live shad/net

[montananinnv]

my girlfriend bought me a cast net for shad/minnows for christmas. I have watched a few guys do it at the lake but have never thrown one myself. Any pointers? and also how do you guys recommend fishing them from shore or a inflatable raft when it gets a little warmer? hook them through the lips or tail or top of the back? jig them or just let them wiggle off the bottom themselves? thanks
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[TheWhizzle]

Well, its getting a little late in the season for a cast net, but when the shad start schooling shallow in the summer, you'll be ready for em...

Start by takin that net out and throwing it a hundred times, just for practice. Those things take a little practice to master, but once you get it, it's cake. And you can throw it from shore- I dont know how easy it would be to toss a net standing up in an inflatable.

Here's a link to a hilarious video giving you an idea of how to throw.
I never used my teeth, but everyone throws a little different.

[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qABN0yStJe4&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qABN0yStJe4&feature=related[/url]

As far as fishing with live shad, I like to hook em right behind the dorsal fin, but not too deep into the back, or you can kill em.

The absolute best way to fish with live shad, in my opinion, is to fly-line em. Take a light-weight size 1 or 1/0 hook, depending on the size of the shad, and toss em out with no weights, no swivels, no hardware at all. You have to use a light setup to cast properly, but a weightless shad can kill just about everything that swims at the lake.
If the fish are holding deep though, a carolina rig will send them to the depths nicely.

You can hook them through the lips if you want to slow troll em. You have to pin their lips shut, or you will drown them. Always use a swivel or you may end up with some nasty line twist.
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[iamthesmf]

Also check the regs at NDOW for net sizes. I think 3ft is the max. I got a 3ft one at bass pro and it was actually a little bigger more like 3'-1". This will get you a ticket if the ranger checks.
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[lvrider]

I believe I recall reading a statement very similar to yours in the past. Some one also corrected it by explaining that the 3ft 1in means it is 3 feet wide/diameter and the 1inch part refers to how large the holes of the net are. Any one can correct me if I am wrong but this only what I interpreted from a previous post.

Happy fishing and Happy New Years to every one
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[jebusmc]

As of March 1 2010 the legal net size increases to 4 feet in radius.
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[Chris_S]

Does anyone have recommended locations for netting shad from shore on Lake Mead during March?
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