In keeping with Florida’s constitutional limitation on net fishing, the net is 100 feet long and 5 feet tall, making it the limit of 500 sq. feet. Top line is float rope (foam inside the rope). Bottom is lead line (lead sinkers strung together inside a larger rope). Net material is braided polypropylene (used to be monofilament, but now that’s illegal), with stretched mesh of 1/2″. If you’re only interested in mullet, go with a larger mesh. We catch everything and if you hit a school of minnows just the right size, you can spend a week shucking them out of the net.
There are 2 techniques for fishing the net (called a “beach seine”), one for mullet or fish in general and the other for shrimp. You can catch mullet pretty much year-round. They are very plentiful in the Gulf. For that, you start with the basic technique of gathering the net. Hold the pole in one hand, reach the other as far down the rope as possible, grab it and bring it to the pole hand and hold with one finger. Repeat and when you bring the second loop, drop the first. That makes one “gather” twice the length of your armspan. Repeat this process about 4 times on each end until you come together in the middle with about 15 feet of net between you. One person stands on the shore and the other takes the “deep end.” The shore person begins shedding gathers one by one until all are gone. At that point, the deep end guy does the same until the net is completely deployed.
At this point, the techniques diverge. For fishing, the deep end guy should make a large L shape, with the net going straight out into the water from the shore guy, and then taking a sharp 90 degree turn and going parallel with shore (the turn should occur after the shore gathers are stretched). This makes a fish “trap.” Once deployed, wait silently until you see a swirl inside the confines of the net. At this point, the deep end guy should proceed straight to shore while splashing to keep the fish inside the net. Once the deep guy hits a few feet on shore, both people should pull the net at a 45 degree angle away from the center. This makes the “pocket” stretch tight and pull forward much more quickly. At this point, you should see the fish in the net. It’s also a percentage game here. If you have 12 fish in the net and land 6, you’re doing well. Mullet are smart and will jump over the float line right before the net comes ashore.
Once you’ve landed the mullet, grab them from the top, then with the other hand, grab under the gills and pull back until the head pops back and blood shoots from the main artery. This kills the fish very quickly and bleeds him so they taste better. It sounds mean, but it’s more humane than slowly asphyxiating them, which can take 30 minutes or so.
For shrimp, start with the same technique, but once the net is deployed, both people begin moving in the direction of the “L.” Go until you’re tired or you see fish in the net or you’ve picked up so much seaweed you can’t drag any more. Same technique for landing. We usually catch shrimp only in the cold months. October through March have been the best. A good pair of waders or a wetsuit are a must.
Big thanks to Rick Parker for providing this info.