What size cast net should I get for using off the beach or bank? I assume that I'll usually be targeting mullet. I probably want the minimum sized net to catch the bait effectively especially if I'm doing quite a bit of walking and something not too hard to throw.

I'll mainly be doing this for catching bait to use on that day or the next (not commercial etc.). I'll mainly be surf fishing the Galveston or Corpus Christi area. Thanks!

A 10 footer sould be good. Buddy throwing one a the jetties at POC. Lots of mullet.

I like to throw the smaller ones like say 5 feet or so and I can usually still get some mullet even with my terrible technique. I dont even know if a 10 footer is legal...

That`s alot of cast net to throw//////..Bill

I use a 3 footer most of the time.if u see a school mullet n hitem ull get a dozen or so at a time. N theyre cheap: u can buy a couple in case of hang ups.

The biggest one you can control. Its no good to go big, if you cant open it up. Unless, you use them a lot and practice, a 5-6 footer should be good and more productive. Also, I keep a four footer in case mullet are deeper and I have to wade out further to catch them. Hard to throw a big one in waves.

Yep go with a smaller one, the big ones are hard to open up for beginners. I learned the hard way and wasted $35
Good luck!

It's a waste to start on a small one. I throw a 6' for shad for catfish. I had never thrown a net before, watched some YouTube videos, found a technique I liked, learned to throw perfect circles in about 30 minutes. Nets up to 7' are legal in Texas. A 10' will get you a ticket . Get a big net, practice in your back yard. It's easy.

Like it was said above, get a small (3 footer) and get a bigger (6 footer) Start out with learning a technique that works well for you on the small one.....be patient. Once you learn on the small, the large will be much easier to manage. Having both of them is nice being that you will be able to use them in different situations ie: wind, wading, etc.

7' - 3/8 mesh is biggest legal net in Texas

I throw nets daily - and here is a video for you on technique

For mullet on the beach you will be dealing with wind - you might want at least a 1.2# to 1.5# weighted leadline

http://youtu.be/aLLUXzyyV6U

I don't know about 10' cast nets and perhaps I should have been silent. They seem that big to me because I have terrible form. Sorry for the bad info..

i have a 5ft and was wonderin where are good places to catch bait?

I had never been able to throw a net very good until recently. A buddy of mine gave me a super spreader cast net. It is 3/8 mesh, 4.5 ft radius. I can say that it is the easiest net I have ever thrown. Last time I was at San Luis Pass I netted so many shrimp, mullet, shad, piggies, etc, that I was having as much fun throwing the net as I was fishing...

It sounds as if some people are talking radius, and others are talking diameter. Cast nets are measured by their radius. I can make any of them look like a taco.

Pi R Round , cornbread r square,

and castnets are always measure in radius - 7' will "theoretically" give ya a 14' across opening - course some people make tacos outta that.

Anything over 5 ft. gets really hard to throw especially for a beginner. 3 ft seems too small (you don't catch anything). I am not a pro, 4 or 5 ft. seems just right to me.

Also, want to lose a net fast really? Try throwing it in rough surf near a jetty.

Casat nets are measured by radius. The state of texas measures diameter wich means they have to spread the net out on the ground to measure it. Depending on manufacturer and construction(panel or funnel) many 8 foot nets are right at 14 foot diameter.

I've been throwing a 3 foot cast net since I was 10 yrs old...I'm 38 now and a 3 footer is the ticket, Lighter, and IF YOU CAN CAST CORRECTLY,Accurate, I can catch enough bait to fish with, no problems..... anything over 5 foot is too much work for me....Funny about throwing into Jetty Rocks....So many people drive by the best bait holes on their way to Galveston-Freeport.....

Learned that the hard way. Good way to waste $40.

Don't ever try to cast in front of a trolling moter.

Or throw over visible oyster shell as I've done!

I have a 14' radius with 12" ring in middle, ok to throw from dock, but difficult from the boat. Even on dock I have to get a running start.

I am looking at downsizing to 8 foot or even 7

Buck

3 and 1/2 foot, its easier to learn and works great once you know what youre doing

wow, a 14' radius would be a 28footer, that's a beast

For bait for the day I use a small 4 footer. I use a brand called Fling. These are easy to throw and with a smaller net they are easy to carry with you in case you need more bait.
I got my from a place called Beat The Big Box Boys. Google tem, they have a lot of stuff.