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Fishing nets.......why carry one?

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Fishing nets.......why carry one?

#21

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Posts: 234

11/06/2008 09:55

That's why!

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#22

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Posts: 1140

11/06/2008 11:15

If I only want to catch small fish I bring a net. If I want to try and land a big fish, I leave it at home or in the car.

Same goes for the camera.

I recently got a largish size net for shad fishing. Now, they have pretty soft mouths and many are LDRed anyways, but they're on their way to spawn and the less time spent being played and the less handling they get the more likely they'll be to spawn.

Last Edited By: spruce grouse 11/06/2008 17:11. Edited 1 time.

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#23

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Posts: 1397

11/06/2008 11:35

I keep my Lechner mini-net hanging behind my back on the same lanyard that hold my box, tippet spools and hemostats. The net is primarily to use with small trout that have a tendency to squirt out of my hand and are best controlled in the net. The Ketchum tool doesn't work for me and I no longer carry one. A dropped fish of any size on a taut leader/tippet bodes ill for tackle. The net is really not designed for bigger fish, but I steer them in head first and it works pretty well. When not in use I find the net balances the weight of the tackle in front nicely so I keep it on the lanyard all the time. I agree with the others that a full size net is a nuisance and would get left behind on most of my outings. Don

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#24

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Posts: 5

11/06/2008 15:54

I almost never carry a net as most of my fishing involves walking and wading with alot of hiking mixed in. I've also found that pinching down your barbs or using barbless flies makes it a whole lot easier releasing a fish just with a pair of hemostats as Quashnet suggests.

Bob

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#25

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Posts: 31

11/06/2008 16:21

My "home water" is the Henry's Fork, and the fish I target are wild rainbows generally 18" or larger. I learned long ago that most of these fish will fight to the death, and a net is the only way I've found to protect the resource. I carried a largish C&R net for years, but a couple fish taken last year spent more time fighting than they should have because they were simply too big for the net. This year I switched to a Brodin "Steelhead" model, and I found it to be a strong move. I don't use the net if I have a fish that is in shallow water and will come easily to hand, but I'd guess that 95% of the fish taken this sdeason were landed with the net because it was the best way to protect them.

EP

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#26

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Posts: 66

11/06/2008 21:22

This story shows why I now have a net with an extra long handle (I have a "normal" net, a "brookie", and the "long a-s").
The Horrible truth
I was fishing the spring creek-like section of Hat Creek below the powerhouse riffle. I had NEVER caught a fish there and it was well into my second full day of trying. There were other anglers within sight upstream and down. Finally, a nice rainbow (16-18") took a small elk hair caddis and my reel sang alerting the others that a fish was on. I did my best "Clint Eastwood squint" towards the nearest angler as if to say "yup another big fish on" (when the truth was "first ever fish on"). I managed to get the fish to the point where it was net time. Now if you are familiar with this section of Hat Creek an angler on the bank is about 3' above the water on a grassy "wind in the willows" bank. Be careful---one mis-mistep and you may be treading on "just grass" and not terra firma." I faced a dilemma ---the fish was 3' below me in 4' of water and I had reeled all of the line in AND I couldn't seem to reach him. I thought "HURRY UP people are watching." I threw my rod hand HIGH and lunged low with the net!! I lost my balance and went nearly head first into the creek. Totally immersed and soaking wet I THRASHED about and staggered over to a 3' deep shoal. Holy cow the fish was still on!! "I'm going to enjoy eating this sucker" I thought. I lunged again and he swam between my legs. Now I had my rod tip bending crotchward and my line between my legs. By the time I untangled myself from this the fish was off---thank god

. I think my observers might have been amused except that I had created the greatest disturbance on a river since the final scene of Bridge on the River Kwai. One did have his rod under his arm and was offering slow, silent, mock applause. Anyway, now I have what I call my "Hat Creek net" with a really long handle!!

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#27

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Posts: 20

11/06/2008 21:26

Here is the link for the measure nets!

http://www.themeasurenet.com/index.htm

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#28

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Posts: 48

11/07/2008 02:25

Interesting topic... I love the beauty of a well made net by a craftsman who unlike building bamboo rods puts time and energy into building something that is functional and beautiful. I recently discovered it is far better to have a net too big for the fish than a fish too big for the net. How many times have you fished with a guide who didn't carry a net? All the one's I have seen have a net and some will wade 15' feet away and net a fish for a client.

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#29

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Posts: 394

11/07/2008 03:09

winson59 wrote "I love the beauty of a well made net by a craftsman who unlike building bamboo rods puts time and energy into building something that is functional and beautiful."

Pardon me Winston, but I don't think you really meant to imply that bamboo rod builders don't put their time and energy into their craft or that the results are not functional and beautiful.... :-)

I'm sort of a 50/50 net guy. I always use one in a float tube, but only carry one on stream when I expect large fish may be around. Otherwise it's just another piece of unused gear that gets in the way. I'm not to shy to admit a number of net mishaps including hooks (even barbless ones) getting caught in the mesh after I released a fish, and getting it caught between my legs in very fast water with a fish on after I accidently dropped it. And then there was the time I had one on my back with its elastic keeper line in place while bushwhacking through some dense woody undergrowth. I didn't notice, but the bag got caught on a branch and disconnected the magnetic holder. Soooooooo, the elastic line stretched to its max and just as I felt the tug on my back but before I could say "what the h..." the net broke free and followed the rapidly contracting elastic right into the back of my head! As the late Chris Farley used to say.."Oooh, that'll leave a mark."

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re: net

#30

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Posts: 394

11/07/2008 12:31

I started carrying a net after 8 or so years without last season. My thoughts were it might be easier on the rods and the fish also. I quit using one more because of being a minimalist. I also have had expierience with the tangles in brush getting wacked in the back etc. I'll have to say I really don't think I have saved that many fish by using the net as I feel I bring them in quick enough and they seem to swim away both ways regardless. I have thought about what all the thrashing about in a net does to them. Generally I only get the net out for bigger or fiester fish and I have considered leaving it in the car and actually do so on smaller streams with smaller fish and lengthy hikes. I don't think it saves much on my rods either in regards to sets, as old habits die hard I still find myself landing fish about the same.
Best, Mike

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#31

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Posts: 165

11/07/2008 13:39

You can put me into the occasional net user category as well. Primarily on tailwaters or spring creeks where very fine tippets are the norm and there's a good chance of larger than average fish.

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#32

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Posts: 599

11/07/2008 14:30

I don't like carrying a net around, but force myself to do it because I think it's easier on the fish. With a shallow C&R net you can remove the hook most of the time without handling the fish, lower the net and the fish just swims away. I don't like the alternative of beaching a big fish because of the risk that the fish gets sand in its gills or bangs itself up flopping on rocks. As to length of a net, I don't think a long net is necessary at all. The common assumption that you shouldn't pull the line/leader knot into the guides is what would seem to make a long-handled net necessary. If you insist on keeping the knot outside the guides, an 8' rod and a 12' leader makes netting a fish just about impossible without putting a radical and perilous bend in the rod. The shorter the rod and longer the leader, the worse the problem. Coating the line/leader knot and any other big leader knot with a football-shaped blob of glue (Aquaseal, Pliobond, etc) allows you to pull the leader into the guides without worry. This doesn't, however, work well with loop-to-loop connections, which are bulkier than nail knots and blood knots. I have been fishing 12-15' leaders for fish that regularly run to 18" or more in spring creeks for years and have had no problems with breaking 6X tippets (or rods) by pulling the leader into the guides. You can maintain a safe, gentle angle on the rod and still reach the fish with a regular net.

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#33

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Posts: 32

11/07/2008 17:12

16 pmd wrote:
I have been fishing 12-15' leaders for fish that regularly run to 18" or more in spring creeks for years and have had no problems with breaking 6X tippets (or rods) by pulling the leader into the guides. You can maintain a safe, gentle angle on the rod and still reach the fish with a regular net.

Likewise, but I use a section of ,022 Maxima nail-knotted to my fly line and use a loop-to-loop connect of the leader to the Maxima. I coat all of those knots with Loon's KnotSense and don't have any problem with the connections slipping through the tiptop and guides either coming in or going out.

EP

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re:net

#34

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Posts: 395

11/07/2008 17:40

Glad to see I'm not the only one who reels the leader into the guides. I use a loop to loop connection at the end of the line and as of yet have not experienced any problems coming in thru the guides or if a fish decides to make a run and pulls the connection back thru. I'm using knotless leaders and the only conection is the loop to loop and the knots associated with it. Although typically I keep my leader length the same as the rod length unless conditions warrant a longer leader. What comes to mind is a 7' rod with an 8 to 9' leader fishing Trico spinners.
Mike

Last Edited By: mtn 11/07/2008 17:44. Edited 1 time.

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#35

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Posts: 267

11/07/2008 17:56

seattlesetters wrote:

tim simbari wrote:
Turn the reel handle 3-4 more times.
This results in a severe bend in the rod and the very realistic chance a fish breaks off with the extra pressure. Perhaps I'm too sensitive about leaving a fly in a fish's mouth? I was taught to release fish completely unharmed...untouched if possible. Is this wrong?

No it really does'nt, and if you don't jolt it through the tip, no change in pressure either. By the way, might I inquire as to how you came to believe 15' leaders were needed for anything?

Last Edited By: tim simbari 11/07/2008 18:06. Edited 1 time.

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Interesting

#36

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Posts: 2057

11/07/2008 20:46

Well, I'll say there are some very interesting replies to my net, no net, question.
I must also say there is nothing here to change my mind about carrying one.
Of course I'm probably out in left field as usual.

I can't recall the first time I've said I would have landed that fish if only I had a net!
I'm sure lots of the folks who have responded here are better fishers than I, and I most certainly respect their opinions.
If I should ever lose a fish that I can quantitatively say was the result of not having a net (on that particular water) I will certainly carry one when there the next time.

I guess there is no right or wrong theorem when it comes to the use of a net?
I definitely have no bias toward anyone who prefers their use. Good options for their use have for sure been stated.

Seattlesetters..........wish I could provide you with a scene by scene pictorial of landing a fish with a bamboo rod utilizing a 12' or 15' leader, without the use of a net. That must be some most challenging water with ultra selective and leader-shy fish.
I can't. I do not fish any waters that require such a long leader. And, I think, even if I did, I could still land fish without the use of a big ole net.
I just attempt to keep the rod at waist level when the fight begins to approach the touching stage and turn the fish back when it races left or right. Never had any trouble with my bamboos rods in this fashion.

It will come to hand, and hopefully I can release the hook quickly. If it should be lost at this point, I just tip my hat and am grateful we tussled.

After a lot of thought, I will say I think a net is of help in rushing water, when you have to factor the current and the fishes thrusts.

Bob

Go Heels!!!

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#37

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Posts: 71

11/07/2008 22:23

Here is what Brandin thinks about landing fish. He apparently advocates reeling in quite a bit of the leader. Emphasis mine.

A good illustration of how not to land a trout. Notice the extreme J-bend in the tip

A lot of time, attention, care and experience go into the making of a fine bamboo fishing rod. It takes some care and attention on the part of the owner to keep it in good shape.

At the end of a day's fishing, be it on a steelhead river or trout stream, I sight down the rod to see if it has a sweep or bend in any direction. Sometimes it will, either from not taking enough care in turning the rod while playing good fish, or maybe the idiosyncracy of an asymmetrical casting stroke. If it has such a sweep, I simply bend the rod gently in the opposite direction until it is straight. If the rod is put away straight it will tend to stay straight. I pull the rod apart, being sure to pull in a straight line and wipe the rod with a paper towel or soft cloth to clean it and remove any moisture. Then it goes back into its sack and tube, ready for the next use.

There are two main things to pay attention to in playing fish on a bamboo rod which are less of a concern when fishing synthetic material rods. The first is the one I mention above; turn your rod around while playing a good fish, so the strain is not always in one direction. The second is to try and keep no more than a 90 degree angle between the butt of the rod and the fish. This will often require pulling the leader well into the guides when landing a fish to avoid pulling the tip into a tight 'J' or even the whole rod into a deep 'U' which over stresses it. Remember the old adage 'A bow full bent is a bow half broke'. I see many rods from many makers which have fish fighting sets in them or even broken tips which could have been prevented with a little care.

Caveat: I tried Brandin's recommended "gentle bend" to a slight tip set and snapped the tip in my Old philosopher

---requiring a new tip from George Maurer. I am 95 % sure the problem is with me not Mr Brandin---but George thought it was a silly idea

Last Edited By: Alaric11 11/07/2008 22:26. Edited 2 times.

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Nets

#38

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Posts: 2946

11/08/2008 14:50

I most always carry a net. Do I use it on every fish? No, for the most part I use my net on fish over 12".

And I like the way I can use a net to "corral" a fish in shallow water for easy hook removal--without ever touching the fish, in most cases. It also aids in releasing the fish unharmed IMO.

I. for one, have never thought my net "gets in the way" while fishing, and I try to match the size of my net to the size fish I expect to catch. I just purchased an Orvis Premium Brook Trout model and really like it.

Regards,

Flyman

P.S.- FWIW, I use 12-15-foot leaders a lot on our Black Hills spring creeks. Never found them to be a problem when landing fish.

Last Edited By: Flyman615 11/08/2008 15:10. Edited 1 time.

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#39

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Posts: 438

11/10/2008 01:37

tim simbari wrote:
By the way, might I inquire as to how you came to believe 15' leaders were needed for anything?

Hopefully this gives you an idea. This is one of my favorite places to fish. I only fish from the bank and only to actively-rising fish. It is rare the fly is larger than a #18, usually smaller. These are some of the most selective trout I've ever fished over...and I'm addicted. A leader less than 12' long nets me a big zero...sometimes even 15' isn't enough. You have to present your fly down stream and pick it up after it passes over the fish but before your line gets in view. If it sees the fly line, you've put the fish down.

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#40

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Posts: 178

11/13/2008 04:32

I usually carry a net. I find it's easier to land a big fish if I have a net, and I don't have to play it as long.

The net I carry is a lightweight carbon fiber net made by William Joseph. I typically don't even notice I've got it as it doesn't weigh very much.

I've lost larger fish because I didn't have a net.

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