The preferred recreational cast net used for the bunker should have a mesh size of 1 inch and a radius of 4 or 5 feet (or a gap of 8 to 10 feet when opened). Yes, there are those who can throw a mesh net with a radius of 7 feet, 2 inches, but this article is really not for experts. Smaller mesh cast nets with a radius of 3 feet and 1/2 inch are easier to cast, but do not sink at a speed fast enough to systematically catch a bunch of bunkers. The sunken net makes you and your boat wet and dirty. Wearing commercial weather equipment will help, but the boat will still be a mess, so be prepared. The gillnets used for bunkers are pretty much the same, regardless of their size. They are officially called „floating gillnets“ because they hang like a floating wall on the surface of the water, with a floating line along the top of the net and a „lead line“ along the bottom of the net. The net is usually made of monofilament and is sized according to the maximum extent of the holes in the net. An appropriate size for mesh menus is three inches. To make the most of the 200 square feet allowed, most Massachusetts gillnets use a net that is 25 feet long and 8 feet deep.
The only reg that applies is the state, which limits networks to personal use to 250 square feet. Before, it was 200 square meters, but I think they changed it. Pi times the radius square will tell you how big a cast net you can have. A 9-foot cast net has an area of 254 square feet. Just a hair. I`m new here and wanted to know if we could use gillnets in New Jersey to catch bunkers and smaller fish that would be used as bait? I have looked at all the salt water regulations and it does not say that we cannot do that. If we are allowed, what size of net is acceptable to use? I appreciate your help. Thank you! (5) Exception.
(a) cast netting. A person may use an ejected net for the purpose of removing bait without special permission. (b) small bait net. A person may use, without special authorization, a small net of not more than 250 square feet in the coastal waters listed in section 322 CMR 4.02 (2) or in an estuary, bay, salt pond, tidal current, river or other similar coastal waters solely for the purpose of obtaining baitfish for personal use, provided that all other legal requirements are met. 9 With the exception of species listed on the state and federal government list in the „Possession is illegal for“ section under the table above, licensed fishers may take bait for their personal use at any time and in any lawful manner. These methods include a rectangular net that does not exceed the area of the net of 36 square feet, a circular or annular net not more than six feet in diameter, or a fish trap with openings not exceeding one inch. Nets intended to catch fish by their gills may not be used. For personal use as bait, dead or alive, licensed fishermen are only allowed to take these species: by far the most popular method of catching bunkers is capture. This is a relatively simple method where a fisherman throws a weighted three hooks and quickly passes it through the water using unpredictable jolts from the stem to catch a bunker.
Obviously, this is the most cost-effective method, as it only requires the addition of two hooks to each rod or reel you already own and hardly takes up any extra space on the boat. Although the scarcity of the bunker in recent years has made it more difficult to find hooks, the last two years have brought the hooks back as a staple on or within reach of the counter of almost every fishing shop in the area. The next step in bunker harvesting is the most difficult method to master. In the throwing net, a circular net is thrown that spreads as it flies through the air, sinks over a school of baitfish, and is then closed and retrieved by the thrower. Cast net bunkers may be the best overall method, but it`s not easy unless the schools are very thick. This year, they were abundantly thick and cast nets fly off the shelves of the stores that carry them. There are many videos and tutorials for anglers to learn how to use a casting net, and I highly recommend each of them. Invest your time and you will reap the benefits. This article would not be complete if I did not include some information about the main disadvantage of the recreational branch network. You need to be ready and ready to deal with bycatch.
Gillnets catch anything that floats in the net and can squeeze their heads or get tangled in the net. In my many years as a recreational gillnet, I have had all kinds of bycatch, including sea herring, butterflyfish, spiny dogfish, all kinds of crabs, lobsters, garbage, weak fish, bluefish and, yes, striped bass. Now it bothers me when I have to free a schoolboy from a gillnet. Most of the time they are not hurt beyond a few scratches, but there have been times for me and there will be times for you when one of them will be so hurt. You can take steps to minimize bycatch by limiting the time you spend on gillnet, learning the waters you`re in, and understanding where the fish is in different conditions. If throwing nets are difficult to learn, are very wet and dirty the boat, why should you consider it a method? The answer is simple; It`s much more effective than getting stuck. Cast nets have the ability to take 30 or more bunkers in a single throw, although in most cases half a dozen adults are on average. They also cover a lot more water in less time when used properly, and this is essential when schools are thinned later in the summer. Cast iron nets are also much softer for the quarry. Any excess bunker or accidentally caught fish can be released unharmed.
And casting nets produces uninjury-free bait that is more likely to survive in your well of life. So here`s my question. How big can a throw net be? There is a bit of uncertainty about the regulations when it comes to cast net menhads, but as long as you release something you catch other than menhads, you have to abide by the law. Of course, regulations can change, so check with the authorities before throwing your first net. If you take photos regularly, invest in a box of 4/0 unweighted heights. Sometimes you need to keep the heights right on the surface, and the weight of a large top is perfect for throwing with a spinning rod and staying on top. This can save the day when fish swim directly to the surface. It can also help put a big split blow or a rubber core pushed a foot or two in front of the carefree heights. An essential accessory for the suspension is a hook sharpener. The difference between many bumps when running a treble through a bunker school and capturing one by one is entirely suspended at the tip of your hooks, so keep them as sharp as possible.