Best Cast Net for Shad and Small Bait

"Small bait" covers a wide range — shad and shiners on one end, glass minnows and mud minnows on the other. The gap between them is bigger than most anglers realize, and using the wrong mesh means watching your bait swim straight through the net. Here's how to match mesh size to what you're actually after.

Shad and shiners vs. glass minnows — not the same net

Shad, threadfin shad, gizzard shad, and shiners are mid-size baitfish, generally a few inches long, that school in open water — lakes, rivers, reservoir points, and inshore flats. Glass minnows, mud minnows, and spearing run considerably smaller and thinner, and they'll pass straight through a mesh sized for shad. If you've ever thrown a net into a visible school of tiny bait and come up with nothing, mesh size — not radius or technique — is almost always the reason.

Mesh size — the number that actually matters here

• 3/8" mesh — The general-purpose choice for shad, shiners, menhaden, pilchards, and mullet-class bait. This is the right mesh for most shad fishing and the default across the BasicGear Basic, Sports, and Classic series.
• 1/4" mesh— The finer mesh needed for glass minnows, mud minnows, spearing, and other very small bait. This is the finest mesh BasicGear offers, and it's the one to reach for whenever the bait you're seeing is noticeably smaller and thinner than shad.
• 1/2" mesh— Available on the Basic Series for larger shad or when you're specifically trying to let the smallest bait pass through and keep only bigger fish.

If you're not sure which category your target bait falls into, 3/8" is the safer default — it catches the widest range of common bait sizes without needing to guess. Only step down to 1/4" once you can see the bait is genuinely small.

Radius — match it to where shad and small bait actually school

Shad often school in open water off points, drop-offs, and river mouths, where a bigger net covers more of a spread-out school — an 8 ft radius is a good general target once you can throw it consistently. Glass minnows and mud minnows tend to bunch up tighter along shorelines, seawalls, and grass edges, where a 5–6 ft radius is easier to place accurately and plenty of coverage for a dense pod of small bait.

New to cast nets entirely? Start with a 6 ft radius regardless of target — it's the most forgiving size to learn on and covers more water than it looks like it should. Our full cast net sizing guide breaks down radius by experience level in more detail.

Sinker weight — standard is usually enough

Shad and small bait generally don't require the fastest possible sink rate the way current-swept or deep-water bait does. The Basic and Sports series, at 3/4 lb/ft, are enough net for most shad and small-bait situations in calm-to-moderate water. If you're fishing a river with real current, or working deeper water off a bridge or dam, the Classic Series' 0.75–1 lb/ft pure lead sinkers get to the bottom faster before the current can carry the net off your target.

Our recommendation

If you're only buying one net and expect to target both categories, the Basic Series in 3/8" mesh at a 6 ft radiusis the most versatile starting point — upgrade to 1/4" mesh once you know you need it for finer bait.

Sweeping bigger areas for small bait

Small bait like shad and glass minnows often schools densely enough that a seine net — available in 1/4" mesh and lengths from 5 to 50 ft — can outperform a cast net for sweeping a long shoreline or creek mouth with a partner, especially with very small bait that's easy to spot but hard to corner with a single throw. See our guide to using a seine net if that fits your spot better than throwing solo.

Once you've got a livewell full of small, delicate bait, handle it gently — a soft knotless net like the Baitwell Net or the fine-mesh Minnow Dip Netwon't strip scales or slime coat the way a stiffer net can.

For a full breakdown of mesh, radius, and sinker weight across every bait type, see our complete size guide, and check cast net laws for your state before you head out — bait limits and legal mesh sizes vary.