Some years ago I acquired a used cast net but never took time to unravel it to explore it’s dimensions or how it was used. While watching various survival programs I noticed how significant a cast net can be for survival by catching fish for bait or for consuption. So I decided to learn more and began to look up videos on-line and discovered that there are as many ways to throw one as there are people who demonstrated them.

After viewing many videos I learned about the parts of a cast net that include the hand line, swivel, horn, braille lines, netting, and lead line with weights. Gathering the net to throw is called “loading” and is basically held by the throwing arm or by the opposite arm from which to spool off. Many of the demos used eight and ten foot radius nets whereas my cast net has a five foot radius but the approaches for each are basically the same. In the past many folks used their teeth to hold part of the bottom lead line but there are newer approaches that eliminate that method.

After many throws I couldn’t get the net to open properly and so went back to the videos to look for the details of loading it up. The break-through came when I met a fellow who had casting experience and mentioned that the net is not thrown level but slightly upward, about thirty degrees, and that did the trick for me. Having a mentor can make a significant difference.

As of this writing I haven’t settled on a favorite method but I am an advocate of learning more than one way thus giving options for differing net sizes or casting situations. Here are two links by “Fisherman Alex” and “Salt Strong” that I have found helpful. I would be glad to receive comments from experienced net casting enthusiasts on their favorite method.

In my pursuit of primitive and survival skills I have watched numerous survival reality shows and I’ve seen folks chase grasshoppers as a food source unsuccessfully while wasting precious calories in the process. One of the secrets of catching grasshoppers is that in the early morning hours the temperature is lower and thus the grasshoppers are slower. As the day warms up the grasshoppers are faster. This is where a butterfly net will give you a greater advantage over their accelerated evasion techniques.

Most towns these days have a “dollar store” that often have inexpensive nets for sale in the toy section. For a few dollars you can stock up on these “fishing” tools that you can store in your car, boat, or other convenient locations for easy access when spontaneous opportunities for fishing strike.