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If anyones interested I just found a site at www.nt.gov.au/dpif/pubcat/agnotes/12.htm ....a gov web site! which shows one simple method of throwing, havent tried it yet but it even describes my type of net without the brails (draw strings). If you can catch prawns you should be able to catch sand eels, its just finding a net with a small enough mesh

Dan

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Originally posted by Dan:

If you can catch prawns you should be able to catch sand eels, its just finding a net with a small enough mesh

Dan

Not true I'm afraid. The combination of mesh size, thread thickness and weights on the net rim determine the drop speed in the water (see, I'm an expert now even though I can't throw it very well yet!!). Unless you put half a ton of weight on the net, meshes small enough to catch a sand eel will simply slow the net down to a point where the fish below it see it coming and swim away. If you want to catch larger fish which have a corresponding faster swim speed you have to increase the mesh size to make it both throwable by the average human, and drop fast enough to ensnare a fish. The shrimp referred to in cast net sites are the monster USA prawns that are about the size of a scampi and easily caught in a 3/8 inch mesh - which your average sand eel would swim through without even blinking. The smallest cast net mesh size I have come accross is 1/4 inch and are intended for catching minnows in fresh water, and are also a lot smaller in overall diameter.

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Fair doos but the ref to prawns was from the Aussy web site rather than a ref to US shrimps, the pics show a net being thrown from the shore into shallow water. As my net has no draw strings that makes sense, a slow pull across the sand should entrap anything under it in the pocket above the weights.

The question whats the shallowest water sand eels swim in? If they do come in to a couple of feet of water theres a chance they could be caught as weight is then not important but will they bury themselves?

Anyway I recon a live prawn is as good as bait as a sand eel and you can eat whats left

over. We'll have to see what we can catch when the weather warms up! Mind you the whiting come in quite close on our steep shelving beaches like Chesil.

Dan

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Dan.

This months TSF has a question from a guy that collects sand worms off the beach whilst digging for worms?? And they`re alive!

I`ve seen sand eels chased almost to the shore at Chesil. Out of Dover, we fish for them on the highest ridges of the Varne at low tide. We rarely have to drop more than 8-10ft to catch them?

But when we go to Alderney the highest ridges are mainly about 40ft down? A cast net would be useless at that depth. By the time it reached them, they`d all form a circle and watch the `Alien` drop between them.

A seine net seems the best answer? Well, that`s how `Ammo` catch theirs!! The trouble in Alderney, is the sudden outcrop of rock waiting to grab the net !!!

In October sand eels can be very elusive around Alderney? Even the gannets have flown away.

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Fair point, but the problem will still be the mesh size - I found smelt wriggling though mine which were fatter than any inshore lesser sand eel I have ever seen. What is the mesh size of your net? Also, it seems strange not to have any braille lines on your net - how does it close without them? It sound like what they call a Spanish net, which drops to the bottom and you are supposed to catch the fish trapped under it by hand. Watch them weevers Posted Image

BTW I found an interesting tip on one of the US sites - they warn against slipping the draw line round your wrist, citing instances of snagging a large alligator which could drag you in rather suddenly. Ho, I thought, not many alligators in the Solent, then I did think that snagging a seal (quite possible if fishing in a harbour) could result in a diving lesson or worse. They advise using a loop of shock-cord round the wrist which grips OK but you could easily wriggle free from if something whacky happened. Not much of a problem if you are wading - unless you managed to land smack on top of a large stingray! Now that WOULD be interesting... Posted Image

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My net came in clear bag wrapped in Christmas paper!(no instructions) with my Greek Bro in-laws advice which said "Theos advice... dont follow it!" The Greeks are too clever by half! but I guess they know what can happen if you catch up with something big!

The web site in my earlier reply shows my kind of net in action, ( www.nt.gov.au./dpif/pubcat/agnotes/12.htm )as far as I can tell you are supposed to throw it as a normal net but let it hit the bottom, hence the use in shallow water, pulling slowly pulls the net closed, or you can fish'em out by hand, I'll be interested to see how it performs in deep water. I recon that once it hits the surface and the lead line starts to sink any pressure pulling back on the hand line will cause the leads to swing together, but will it be quick enough to stop escaping fish, my guess is that most bait fish will get caught up in the net before the weights close together anyway, and I'm looking forward to experimenting!!

And yep Ive heard of people digging their own eels at very low water like razor fish too. Dont know where though.

My trouble is that where I fish you cant buy live eels, I would have to drive 10-20 miles in the wrong direction first, so a few eels caught by hand would do me, or a couple of sprats, or anything else, and yes look out for weavers!!

The size of my net is a 6 footer with 1/2 inch mesh which would only trap launce but I'm not fussy! I caught a Launce on a 28 gram toby this summer, theres no way it was going to eat that but it was cleanly hooked. Anyone tried feathers for sand eels? Thats supposed to work to. Ive also seen bass cruising in inches of water but I'd rather catch them with the rod!

Dan

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Sand eels live on sand, particularly around estuary mouths - try anywhere where its not too exposed and you might find some. If the mesh is 1/2 square you might have a problem with eels escaping, if measured on the stretch it would be OK I think. You can convert your net to a closing cast net with a bit of 80lb mono and a couple of plastic rings - if you are interested I can email you a picture of how mine works. Keep in touch in the Summer, I would be very interested to hear how you get on (I am assuming you are not wading in the sea during the winter!! Posted Image )

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