is like riding a bike...once you learn, its easy.
 
Makes no difference the size of the net. Its all technique. Not strength or athleticism.

Instructional videos are great...but best to have an expert instruct you. Hand placement is everything...similar to learning a proper golf swing.