How many of you buy live minnows versus cast netting for them yourself? I want to start crappie fishing but don't feel like trying to buy live minnows.

I never buy minnows, but they get harder to find in the winter time, right now I’m gonna bet they’re still easy to find. Wild minnows you catch yourself are going to significantly outproduce anything you buy at a store that lives in a bait tank. Red shiners, wild golden shiners, spot tail shiners, baby bluegill/sunfish are some of the different types of live baits you’ll find while cast-netting for minnows and they all work phenomenally for all species of predator fish, wild baits are livelier, have the right scent, and most of all they’re free, is minus the initial investment of a cast net. Basically any small fish under about 3-4” that you catch in your net that is legal to use as bait is going to be a really good bait. It takes me less time to get minnows in a creek than it does to go to the bait shop. My recommendation is to use a 3/16” mesh cast net (1/4” will work but you gill a lot of baits) and I like a 6’ one. The best spots are going to be shallow areas with flowing water in creeks and boat ramps.

Minnows are not allowed on my boat….kinda a joke, but not really

1/32 sickle hook jig, 2” slab slayer (minnow color) and Berkeley Chartreuse nibble
Works for me when nothing else will…regardless of depth. Painfully slow to fish in deeper
Water. My back up is 1/16 jig in whatever color looks appealing.

With all due respect, the op did not ask if you use an alternative to minnows. I like jigs as much as anyone, and I use them 90% of the time when fishing on the main lake. Minnows are absolutely awesome baits for springtime and for finicky bites or ultra clear water, in fact I use them almost exclusively in the spring and when fishing rivers. I don’t think it’s fair to hit someone with the “use jigs” comment when they ask about specifically about how to obtain there bait. Sorry for the rant, but it seems all to prevalent when any mention of minnows hit the scene here.

McKinney. Can you share a link or reference to the cast net you use. I can't seem to find any 3/16 6' out there and I'd like to take a shot at what you're doing. That actually sounds like a good time to catch my own bait. Thanks so much!

If I remember right fitec and bait buster make one. I like a 6’ simply because you’re in tight quarters in creeks at times, but a 7’ would work just fine. They’re not cheap because they are a specialty mesh, but you don’t tear them up like you do a regular net because you’re throwing in shallow gravel riffles most of the time and and just don’t snag as much stuff, and with the price of bait, it still pays for itself rather quickly. Remember 7’ radius is the largest you’re legally allowed to use in texas. If you’re like me and on a spring trip for sandbass or anything else for that matter can easily burn through 20 dozen minnows, its worth it.

Here's one and they are mighty proud of it!
https://castnetshop.com/collections...preader-cast-net-11660-6-ft-3-16-sq-mesh

Excellent! Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

Might try Amazon or Ebay .They have a selection of Casting nets ranging from 6' -10' Radius. I saw a Fitec 3/16" ,6' for $142. just like Mckinney mentioned i`m jus sayin

Glad I could help, it’s somewhat of a rewarding feeling, and I’m serious when I say you’ll be amazed how much better they work than a store bought golden shiner, my guess is mostly due to scent. Comes in handy when there isn’t a bait shop for miles. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked where I got my minnows in places where there simply are no bait shops. Get funny looks when I point to the water in the creek.

I have done some castnetting for minnows and they do work really well and pay for themselves very fast. The main reason I don't do it more often is time. I am already at the bait shop gassing up the boat, truck and getting ice early in the am and so it is easier to go in and grab minnows. If you have the time, you can't go wrong with natural bait

True!

McKinney…I can read just fine. If you think cast netting minnows to go crappie fishing is a simple task your sadly mistaken. Anyone that has spent time doing so…would offer usable advice.

Like buy 2 dozen small minnows as backup. Buy a 1/4 net, anything larger will kill more minnows than it will catch.
Want to catch minnows? Buy a seine net. Want to catch minnows in the river? Seine down stream.
If I had to catch bait on a lake..I would start throwing a net around and on boat ramps or sandy bottoms.

Want to cut a few corners? Go a cheaper route? Buy a handful or jigs and learn to use them.

I plan on using jigs, but there are times when minnows outfish jigs by a mile. Rather than have to find bait shops and pay for minnows, I was hoping to be able to cast net for them while starting the day on the lake.

I do it many times over, once you get good at it, it’s a trivial task, boat ramps are good or you can hit a local creek the afternoon before.