Practical Boat Owner – June 2019

PRACTICAL

Ideal terrain, a buddy and a fl oat makes

for an enjoyable and safe session

Cast netting: practice makes perfect!

F

ishing can be something

of a waiting game because

most commonly used fi shing

methods are fairly passive. We

drop a pot over the side, or we troll

lures behind the boat. And we wait.

I can be quite impatient (apparently) so,

whenever I can, I prefer to be proactive in

my pursuit of piscine food. The methods

we’re looking at this month are right up

my street. They can be used to specifi cally

target big fi sh, including one species that

many people consider to be uncatchable.

Cast netting

Cast netting is one of the oldest fi shing

methods there is. It's popular all over the

world, but you rarely see it used in the UK.

A cast net is a simple concept. The net is

disc shaped and has a line that runs from

the centre of the disc to your hand. The

rim of the disc is weighted with small lead

sinkers. To use the net, you bunch it up

with the weighted rim hanging in front of

you and hurl it into the water with a

curved, sweeping and (hopefully) elegant

motion – imagine you're throwing an

enormous and heavy frisbee. The net

opens in mid-air and lands on top of the

fi sh, the sinkers quickly cause it to sink

and the fi sh is enveloped in the mesh. You

haul in the net. Sounds simple, and it is.

Cast nets come in many different sizes.

I’ve seen small children in Asia throwing

7m diameter nets with ease; done

correctly it’s a thing of beauty – but I’d

advise a 3m model if you’re to avoid a lot

of initial frustration! An hour of practice in

the garden and you’ll be throwing like a

pro. I’ve never seen one in a UK store, so

buy online.

The prize? The big mullet (allegedly

uncatchable) you often see cruising the

shallows drive fi shermen crazy because

they rarely take a bait, but with a cast net

they’re easy prey from the foredeck or

tender. If you hang a mesh bag of mashed

bread over the side, there’ll be mullet

galore in a few minutes. Some people say

don’t eat them because they feed in

marinas and so on, but target them in

more open water and there’s no problem.

Cook them as you would a bass, and

you’ll be glad you put in the effort.

Spearfi shing

This is my favourite activity, but It’s

interesting how something ordinary in one

culture is completely alien in another.

Spearfi shing is a well-established, if niche,

sport in many countries and most

chandleries abroad have a section

dedicated to it and other fi shing methods.

Yet, when I tell friends I’m going

spearfi shing, they assume I’m off on

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Spearfi shing

and cast netting

Tired of sitting around? Huw Williams explains the

more active ways you can go fi shing from your yacht