The Myth about Cast Nets

Myth #1 - Bad for the environment

As an avid cast net fisherman myself, this statement always made no sense. For some reason, during the 70's - 2000's there was a huge campaign to restrict cast nets here in the U.S. It was all based on one HUGE lie, "Cast net fisherman will fish-out our oceans/lakes".

Luckly for the net fisherman, those days are over! The tide has finally turned and those same people who "despised" cast net fishing are being largely ignored by the massive amount of people taking up the sport!

From my experience, fishing in rivers and oceans in Brazil where literally EVERYONE is casting a net, the fish are still very plentiful and, in some cases, the fishing is better there than here. There is no way to explain this phenomenon except acknowledging that cast nets are a perfectly sustainable way of fishing, just like rod and reel fishing.

Myth #2 - Heavier cast nets are better

There is nothing worse than picking up an old bait net and pulling it out of the bucket weighing 15-25 Lbs. If you really pay attention, those nets spend the bulk of their lives in buckets because no-one really likes to throw them.

Leave the heavy nets in the shed and pick out a net that is comfortable, 8-15 lbs max and get your bait (Or skip the bait and throw a net for big fish, Like I do)

Myth #3 - My net opens to X feet!

While it sounds really impressive to have a 20-foot spread with your 10' net, the reality is, this never happens. Your 10' net will often open to around 16-17 feet max and even less on long distance throws. Some people claim to get a full spread, but that requires a throw literally at your feet.

What some people don't realize is the net circumference isn't double the radius of the net. This is because as the webbing opens, the length shrinks. for this reason, often times a net can't physically open to double its radius and this is why your net certainly does not open how big you thought it would 😅

Trust me, the fish don't care about the stats on the net; Length, Height, Weight. The fish only care when that webbing drops past their face 🤙

Myth #4 Cast Nets Kill Fish

It sounds like a joke, but I'm being completely serios here Lol. I recall watching a FWC agent stopping a man who caught many illegal snook in a cast net recently. The wildest thing about this situation was the FWC agent took several snook out of the cooler (Perfectly alive and well) and threw them into the back of his truck saying, "They are going to die, they were caught in a Cast Net". He got roasted in the comment section with hundreds of people saying "Those snook were perfectly fine!" or "Why didn't he release those fish??". This is an example of how little these officers understand about nets that they actually believe that the fish die when they touch the netting.

I could promise you that this Officer would not be able to throw a net past his boots and hopefully he releases those fish in the future because Cast Nets do not harm fish.

I would honestly argue that cast nets are MUCH less harmful to a fish than hooking it in the mouth and fighting the fish to exhaustion. I watched many videos of fish getting hooked in the eye, body, gills and everywhere else. I would win this argument, but in 2025 everything is all backwards, right is wrong, and I don't expect people to think critically anymore.

Myth #5 - Throwing a Cast Net is Easy

Throwing a cast net takes years of training. Anyone who watches an expert cast net fisherman will mistakenly think that it's easy. This is a huge mistake. Once you grab the net and start fumbling through the weights, you will realize that there is so much more that goes into this than you could have imagined. You can jump on YouTube and find a million videos of people showing the "Easiest way to throw a cast net" or "How to throw a cast net for beginners" but these techniques have massive limitations

I recall when I was a beginner walking down a dusty little street in a Brazilian village & the locals all joked with me that my net was terrible and I threw my net backwards (I was throwing forehand). I was laughing along with them, but these guys grew up throwing nets from a young age & watching me throw a net like a beginner American made them laugh a ton 😂. They finally taught me the skills which I use to this very day & I am passing them on to my subscribers.

Getting a net to open might be easy, but REALLY throwing it takes years to master. The only way to learn is to pick the net up and throw it until the skill finally comes to you.

The Final Myth - Net Fishing is for Bait Only

If you see the size of holes in the Cast Net Sniper Nets, you will quickly realize that this net is different. It's not for bait, so what is it for?? The answer is; the Sniper net is for hunting full grown fish.

When I was living in Brazil, nobody cared about catching bait, they wanted fish for frying. I was shocked to see this fishing method. We would drop nets on mullet, Pompano, and rejoice when we landed a nice Snook!! I remember eating Christmas lunch where we wrapped a fresh snook I had netted the day earlier in banana leaves and grilled it over an open fire. It was quite possibly the best fish I have ever eaten in my life. From then on, I was hooked. I never picked up my fishing pole ever again and hunted with my net exclusively. I always had success, whether it was a flounder, redfish, sheepshead or other strange species like gar, catfish, bullhead and even turtles. My nets have been my choice of equipment ever since!

So next time you are heading out on a fishing adventure, pick up your net and leave the pole at home. I GUARENTEE you will have more fun than anyone else out there, and you never know what you will catch next. Grab yourself one of my Cast Net Sniper Nets from www.Castnetsniper.com and hit the water for a great adventure!