Salmon Netting Technique

[Marley]

Hi All

I missed netting a nice salmon today. Caught the trailing hook on the edge of the hoop of the net and was not able to boat the fish.

I normally keep the net out of the water and then quickly jam it in front of the fish as the guy on the rod guides it in. Then scoop.

Just wondering how other guys approach this as generally I remember the ones that got away more than the ones I caught lol.

 

[searun]

Rule of thumb is never net a fish unless the angler has the fish's head pointing towards the net and is slowly guiding it into the net. Fish swim forward, not backward so greater chance of successful net job even if the hook pops out if the fish is pointing into the net. Hold the net bag with one finger so you can quickly release it once you drop the net hoop in front of the fish and are ready to drive the net down. Once the fish crosses into the net lift it straight up in a vertical motion. Try not to scoop. I lift the net holding the hoop vertically, otherwise you risk bending the net hoop if you use a scooping motion. Hard to describe, way easier to demonstrate. And, fish can move faster than you expect...so you are in good company - I'm sure we all can remember nice fish that slipped away at the net.

 

[profisher]

Before you get to netting..make sure everyone knows the plan...where the guy on the rod needs to get to (on my boat as far forward as possible up against the alaskan bulkhead)...the fish will dictate which side of the boat that will be on...and also where the netter wants to be. Another key is that the rod person doesn't back up away from the side of the boat...many guests start to back up thinking it will help get the fish closer to the boat. It puts them in a position where they can't see what the fish is doing and how they need to quickly react to any last minute darting towards the motors or anything else that presents a problem. I tell them don't back up...stay there and bring the rod tip behind your head...get the fish moving towards the net. And keep your hands off the knobs!!!

 

[searun]

Great point on not backing up - totally agree that the person on the rod needs to be on the gunnel where they can see what the fish is doing to direct to fish into the net.

 

[pescador]

Assuming you’re netting for someone else.

1.0. Tire the fish out.
2.0. Head first always.
3.0 Keep net out of water until you’re certain it’s ready to net.
4.0. Hang onto the backend piece of net.
5.0. Dip net into water quickly and release the piece you’re holding scooping catch head first.
6.0. Make sure rod holder has rod tip up, keeps line tight and steps away to other side of boat to bring fish closer to boat.
7.0. Apologize to rod holder for screaming at him/her/they/them

 

[cpony]

Patience and communication.
Could not get yesterday's fish to the best side of the boat to net as my 84 year old friend has arthritis and poor balance. We adapted to the situation and fish into the net. Easy peasy. Just relax, if it's hooked well it's not getting off.

 

[scott craven]

If you're not confident in your net man, give him the rod when the fish is played out
and net it yourself.
I always do this on bigger fish.
Saves a lot of "F" bombs later.

 

[wildthing]

fishing solo a lot of times , my tips are have a landing net with a 6' pole if your using 10.6 rod's knock the speed down to almost neutral, can if your out there no one else around you .... play the fish out and slide him in ..... loose the twin hook set up use singles, if he's not a keeper or being retained ... don't even net the fish, do an in water release .......keep leaders to 6' max for spoon's and bait ... flashers tend not to go through the tip ring of the rod ......lol if some one is netting the fish with you or you are. rod person to stand middle of the boat better to keep balance and let the nets person get to the fish once at or close to the boat and the head is up keep bring him/her or do we have to do they now??? in and guide to the net almost in one monition ...once netted pull tight line off reel to release the line tension.... sort the unhooking out try not let the fish bash it self on the hard deck ....... hope there is a few pointers

 

[big rock]

Great point on not backing up - totally agree that the person on the rod needs to be on the gunnel where they can see what the fish is doing to direct to fish into the net.

Agreed x3

 

[Aquaholic]

You can turn the boat slightly to bring the fish closer to the side of he boat or a bit further away if needed. A good net man/skipper combo helps.

 

[Rain City]

It's easier to do it all yourself sometimes.

 

[wildthing]

Agreed x3

have disagree on that one if your on a small boat with not alot of space to move around best place is in the middle of the deck the man on the net can get into a corner where the fish is coming into , both on one side of a small runabout your going to go in a circle as the boat will deffo list to one side with 350lb+ on one side :

Small mesh nets tend to be really hard to manoeuvre when the boats doing 2.5-3 mph so bring the speed down as per Pescador tips

 

[Buddha]

All great tips. If you are the one netting it’s important to stay calm. Hard sometimes when you are staring at a fish that has a head size bigger than your wife and you are convinced it’s about to wink at you and take a run for the props. I’ve seen net man on other boats stomping around the deck chasing the fish with the net scaring it into that fateful last run and boatside release. Have the rod person bring the fish towards the center of the net. Net is in the water at an angle with half of the hoop in the water (If you are lucky enough the fish is so big you might have to insert more). Net shouldnt enter flat like it’s floating on the surface. You want to open the hoop area available that the fish can enter. When you are sure enough of the fish has cleared the hoop calmly pull back essentially closing the hoop. Lift by the closed hoop as others suggested and hope there isn’t a hole in the net. High five the rod man. If nothing goes as planned you can choose to stay calm and try and set up landing again. Worst case scenario is when you have to improvise and try some hero plays which may work as well. Saw one where a hook caught in the net on the side of the hoop while the fish was outside the circle and the net guy did a flip thing and scooped it from the intended bottom. Also one where someone jumped, stretched and laid out on top of the overboard cowling like a football player laying out for a catch as the the fish made a last minute jerk towards the motors. The net man usually gets the scorn when a fish is lost boatside and most time it’s warranted but the rod person has responsibilities in the landing phase. Like the suggestion of putting the more experienced person on the net versus the rod if you have to choose. An experienced guy on the rod is way harsher on a rookie net person than a rookie rod person on an experienced net person.

 

[banger17]

agree with many of the comments:
1) slow way down, and sometimes even neutral. Not necessarily technique related but nothing like playing a big fish with all engines off.
2) rod holder is in charge. May seem slightly confusing as netter wants to get the job done, but feel of the rod and fight dictate the plan.
3) tire the fish as much as possible and be patient. Too many rush-jobs have led to disasters

 

[Sttr]

Netting around whiskers can be very challenging, I find the number one rule of tiring the fish out is thrown out the window, along with the next steps. Seem to always reel the fish in as fast as possible when whiskers is around and then absolute chaos at the boat. Lost many many fish like this, still remember the ones that got away.
Curious what you guys do in a hostile environment

 

[wildthing]

Netting around whiskers can be very challenging, I find the number one rule of tiring the fish out is thrown out the window, along with the next steps. Seem to always reel the fish in as fast as possible when whiskers is around and then absolute chaos at the boat. Lost many many fish like this, still remember the ones that got away.
Curious what you guys do in a hostile environment

mr fur buger has to depart or move to another area if your being sealed .....

 

[Buddha]

In the 80’s my dad would turn the clicker off on the Longstone and pull out some m-80’s after hook up and look out for seals when we knew they were around. The bang of an m-80 scared them away in those days but for some reason I don’t think it would do anything today even if you were crazy enough to try. Seals were not the problem back then as they are today for some reason. These days it’s a turkey shoot. I’ve been out and been sealed back to back and never saw the seal and my buddy gets 2 over the rail playing normal and heads bobbing in the distance On the same trip. One time we hooked a fish on a naked spoon and thought it was being chased by a seal so put it on freespool and let the fish run freely away and chased it by boat and netted it out of the area. If there is a resident seal in a tight area breaking away from the pack right after hook up into deeper waters can help. Not sure if those tactics directly lead to better success but they make great stories….

 

[Marley]

Thanks for all the pointers. Additionally what net do you prefer? Is there a net that you feel gives greater success in landing fish?

 

[big rock]

have disagree on that one if your on a small boat with not alot of space to move around best place is in the middle of the deck the man on the net can get into a corner where the fish is coming into , both on one side of a small runabout your going to go in a circle as the boat will deffo list to one side with 350lb+ on one side :

Small mesh nets tend to be really hard to manoeuvre when the boats doing 2.5-3 mph so bring the speed down as per Pescador tips

Ya I suppose 350+ lbs leaning over the side of a small runabout is a bad combo. Fortunately I have a big enough boat that two people can stand at the gunwale with no issues. As mentioned above the most important part is that the rod holder doesn’t loose sight of the fish when netting.

 

[Howesoundhound]

Thanks for all the pointers. Additionally what net do you prefer? Is there a net that you feel gives greater success in landing fish?

I switched last year from 4 ft handle net to the Gibbs 6 ft handle net with an extra deep net. It's made a big difference in being able to net the fish earlier, which decreased the number of fish that spat the hook near the boat. Only thing is that the net is actually deeper than necessary so it gets a but bulky in the boat. But I really recommend that net. But be very careful not to accidentally bend the aluminum handle, which happened to my first one during shipping.