What’s your favourite landing net?

MadJigga

Well-Known Member
So, time to invest in a new net. 6’+handle length as I’m tall and fish alone often. For in the chuck.
 
The Scotty nets are good, but the 6' handle can be awkward and heavy.
I like a 4' handle with a large basket.
I just put my net away until August..... :(
 
We use a Gibbs. The GV-72GS is a decent net but quite expensive. It is vinyl coated and has a reinforced handle and hoop. As Scott said, the 6' handle is a bit much on a smaller boat. It may end up cut back shorter.
 
One without the typical serrated edge on the shaft if you GAS about your gelcoat in any way. People freak out landing fish and slam the damn net around chip chip chip hahaha

I wish I could remember which net I ended up with but I can't only that I bought it from Dave at Highwater in North Van.
 
What ever net you go with make sure the twine used on the mesh is very thin, stay away from the coated twine nets or anything with heavy gauge weave. You would be surprised at how much drag that adds to the net when it’s in the water. This would be particularly important to someone who fishes solo. My son bought me a lucky strike a couple years back. I believe it’s a lucky strike but I would have to check. But I ended up changing out the net on it. I lost more than a few fish with that damn thing. When you drug it through the water it was like dragging an anchor around, incredibly hard to move around a fish in the water.
 
What ever net you go with make sure the twine used on the mesh is very thin, stay away from the coated twine nets or anything with heavy gauge weave. You would be surprised at how much drag that adds to the net when it’s in the water. This would be particularly important to someone who fishes solo. My son bought me a lucky strike a couple years back. I believe it’s a lucky strike but I would have to check. But I ended up changing out the net on it. I lost more than a few fish with that damn thing. When you drug it through the water it was like dragging an anchor around, incredibly hard to move around a fish in the water.
I agree. I bought a C&R net and it's damn near impossible to stop it when the current takes ahold. You get one shot when netting solo then all your effort has to go into getting the net up and out as fast as possible. I like to gaff release when I can but this thing was bought specifically for a C&R tourney where we had to measure. I'll never do that again either.
 
Yes they are much harder netting when solo however after a couple days you get used to it and are a pro again. Have to admit the first time I used it I almost dropped it in the water and said **** it haha
 
I have 3 nets I carry with me at times. A small net with about an 18” opening and 4’ handle when we are onto the Coho or Pinks. A medium sized net that I use probably 90% of the time for bigger coho and 99% of the chinook. It has I would say about 24” opening and 5’ handle very easy to handle and maneuver in the water. I keep the big net your typical salmon net folded up and kept off to the side just for the odd time one might get into the 30# plus fish. Haven’t t used it in a couple years actually since I went to having the smaller nets. Not everyone has the room to have this many on hand but if you do I feel it’s the way to go.
 
I left my 6' handle Scotty in my net holder after retrieving my boat to the trailer. Ended up breaking off the bottom when the net caught a tree branch. Now I really like my 5' handle Scotty and recommend this modification to everyone, lol.

What size tree branch should we be looking for. Don’t want to get it wrong and have to do it twice. The handle might get too short then. Asking for a friend.

Oly
 
What size tree branch should we be looking for. Don’t want to get it wrong and have to do it twice. The handle might get too short then. Asking for a friend.

Oly

It should break at the top of your net holder, so aim for a 1 foot net holder.

A hacksaw may be more controlled though
 
Strongly recommend what I have, a Frabill Conservation series net. . .I think I have the musky version. I like it for the same reason, mostly fish solo, and nice long reach, knotless bag which is deep, but doesn't have too much drag in the current. I think I have been going on 10 years and it's still going strong. They're pricey, but worth it to me,
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You would be surprised at how much drag that adds to the net when it’s in the wate

Especially when people dont kick the boat out of gear for the few seconds it takes to land the fish ..how many times have I seen guys still troll away like nothing is happening stand at back of boat reaching as far as one can reach and guy yanking on rod as hard as he can to "drag" the fish to net only to watch it try and get onto hoop then FLICK hook get caught in net and fish is gone or worse seen the net get pulled right out of guys hands LOL

And yes my vote is for the frabill been using that net coming up 20 years im on my 3rd one now as first one went for a swim (my fault) second one well it just plain wore out 12 years of use.... I bought the 6 foot one but cut it down 1 foot as 6 I found too long its has a coated net but not bad at all and tiny weights on the side of net so it sinks and best part a triangle handle. they are not cheap by any means but hell 12 years thats cheap..

.https://www.frabill.com/shop/nets/by-netting/coated/power-catch-weighted-net
 
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