Net webbing?

[schrec]

I have a very old landing net: a well-constructed teardrop shaped maple frame but with the old, big-holed cotton webbing that smaller fish could easily wriggle though. I only use it for larger fish and it seems to work fine.

A friend recently told me that this old-style webbing can actually hurt fish, even larger ones. I laughed, but later thought there may be some truth to it.

Anybody out there have any bad expereince with teh older large gapped cotton webbing?

And are replacement webbing available anywhere? A quick search on the internet didn't yield anything.

Thanks, guys.

rising fish always
schrec

 

[albatross]

These replacement mesh net bags won't have that "pretty stitched to the frame" look that your current net has. Link. They are reasonably priced and they are almost certianly better for the fish.

 

Another place to get replacement bags is jannsnetcraft.
Although; if 12 fly fishermen got together, (after they all stood around and lied to each other for 3 straight hours)........6 would say "rubber's best", (with, which I, agree) and 6 will say that the actual "old soft cotton, when wet, is just as good as the rubber".
This maybe true, about the soft cotton, but personally since it also absorbs water I don't like that much "wet" hanging on my back and if it absorbs,water, it will also absorb and allow other, more harmful debris to stick to it like dirt,sand, etc, which with a quick rinse after landing a fish, rubber won't.
Just a personal preference and opinion, is all!

 

[Acristickid]

I am not really a net guy. I hate carring the thing around getting it caught in every branch and bush. But I bought a landing net 2 months ago for trips with bigger fish. It is a Brodin net, nice wooden handle but I wish I would have known about those cheaper nets in albatross's post. They look nice.

I bought a Gallatin Ghost.
http://www.brodin.com/Gallatin%20_Ghost.html

 

[albatross]

This site has the same replacement "measure" net bags a little cheaper. Link. Some of these are fine nylon mesh, and some are rubber coated mesh.

I'm currently carrying a net with a fine nylon mesh bag. I get frustrated when my flies get hooked in the mesh. I'm tempted to go ahead and get the rubber coated net bag. I imagine the only downside is a heavier net. Anyone have experience with a rubber net?

 

[Maurice]

I has an old net like you speak of and stopped using it for a long time until one day I was cleaning the garage and found this mesh bag with a draw string on it that reminded me of a landing net. I was going to use it as a hand bag for tailing steelhead when I thought about that old net. I sized it up and it was a match. I cut out the old net and strung in the new one using some 20# test mono. Worked great. I gave it to my son and put a bungie on it so he can experience the enjoyment of having a wooden elipse smack him in the back after catching in the brambles. :-D

 

[Chaz]

Large web nets can do some harm to fish because they tend to get caught in it. You can get new smaller webbed nets and put them in your old frame, it's not too difficult. I'm not wild about the newer mest either, but believe it's better then the old style.