Best fish species to Cast Net in Florida, Legally

Let's go over some good TARGET species for your Cast Net Sniper net 🤙

1.) Mullet; This is the primary fish species that net fisherman target in Florida. It comes in 2 varieties "Striped Mullet" and "White Mullet". The bigger of the two are the striped, sometimes called the black mullet. If you are lucky, you will catch a few of the less common varieties such as "The Redeye Mullet" or the "Fantail Mullet". These often live in backwaters and estuary's.

Mullet are fantastic table fare! The famous smoked Mullet fish dip is a Florida icon. I have personally never tried this recipe, but it sounds delicious

2.) Redfish; The trophy for a net fisherman! These fish hunt on the outside of the bait and are sometimes visible from the surface. Lay that net out in a big circle over the top of the fish and watch it get trapped 🤙 These fish are delicious and are a HUGE win when one of these bad boys get trapped in there.

2.) Black or Red Drum; I caught this fish on one of my videos and had no idea it was legal to keep, so I mistakenly threw it back Lol. This fish is known to be delicious and can grow to be quite large. They hide out in oyster reefs and other places where structure is present, so this fish is hard on your net! When chasing this species, bring your net repair needle and thread because you will be repairing your webbing periodically throughout the day

3.) Sheepshead; This fish is a Florida icon! It is one of the most sought after fish from fisherman who fish off piers for dinner. Where you catch one Sheepshead in the net, you will catch many! Just like black and red drum, they hold up in places with structure. Make sure the fish is of legal size and throw your net until you have enough for a family feast! Remember, these fish are notorious for having small filets, so you need more fish than you think 🤙

4.) Sandperch; These fish are small, but still get caught in my 2.5" mesh Sniper nets! Don't throw them away, they are tasty little fish when fried in oil. You can get enough of these in a few casts if you hit the entire school of fish.

5.) Tilapia; This is quickly becoming one of the most sought after freshwater fish in our local Florida ponds and lakes! My Cast Net Sniper nets are the best in the market for Tilapia 🤙 Tilapia have a fantastic ability to stay clean and have edible filets of meat, even in the muddiest pond or dirtiest lake. This is due to their diet and ability to remove toxins from their body naturally. Since the Tilapia never eat a lure, the only way to catch this species is with a net. I have NEVER seen Tilapia bigger than the ones swimming around in our local lakes in central Florida and the state of FL needs your help to remove as many as possible. Batter and throw them directly into the oven for a delicious Tilapia dinner 🍽

6.) Pompano and Jacks; Chaseing down this species with a net is incredibly fun! Throw that net off drop offs, cement walls, or even in the surf. When you feel a massive slam in the webbing, you know you got something good! Unfortunately here in FL, you never know If the fish is edible until you filet the fish. They tend to be susceptible to parasites and some have them, most don't.

Advise: When targeting any of these fish species, you will have much better success with a net meant for big fish. My first choice is a Bottom Bag cast net for big fish. This net has no moving parts, opens beautifully, and is fast to load and re-throw.

When targeting big fish, you must learn how to repair the net after damage occurs. When throwing near structure, docks or cement breakwaters, small tears are inevitable, but not a huge worry. I typically leave small tears until the end of the day, but fix bigger tears or issues throughout the day. When targeting sheepshead, you will defiantly need to bring your net needle and some monofilament line. When targeting mullet, you rarely ever rip the net because you are typically throwing on sand bottom.

Never throw directly on the whole school of mullet, I watched a guy do that once and he was picking mullet out of his net for a very long time Lol. 1 or 2 mullet per cast is plenty for a recreational fisherman, commercial fisherman are the only ones trying to fill a cooler by weight.

Net fishing is all about enjoyment, never forget this! Never bring a net with you that you that is not fun to throw. Since we are net fishing all day long, we also obviously don't abide by the "one and done" mentality. A few fish/ cast is perfect 🤙 Pick a target Species and go after them.

A homerun cast throw is like this; A perfect circle throw and capturing the exact fish you were throwing at. Once you master this, you will be one of the best net fisherman out there!