The Net Result Is...

[greenghost]

These days, I never use a landing net. With rare exception -- like standing thigh deep in swift Yough waters with my mobility challenged -- I do not miss using one. I do have one hanging in my garage, one the old-fashioned course-knotted nylon net jobs with a wooden handle. But it's been hanging there for years. I've always felt that a fish flopping around in a net, any type of net, is bound to get messed up in terms of either its mucous coating or by just the act of flopping around. This study seems to confirm that.
Bottom line: nix the net.

 

[Acristickid]

If I'm walking far (and a lot times when I don't walk far ) then I rarely take the net.

I'd like to see a poll of the evil anglers who are not using a rubber net. They should be shamed like Cersei from game of thrones.

 

[Millsertime]

I carry the old style mesh net. I do use it some but the main reason I still use the mesh style is because it catches bugs much better. If there is a hatch going on, a net captures them much better and a mesh net is the only style I've found that keeps the bugs in the net for examination.

 

[DavidFin]

Anyone who thinks 100% of the fish they catch survive are kidding themselves. It's a cost of the activity unfortunately. We can take precautions like clamping our barbs, taking less pictures, and doing our best to bring the fish in as quickly as possible, but there will always be unforseen variables.

My number one pet peeve is fighting the fish for too long. I had a buddy at one point who would let the fish take as much line as possible with the hopes of getting into his backing.... pretty lame.

 

[NewSal]

DavidFin wrote:

My number one pet peeve is fighting the fish for too long. I had a buddy at one point who would let the fish take as much line as possible with the hopes of getting into his backing.... pretty lame.

Mine as well, I cannot grasp why in the heck some guys feel the need to play a 6" fish for 15 minutes.

 

[DanL]

I've never used a net because it's a pain in the but unless you use a fishing vest.

Watched a guy play an average sized fish on Spring Creek the other day for a good 2 minutes. I usually get a fish in 30 seconds or less, I really don't understand it....

 

[geebee]

I like a net because I can get a decent size green fish in much much quicker - other than playing a fish too long, my pet peeve is those who have a fish swimming round and round under the rod tip while they try to stretch and reach a moving fish.

my credo is always regardless of species, to get the fish confused by changing direction ASAP and then get its head out of the water and into the net and out again, before it realizes what has happened.

cheers

Mark.

 

[KeithS]

"I carry the old style mesh net. I do use it some but the main reason I still use the mesh style is because it catches bugs much better. If there is a hatch going on, a net captures them much better and a mesh net is the only style I've found that keeps the bugs in the net for examination."

Get the paint strainers @ home Depot. They slip over the head of a net easily and slip back off after you've seined the water for bugs.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-1-gal-Elastic-Top-Strainers-2-Pack-11572-36WF/202061359

 

[NewSal]

Im having trouble with the point of the thread.

"Nix the net"...

I feel much better releasing fish by using a net and keeping them in the water then fumbling around with them in my hands out of the water. To each his own.

The real bottom line is that catching fish is not good for the fish. So if you really want what is best for the trout, don't fish.

But otherwise, either using a net or no net, as long as you try your absolute best to keep the fish wet, limit the time spent out of water, and all together use common sense and handle the fish as gently as possible, I'd consider both ways acceptable, just be a true sportsman and do your best at practicing C&R, net or no net.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

You get a monster brown on it's nice to have the net other then that it's a pain in my arse to carry it.

 

[FarmerDave]

I was thinking of getting an aquarium net. That way I could see what is hatching, and it would probably work on the gemmies.

 

[DavidFin]

I think you can do more damage without a net, especially if it's big or you want to take a picture. With the net you don't have to bring a big fish I to the shallows, or worse, dragging it onto land. If you want to take a snap you can take your time or give the fish a breath with a net.

For the most part, people who hurt fish will hurt them no matter what they're using or not using.

Someone on this board once said 90% of fish are caught by 10% of fishermen, and I like to think that that 10% is more conscientious than the 90%.


I don't fish for steelhead, but the stories I hear about the NY scene are harrowing. Snagging, dragging, kicking them back into the water, etc..... sometimes I can be overly sentimental about the fish, the ecosystem, and it's almost a relief if I don't bring them to hand. You get the ride after all.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

I have not a carried a net since I had a older cabelas one and it got stuck in a bush and hit me in the back of the head but I lost a really big brown a few weeks ago if I had the net would of landed it so hence Im carrying it again but a newer one with the plastic type netting.

 

[pcray1231]

I can't stand to carry a net. To be sure, they are useful for bigger fish in certain situations. But I'd rather lose the occasional fish than have to carry that thing. It gets all caught up in stuff as you walk.

Of course, I attempt to carry as little as possible. I won't even take a pack unless I absolutely have to, so.....

 

[FarmerDave]

I prefer a gaff. or pcray's $500 pocket knife.

 

[724flyfishing]

They're a pain to carry but it makes the whole process much easier IMO. I can get a fish to net quick, keep it in the water, and get my fly out without ever touching it. I hate seeing guys play fish out too and if you have a big trout on, there's a good chance you're going to have to play it out to get it hand and retrieve your fly without breaking your fly off in its mouth.

Breaking flies off in a fish's mouth is my other pet peeve. I absolutely hate doing that. It looks like such trash when you see a nice trout swimming around a DHALO with a spinner or glo bug stuck in its mouth. I know it can be unavoidable but a net helps a lot in that regard too. I lost a nice holdover 18" rainbow at hand trying to get my streamer out of its mouth. It started thrashing around and broke my streamer off and swam away with it. I felt like a @$$ for making that fish, that survived and defied the odds up to that point, have to swim around with a streamer stuck in its mouth. Been using a net since.

 

[salmonoid]

Shocking - a website that appears to be dedicated to the idea that fish feel pain as a result of our barbarism posts a study that backs up their POV! I personally use a net that I have overlayed the net bag with 80-grit sandpaper - this allows me to use the net bag to grip the fish and prevents it from slipping away.

But after perusing that website, I feel the need to not only turn in my net, but also my rod and reel. There's enough pain in the world already without me adding to it.

On a serious note, the only time I use a net is if I happen to catch a big fish and also happen to be carrying a net. It's laughable to watch some of the videos that are out there of guys catching 6" fish and stabbing at the fish three times with a net. I usually only carry a net if I am specifically targeting big fish (as in I know they are in a location from a previous outing), so it's a good chance as not that I don't have a net on me.

 

[evw659]

For streams that are the size of say penns, little j, or even spring creek, I can't operate without a net. Barbless hooks or not, when you land even a small trout that is hooked unfavorably for a quick release, it is good for both you and the fish to have a net with you.This is one of several reasons why I always carry a net on these types of streams.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

lol

 

[Hook_Jaw]

I hate carrying a net after I lose a big one I'll carry it for a bit then not until it happens again.