Best Cast Net for Shrimp

Shrimp are small, fast, and jump the instant they feel disturbed water — which makes them one of the least forgiving targets for a cast net. Get the mesh or the sink rate wrong and you'll come up with an empty net more often than not. Here's what actually matters.

Why shrimping is different from netting fish

Shrimp don't swim away from a net the way baitfish do — they flick their tails and jump, sometimes clean over the lead line before it settles. That means the net needs to close fast, and the mesh needs to be fine enough that shrimp can't squeeze through the openings the way small baitfish sometimes can't either. Shrimping is usually also done at night, along seawalls, docks, and grass flats where you can see their eyes reflect in a light — so precision placement matters as much as net size.

Mesh size — go as fine as you can throw

1/4" mesh is the finest mesh size available across the BasicGear lineup, and it's the right call for shrimp. It's the same mesh recommended for small baitfish like glass minnows and mud minnows — fine enough that shrimp of typical catchable size won't squeeze through, while still draining quickly enough to retrieve without excessive weight. Every core BasicGear series — Basic, Sports, and Classic— offers 1/4" mesh, so there's no trade-off to get the finer weave.

Radius — smaller is often the smarter choice

Shrimping tends to happen in tighter quarters than open-water baitfishing — along a seawall, off a dock, in a shallow canal — where a smaller, more accurately placed net beats a bigger one you can't control as well. A 4–6 ft radius is the sweet spot for most shrimping: easy to throw repeatedly through a long night session, and plenty of coverage for a tight pod of shrimp lit up by a light.

If you're working a wider dock light or a larger flat where shrimp are more spread out, an 8 ft radius gives more coverage, but expect a heavier arm by the end of the night — smaller nets are simply easier to throw dozens of times in a row, which matters more in shrimping than in most other cast net fishing.

Sinker weight — fast sink beats raw size

Because shrimp jump the instant they sense the net, a faster sink rate genuinely catches more shrimp than a bigger net that closes slowly. The Classic Series, at 0.75–1 lb/ft in pure lead, sinks meaningfully faster than the 3/4 lb/ft Basic or Sports series, giving shrimp less time to jump clear before the lead line settles. For most shrimpers, that faster close is worth more than an extra foot or two of radius.

If you're throwing from a boat or dock and want to protect the hull or decking from bare sinkers, the Sports Series' PVC-coated sinkers give you the same 3/4 lb/ft weight as the Basic without the scratch risk — a reasonable trade if hull protection matters more to you than the Classic's faster sink.

Our recommendation for shrimp

For most shrimpers, a Classic Series, 1/4" mesh, 6 ft radius hits the balance of fast sink, fine mesh, and manageable weight for a long night of repeated throws.

After the throw

Retrieve shrimp nets slowly and evenly — yanking the net can pop shrimp back out through the mesh before you get it aboard. Once you've got shrimp in the net, a soft-mesh scoop like the Pro Baitwell Net or the fine 1 mm mesh Minnow Dip Net moves them into a livewell or bucket without crushing them — worth having on hand alongside the cast net itself.

Not throwing a solo net tonight? A seine netwith 1/4" mesh works a shoreline or grass edge with a partner and can outperform a cast net in shallow, current-swept water where shrimp are moving with the tide.

If your throw isn't landing cleanly yet, our step-by-step throwing guide covers the mechanics, and it's always worth checking your state's cast net regulations before shrimping — several states restrict shrimp size limits, seasons, or gear separately from finfish rules.