I did not use a net for many years. I fish for trout, salmon and steelhead in upstate NY. I was wading in Lake Ontario in February and caught one large steelhead after another. It took forever to land then release them while wading in waist high waves! Since then I began carrying a net and I have been able to land and release large fish quickly. I now also use a net on small streams and am able to handle the occasional large fish better.

Not using a net works fine for me until the fishing gets great - then I really need one!