Who Uses Casting Nets 2 Catch Live Bait??

[jonnysmith]

.....Does anybody here use or has used a casting net to catch bait fish? and has the the live bait been productive for you?..what bait fish have you gotten? and what quality fish have u hooked with ur live bait?...ive used casting net in fresh n salt water n had awesome results..

[SirSnookalot]

I've caught and used live bait but I really don't care for it too much.  It takes time to hunt the bait down and catch it, I need to carry more equipment with me than I'd like, I fish heavier gear if no other reason than to handle the weight of the lead.  I find it a little boring to be "baiting and waiting", I'd rather be "heaving and retrieving".

On the positive side it's extremely productive, hard to get skunked.  Certain species are very difficult to catch with out live bait, in those cases it's really a must.  I get more of a thrill casting with lighter tackle and artis.  LMB and peacocks are 2 fish that I will never use bait for, snook and cuda once in a while if I'm just standing around and chewing the fat with my homeboys.

[jonnysmith]

some guys consider using casting nets n live baits (cheating)..i really dont care when i go fishing i like 2 catch fish (fast n easy)..

[SirSnookalot]

some guys consider using casting nets n live baits (cheating)..i really dont care when i go fishing i like 2 catch fish (fast n easy)..

I don't think live bait is cheating at all, just not my preferred method.  It can take more effort to find and catch bait sometimes.  What I do find cheating and I know many will disagree, is using a product to enhance the smell of an artificial lure.

[gar-tracker]

I used to do it when I fished salt water a lot, for bait fish in the intercoastl, and Iv seen shiner fisherman do it in the lake.

 

Personally I dont use live bait for bass fishing.

 

Just bait several areas with feed make a circle and go back and they'll be shiners there.

[Hyrule Bass]

sometimes when im night fishing at Smith Mtn Lake i will throw a cast net for bait, usually Alewives. Im not very good at it though, sometimes i get bait, sometimes i scare it away lol. i leave a light on shining in the water to draw in the bait. if i dont bother trying to catch them i figure it will draw in some bigger hungry fish anyways. most ive caught on the alewives are channel and flathead catfish. but alewives are really sensitive and stuff, without a really good bait tank its hard to keep them alive overnight. having a little aerator in the bait bucket isnt enough....

[jonnysmith]

what ive done in the pasted to attract bait fish is,throw a hand full of fish food or even cat food in the water n the bait fish gather around by the dozens.it works awesome..

[basshole8190]

I throw a 7' cast net for threadfin and gizzard shad some times on the lake when the stripers won't hit artificial baits and skip jack herring in some portions of the river but they can be caught on spoons and sebiki rigs

side note last time i threw my net on some bait i caught some blue back herring on my lake where it used to be illegal to posess i guess someone brouggt em down from lanier

[awefvawervwae]

I do on Smith Mountain if I am fishing for Stripers. Live bait will catch stripers hands down better than artificial. As for LM I dont use live bait.

[SirSnookalot]

Live bait update.  I have been consumed with catching peacocks in my local area, just don't care to drive down to Dade.   I located some beautiful peacocks around here yesterday, the conditions could not have been more perfect.  I wasn't the only one there and this person was using live shiners, pulling them up left and right, few nice bass too. He offered to share his bait with me, really nice of him, but I couldn't bring myself use them.  Dropping a bait in the water and waiting a minute or 2 is not my idea of a challenge.  I worked hard and in time I did prevail.  There is a recent thread about lowering standards, live bait and plastic worms is lowering my standards, I don't do either, well maybe a senko a few times a year at most.

[jonnysmith]

i love 2 catch fish period the faster n easier the better,thats y i am a big fan of casting nets/live bait..i saw that too this guy using live bait & catching bass & many other fish left and right,he would squish the bait 2 give it that sick/injured montion in the water..i learned fast i tell you.

[SirSnookalot]

i love 2 catch fish period the faster n easier the better,thats y i am a big fan of casting nets/live bait..i saw that too this guy using live bait & catching bass & many other fish left and right,he would squish the bait 2 give it that sick/injured montion in the water..i learned fast i tell you.

One good method using live bait is too cut one of the fins so it swims differently, squishing a bait may not keep it live for long.

There are times when nothing works but live bait.  I have casted dozens upon dozens of times into busting snook and tarpon only to go strikeless for 45 minutes, the bait moves out and then the artificials start working.

[florida strain]

_{I use a cast net for shiner fishing L.M. Sometimes I get wild shinners ,or chubs, personally I prefer the chubs.}

[bocabasser]

When i fish salt water, I cast net all of my live bait. pilchards and mullet are the baits i net. 

[jonnysmith]

sirsnookalot.that is good idea of cutting a fin off the bait,it does work better then squishing the bait a lil..i have 2 admit with live bait ive never gone ( fish less).if not snook,snappers,jacks or something else but always hook fish...have u gone fishless using live baits???

[SirSnookalot]

sirsnookalot.that is good idea of cutting a fin off the bait,it does work better then squishing the bait a lil..i have 2 admit with live bait ive never gone ( fish less).if not snook,snappers,jacks or something else but always hook fish...have u gone fishless using live baits???

Fishless using live bait?..............sure have and I'm not the only one.  Much of it has to do with targeting a fish in it's "off season", like a snook now.  Fishing for barracuda when the weather and tide isn't right.  When I lived up north targeting muskie, never an easy fish to locate.  Even been fishless using live goggle eyes for sailfish.  No question in mind live bait does out produce but it's still not a 100% guarantee.  I don't use live bait very often, couple of times a year for snook or cuda, I do not consider it serious fishing for me, it's just standing around and shooting the bull with my homeboys.  Bass or peacocks, never use bait, negates my reason for being out there.