Quote Originally Posted by peter View Post
Thanks. Never thought about different nets knocking off more scales than others. I know I am always cleaning scales off everything including myself.

What are you considering usable bait?
3", 4" ?

What is your opinion of 6' net, 1 lb per foot, 1/2' mesh?
Will that gill a 4" alewife" ?
If so I'll go with 3/8' mesh.
If it nets 4" and 3" and smaller go through I think I will try 1/2"

Seems like my 3/8" mesh nets 3" alewives and gills smaller.

Thoughts appreciated.
I've been using the 6' diameter 1/2 inch net for nine weekends now (eighteen times) 100% success. Never use the 3/8" mesh anymore. This will absolutely will gill some real nice 4" alewives, as some mentioned here, but it also does not gill a bunch of them. Pull the net up real slow and it gills less bait. When I get it to the point where it is all the way up I grab the ring on top of the net and pull it up almost as far as it will go while still holding the rope so the bottom of net net is closed. With the other hand I gently shake the top of the net which is loose and many of the baits that appeared to be gilled are not and fall to the bottom of the net and survive just as well as the others. Some are truly gilled and those that don't come out when shaking the net hard I deal with later when done fishing. There is no easy exit for those guys.

The result is some very nice bait and "zero" culling of smaller baits and less toxins in your dump bucket (that may have a double meaning) Saves a bunch of time.

If it is a year or time of the year when the bait is small then this will net no bait.

Started out throwing both nets to get a handle on the differences. Probably a good idea to have both sizes ready to throw. Any net will gill bait of a given size so it's good to have options handy.