Netting Fish?

[NaturesRespect]

My uncle left his net in our shed and when i found it i was like, I wanna give this a try! Its the kind of nets were you throw the net into the water and drag it back. Well first off i have no idea how to throw it properly secondly im 17 with a fishing license so can i legally go out and do this at a lake for fun? I plan to just net some fish and release them, just something to do while the weathers still hot enough to be in the water.

[JBMasterAngler]

That would be VERY illegal!

[NaturesRespect]

That would be VERY illegal!

how do you make it legal? what fishes can be netted and what cant?

[shortfatguy]

Its called a cast net and its legal for bait gathering purposes. As long as you immediatly release any non bait fish you are ok. to throw it you want to throw it so it spins slightly so the net opens up as it is tossed out. I always held a part of the net in my teeth to keep it from tangling as it was thrown. They are very good for catching schooling baitfish and seem to be more popular on salt water. Do a search on how to use a cast net on google and you should find all you need to know.

[HuskerBen]

They are called cast nets or throw nets. Page 70 of the MN regulations says they're not legal. That was clarified in the 2009 regs, and listed as a new regulation. Now it's kinda buried in the back of the book, under minnows and leeches in the "other aquatic species" section.

Live bait is getting harder and harder to come by.