How To Catch The Good Stuff

How to Catch a Lot:
Passive parade-watching has gone the way of the dinosaur: Your enjoyment of Carnival can be assessed by how much you catch from passing floats (or balconies in the French Quarter). We've gathered these tried-and-true tips for enlarging your haul from diehard parade-watchers - and catchers.
First, the basics:
DON'T ever bend over to pick up a doubloon or strand of beads. You'll get your head stomped.
DO quickly place your foot firmly on a doubloon or bead. Then, after the float passes by and things calm down, you can reach down and free the loot from underfoot.
DON'T throw things at float riders. This is really ugly behavior, and Miss Manners, for one, would be most displeased by such a crass and uncaring attitude.
DO hang on with a vengeance if you jointly catch a string of beads with the person standing next to you. Most catchers will break the strand of beads before letting the other person have it. Unless, of course, it's a nun or a Marine.
DON'T beg float riders to throw you something when the float is stopped. They're not supposed to, and begging is so declasse, don't you think?
DO make friends with people who live on parade routes and might open a bathroom to you.
DON'T chase a float for two blocks down the street. You might be the next person knocked down by the thundering horde desperate for that strand of pearls held aloft.
Catching Throws: Advanced Lesson:
Tips for enticing riders to cast their loot your way
Showing your anatomy is becoming a little passe (though it still seems to work). Other ploys that have worked for us:
Yell "Throw me something, Mister!" (Or, "Throw me something, Lady!" at female riders). This is the mainstay of the paradegoer's lexicon, learned by New Orleans' babies at their parents' knees. Join in, with gusto.
Use a bullhorn to yell "Throw me something, Mister!" People really do this. We're not kidding.
Make eye contact with a rider. This is basic and a must, but doesn't always work. Making eye contact and looking sad helps.
Carry a fish net or upside-down umbrella to snag everything around. Can make you unpopular with the crowd, especially when you stick it in someone's eye.
Wear tacky headwear, or a cap with an out-of-town insignia on it.
Hold aloft a giant sign with someone's name on it (even better if you actually know a "John" or "Sue" who will be on board).
Hold aloft a sign that says "We came all the way from Australia," even though you're from Houston. The more exotic the location, the better.
Point to the cute kid next to you like you only want to give her whatever you catch (hah!).
Bag your loot as you catch it. Many riders won't throw to someone whose neck bulges with fancy long beads.
Put a friend on your shoulders. Works best if your friend is smaller than you. And neither of you is drunk.
Get a ladder - this one has become an entire local industry in itself. Newly popular in recent years are folding footstools for adults.