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Those of you that have fished with me on the shallows of the
Middle Peninsula know the importance of small “peanut” bunker to
the fishery. These juvenile menhaden serve as the lifeblood for
the bay’s game fish. Their oily, high protein composition
provide a healthy diet for striped bass, speckled trout, redfish
and just about any other species that we target on fly and light
tackle. This fishing tutorial will focus on choosing a cast net
to catch these game fish candies.
It is my ritual to cast net a
load peanut bunker for each trip and store them in my boat’s
three massive livewells. As I approach likely fishing holding
areas, I toss out a few handfuls of baitfish. They will swim
around and if predatory fish are present we will see pops and
swirls on the surface where the game fish inhale the bunker.
For this reason, I call the juvenile menhaden my shallow water
“fish finders.”
What the bunker allow me to do is quickly
determine if fish are in the area. If there are no signs of
life, I know that it is time to move on to a new spot. Once
located, my anglers cast to the busting fish. This can be an
extremely exciting and visual form of fishing!
With this
technique, I can ensure that my anglers are casting to fish
instead of blindly casting to empty water. It allows me to
consistently produce fish when other boats are riding the
skunk.
In order to catch juvenile menhaden, a cast net is a
must. I recommend a quality cast net because when it comes to
nets, you get what you pay for. I like the Fitec Super Spreader
nets. A cheap net will have a poor weave and construction that
will prevent it from fully opening. A quality net will open to
its full diameter.
When deciding to purchase a net you want to
take three factors into consideration – radius, mesh size, and
weight per foot. In order to maximize fishing time, I like
using a large 9 or 10 radius net to load up the livewells in one
cast. Using the formula for area of a circle (A= pi r
2 ), you will find that the coverage of a 10ft radius net
is over twice that of a 7ft radius net. This means more than
twice the catch of bunker for a single cast.
Many people are
intimidated by large nets, but I find them easier to cast than
smaller ones. I recommend that if you are looking to purchase
your first net, choose one with a minimum radius of 6ft.
Go smaller than 6ft radius and the bunker will find it easy to swim
out from under the net before it closes.
Mesh size is another
deciding factor when choosing a net. The most common mesh size
is 3/8” but this size will often gill smaller menhaden. I
recommend a ¼”mesh if you are to have only one net. I generally
carry two nets on the boat – a 3/16” mesh and a 3/8” mesh.
Lastly, the amount of lead weight the net has will influence
your catch. Too little weight and the net will not sink fast
enough to surround the baitfish. You’ll want 1 to 1.5lb of lead
per radius foot. Once you purchase a net, it’s time to get in
the yard and start practicing!
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