cast net and fillet knife...........
 

so I cant decide which I am worse at..... throwing a cast net or filleting a fish. my kid has been catching a bunch of good stuff lately including fluke and weakfish. (flounder and trout for you southern guys). I have a crappy old fillet knife that aint all that sharp. cuts a steak pretty good though, and we have a 6 foot cast net that I just cant get the hang of. we get peanut bunker up here, so thick that you could crowd surf on them. (baby pogies). my best throw yielded 9, count 'em 9 bunker. and when I try to get a nice fillet of a decent fish I end up sh1tting that up too. when my pop was still here he was good friends with the guy that owned the local fish market ant he would fillet, clean and wrap our catch for us real nice. he's gone now too. I think maybe if I had a good knife I could do a little better. i'm on the cold steel kick now and may spring for this one.
http://www.coldsteel.com/8-filet-knife.html
as far as the cast net goes....... I guess i'm just gonna have to keep on throwing until I get it right.

I use a Buck 119 special skinning knife, not what most people use for cleaning fish. Starting on the top side, I take a flounder and cut directly down the to back bone from the head to the tail, I use my thumb and run it back and forth in the cut to kinda open it up a little. Using the curved part of the blade, I make small short cuts down to the rib bones,working from the center out till I get some meat away from the fish, once you get some room in there, you can let the blade glide on the rib bones, when you get near the edge and you're almost done, grab the meat and pull it away from the fish, pulling that last bit of meat from the fins. The second piece is easier, the bottom is a bit harder but its worth it when you're done. When I'm finished on a flounder, theres not much meat left on the bone. BTW, the fastest way to scale a founder is using a curry comb(for horses, looks like a stack of hole saws), scales in single passes. On fish with large scales I use a spoon or fork

I'm self taught on cast nets, I don't recommend throwing like I do. But it works for me. There are plenty of utube videos out there for learning. One thing that helped me was holding the net in my right hand further down than most recommend. When I blew my back out, i had to relearn to throw, I now throw without twisting my body. I use a smaller net and a longer rope, I bomb mullet from far away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6swnJXwEws

I've been watching this one for a year or two trying to get it right

yeah. I may have to watch her for a year or two and.... and....... wait, what?!?

so this is the 3rd net I bought for the kid as he loses them or I don't know what he does with them. I do know he has no desire to learn to throw one so that's now my job. but I suck at it. small net. 6 footer. I've watched like a dozen videos and tried about a dozen different throws but I still suck. as far as cutting a fish, I know how to do it in theory but in practice is where I blow it. i'm gonna get a decent knife and see what happens.

i've found a bigger net is easier for me to throw. i like a 8ft. more lead to help spread it open. i always thought a net was a net, but bought a calusa 8 ft 1/4 mesh a couple of years ago and love it. heavy and the horn is super big. opens like a dream

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Calus...CjwKCAjw6szOBR

this is just a link i found, i bought it at a garage sale for $50

cast net technique varies a lot by person. I throw forehand but my brother throws it backhand. Forehand requires half of the net in 5 or 6 loops in throwing hand. Mesh, diameter and weight are a big factor depending on size of bait and depth. What works for peanuts in 10 ft won't work for 2 pound bunker in 30ft.

practice on the front lawn til you stop throwing tacos and bananas.


as for filleting...
Spares technique on flounder is an easy way for flat fish. Always do the white side first, it is thinner and having the dark side still attached makes it easier.

For weakfish or any other "round" fish, the problem is the rib cage. If you have a really good knife and technique you can cut through in one quick move.... the rest of us do better by avoiding the ribs all together. You are not going to eat the rib and belly meat anyways so don't bother trying.

Fish with big scales or tough skin remember that skin cuts easier from the inside out.

If you soak the cast net in a bucket with water and fabric softener overnight it becomes much more pliable and will open a little easier.

mawshj
 

the fishing stores used to sell a net with a big ring ( about 16 inch) attached. My kids got me one when I could no longer cast a regular net due to health problems. this net was really easy to throw. A lot of people learned to throw this net. if you can find one get it. You will become expert in no time.

I can't say a thing about cast nets... Never tried them... BUT... knifes on the other hand... I've tried probably 2-3 dozen over my lifetime, Cuda's, Rapala's etc. For me, the absolute best fillet knives I've used and continue to use are my 2 Dexter-Russel 9"ers. Easy to sharpen, easy to clean, Special hi-carbon stainless holds an edge and doesn't stain. And the nice sheath is a plus. (White is easy to find in the dark) Look at this link. http://www.dexter1818.com/shop/sani-...sh-fillet.html
At the bottom of the page on the left is the 9" carded knife and sheath. Of course not everyone will like or want a 9" knife but for me doing Salmon fillets, it's the only way to fly. Fortunately they also make smaller blades, (The 8" carded set will suit most everyone) all with the same steel and handle. My knives are well over 30 years old and still going strong. (I got mine in 1986) Hard to beat that kind of ruggedness. I'm betting that if you buy them you'll treasure them just like I treasure mine.

TWO HUNDRED BUCKS FOR A CAST NET?!?!? not sure if you guys are aware of this but the county I live in, Nassau county is THE SECOND HIGHEST TAXED COUNTY IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. sometimes I look around and see what people from other states have and realize...... I make decent money and I aint got sh1t!!!!! TWO BEANS ON A CASTNET??!!?!?! I spent 38 bucks on a 6 footer and feel like I got raped. I plan on eventually getting one of these electric knife sharpers and putting sick edge on all my gear. ok, so what knife sharpener you guys use???

Read charlie,read. I paid $50, before that it was Betts, but with the price of lead, they've gotten pricey too. The more expensive, the heavier and easier to throw.

Also a fan of dexter russell

I use a lansky sharpener, oil stone, and 800-1200 grit sand paper on a piece of glass

Go get a Percy cast net. He's out on Staten Island and he won't let you leave with it until you can throw it. They're like $300 now but you'll know how to use it. Too rich for my blood though. I'll just continue to try and teach myself.

I have always found that the sharpness of the knife is much more important than the style or brand.

Learn how to sharpen well and you filleting will improve.

My favorite fillet knife right now is a blue handled Rapala I got for $5 in a clearance bin.
My second favorite is one I got at K-Mart 40 years ago, was probably a buck back then.