Shad Trawl

[BKS72]

Does anybody know if those shad nets that you pull behind your boat a) work and b) are legal in MO? Cast nets are great, but it would be sweet if a guy could round up bait on the way to where he was going to fish. The catfish connection link at the top of the BOC page has them for sale. Just wondering if they are worth buying.

[spoonfish]

Never heard of them before Stolib. Not sure on are laws either, but it would probably be considered the same as a snane net? Will be interesting to see what the brothers that have used them have to say.

[crazy]

Oh yeah how much are they? Oh who cares I'll get one and let you know!! I'm lazy what can I say. Driving is much easyer then throwing.

[cook]

Old site had a discussion on this,you could try doing a search there.
I think the gist of it is they work if the shad are in the upper 5 feet of the water.There was also some talk of a way to shut(seal)the net before retriving it

[BKS72]

Thanks for the info, Cook, I'll check it out. You going to be fishing Smithville Friday?

[primitivefrn]

I have one, have used it with, limited sucess.
contacted the mdc at clinton mo. about three years ago, said it was legal.
I put a weight, like a 16os sinker in mine , to get it down.
I would talk to your, local mdc office. lot of hotdogs out thier.

[jtrew]

There ain't nuthin' free! Driving around in your boat, pulling a shad trawl behind may not be work, but you don't have it in the boat, either. The shad can't swim out of the net because the water going through the net pushes the shad to the back of the net and holds it there. I think it's safe to say that all of us who use shad for bait have seen shad swimming against a pretty swift current, so we're talking about quite a bit of pressure here. By the time you multiply that against the entire surface of the trawl, you're really talking about some pressure. Let's say that you've pulled the trawl through the water and caught some shad that you want to put in the boat. What happens if you stop the boat and start pulling the trawl in by hand? Any live shad will simply swim out of the trawl, right? So, you slow the boat down a little, but not so much that the shad can escape. It's harder than pulling your boat upstream by hand to retreive your anchor, when you've anchored in a deep, swift current. If you could come up with some way to close the mouth of the trawl, that would solve that problem, letting you cut your motor and simply pull in the trawl without losing any shad.

[crazy]

Oh yeah driving cost more then throwing just in gas. But I have a feeling if you go use it where there are a lot of shad it don't matter how many get away. You will still get them.

[BKS72]

I would use it on lakes. If a guy made a pass or two through a school he could probably do all right. You're right, though, keeping them in the bag would be the hard part.

[fishingbuddy4]

do you know where you can buy them

[spoonfish]

Fishingbuddy4, Catfish Connection sells them.

[sgt_rob]

I bought one last year ($35) and the license to use it ($25?) and lost the trawl on the third run of the first day due to a loose factory knot. When I got the replacement net, it got hung on a snag within a few minutes. I ran through some really good spots that normally produce shad when using a cast net and caught ZERO shad in either trawl. Save your money and use a cast net!

[cook]

Thanks for the info, Cook, I'll check it out. You going to be fishing Smithville Friday?
Will probably hit it Sat. morning,little too much lightning now for my taste.I'll check the little platte if we get a lot of rain today,and post if the river is running.Got a nice blue cat last week after the rains.

[BKS72]

Thanks for the info, Sgt Rob. I guess maybe there's just no hope for the lazy way to catch bait lol.

[cross_their_eyes]

Shad Scoop Nylon Net. About 30 bucks here.
http://www.sterlingnets.com/specialty.html

[Michael Jake]

Sorry fellow Missourians, but shad trawls are illigal here in Mo... Unless the law has changed in the last couple of years, haven't looked. You can use them down in Arkansas. I buy my cast net and some equipment from the net.co down in La... They also sell trawl nets but I wouldn't take the chance. They're site is ... http://www.fishnetco.com/ lot's of other goodies there.

[BAM]

I have used one with limited success. For the trawl to be effective you have to drag it around in a circle several times. And as JTREW said when you stop to pull the net in some of the shad will swim out. Just like fishing, a trawl will work if used correctly at the right time and place.

[fishinjunky]

i'm not sure how they would work on the missouri river but it would sure suck when you snag a freaking tree going up river.

[porboy]

I used mine twice and it worked fairly well although it was really making my outboard motor work hard. The problem was that almost all of the shad were
dead from being mashed so hard against each other at the back of the net.

[Hannibal Mike]

I bought one 2 years ago at a local bait shop (about 30$ I think) and have not had any luck with it. Like most things, there is probably a technique or time to have the best results. I tried it most in a creek off the Missi river where I throw a net with good results. I tried running straight at low speed and going in circles. The water was 3 to 8 feet deep where I tried. It would be nice if you could toss it behind and gather the bait. The technique of adding a lot of weight for depth was not something that I tried. The net with metal ring stays close to the surface and depends on the speed. I'll give it a few more trys this spring. Hannibal Mike

[Hannibal Mike]

I just noticed that it is illegal in MO, so I better try to trade it to someone from TX or ARK! Thanks so much for the info as I do not need a ticket!!!! Hannibal Mike

[primitivefrn]

I'll bring one to the Missouri gathering. anyone that wants to can try it out they don't work very good. price wise they run about 35.00
cast nets are better.
Jim