cast net care

thought i would post something i kinda figured out by accident concerning cast net maintenance. for years i have soaked my castnets in downy fabric softener for a couple of days and then hang them vertically to dry. doing this every 1-2 months depending on usage usually helps keep the net soft which in turn helps it to open up, isnt so abrasive on bait etc etc. the only drawback in my opinion is the downtime for the net while its soaking and hanging/drying, which i have more than one net but my favorite it a 20ft 3/8ths "baitbuster green net" , and in the summer when bait is deep is it a bait catching machine, very heavy but sinks like a rock. i hate having this net out of service. a couple of months ago i was cleaning a fishing equipment shelf in the basement and found an old can of "reel magic" line conditioner. it really helps mono "lose" its memory and helps keep it soft and supple so the light bulb went on....wonder why this stuff wouldnt work on a mono castnet. so i had probably 2 oz left in a 4 oz can so i went to the marina and layed the net out and stretched it in the fashion as it would be if it were hanging vertically, i sprayed the net generously , not soaking it but got good coverage. i didnt have the luxury of hanging the net so i folded it back up and put it straight back in the bucket. i used it about 15 hrs later and couldnt believe how well the net performed. im not exactly sure how many weeks ago this was, probably 6-8 weeks, i havent reated the net since and it is still very soft and supple, alot more effective and convenient than the downy treatment. the downside is the can of reel magic cost more than downy fabric softener, but the cost is worht it in terms of downtime. Good luck, hope this helps, jeff

wonder if it will work on a older net....my net is over 4 yrs old and gotten stiff and a pain to throw,,,think i will try that reel magic ..sure can`t hurt

[QUOTE=onemorecast56;516861]wonder if it will work on a older net....my net is over 4 yrs old and gotten stiff and a pain to throw,,,think i will try that reel magic ..sure can`t hurt[/QUOTE]
Im not sure about the older net, i have an old calusa that i am wanting to try it on, i used all the can that i had, going to wallyworld this evening , i plan on picking up another can to try on the calusa. I will let you know how it works.
I think sometimes the old nets get to a point where they are just old and broken down, but just like me they still want to fish lol !

I'll give it a try. Happen to have a can of reel magic. Maybe it will bring me luck or eek out another few inches in diameter, as I need it lately.

Only Got eight baits sat am and two baits sun am in 60' of water in main lake by Rowena. Maybe 100' of water would have been better or maybe further up the lake? Did manage to catch one fish each day with those baits (undersized fish sun). Over slept friday and found some gizzards up the creek but by that time it was eleven o'clock.

[QUOTE=peter;516891]I'll give it a try. Happen to have a can of reel magic. Maybe it will bring me luck or eek out another few inches in diameter, as I need it lately.

Only Got eight baits sat am and two baits sun am in 60' of water in main lake by Rowena. Maybe 100' of water would have been better or maybe further up the lake? Did manage to catch one fish each day with those baits (undersized fish sun). Over slept friday and found some gizzards up the creek but by that time it was eleven o'clock.[/QUOTE]

peter, you have a message regarding bait.

hey doug, sprayed the calusa down pretty good with the reel magic about 4 hours ago, seems like it is quite a bit softer, i threw it in the driveway and it opened pretty good and laid fairly flat (flatter than it was before spraying), i think it will improve over night. i found the receipt for this net and it was purchased in 2008, so it has a little age on it but has never been out in the sun/uv for any period of time.