Net or not?

[Kerry Stratton]

I use a net when fishing from a boat. Not for the fish's sake but for my safety. Attempting to release a fish while leaning over the side of a boat at my age is not a safe practice. When wade fishing I never use a net preferring to remove the hook without removing the fish from the water. Also, I almost never take the time to take pictures of fish. I don't like taking that extra time with a fish to shoot a picture unless I have someone with me that is ready to shoot when the fish is ready to be released.

[Mato Kuwapi]

In general I try not to use a net and in most cases I don't have to...HOWEVER... I do carry one and I use it from time to time, when I get a bigger fish...and the reason is to keep the fight time down to absolute minimum with these bigger fish. Without a net I notice people spend way to much time tiring the fish out.

[DG]

I generally do not carry a net for trouting. Most fish don't need a net, IMO, and the ones that do are too big for any net I want to carry around all the time. I used to bring a net when steelhead fishing with others, so I could net their fish, but not since.

Fish are not as delicate as some would believe. They scrape rocks and sticks and each other every day of their lives, not to mention things trying to kill and eat them.

[Kerry Stratton]

Interesting that some here prefer using a net on larger fish. I am an avid steelhead fisherman and find netting large fish like steelhead that I intend to release far more difficult than bringing the fish in close in a foot or two of water and removing the hook without even touching the fish.

[teachmarkey]

Really interesting input. While it's obvious the matter is still open for discussion, I think the majority of these responses have been well reasoned, and I do feel like I can make a more informed decision. Thanks!

[John_N]

Several of these posts point up a scenario that I didn't give much thought to in making my comparisons. I too occasionally just bring the fish in quickly and extract the hook without netting it or taking it out of the water and can see where that would be comparable to the benefits I ascribe to using a net. What I'm more accustomed to seeing with folks who don't use a net is that they truly "land" the fish by hand, raising it from the water by hand, removing the hook and releasing the fish. In that comparison, I think the net offers at least a couple of distinct advantages. For one, I don't need to play a fish anywhere near as long to get it to the point of being able to scoop it up in a net. You can net a fish while it's still "hot" but usually can't land it by hand in that state, which is why, as Mato pointed out, a lot of non-netters that I see wind up playing their fish a lot longer. The second advantage is simply handling. Any of us who have held a fish, whether netted or otherwise, know they sometimes still want to kick a little bit. I very often see people who hand land their fish struggling to contain them when this happens. The results vary and are again probably familiar to all of us. It could be you wind up having to pin the floundering fish against your shirt or waders, maybe it gets dropped on the ground or in the boat, or maybe it just winds up in an unintentionally harder grip or grabbed by a second, dry hand. I won't pretend to know how truly delicate these fish are or not, but I do maintain that if you prefer to minimize this kind of stuff, as I do, using a net clearly allows you to do that. Certainly one of those "to each his own" areas, but that's my two cents.

[RonT]

Same opinion as John N. with exception of Steelhead and Hybrid Striped Bass, then a Boga. If the Boga, rarely out of the water (unsupported)....unhook and release.
R

[CoachBob]

In the previous thread I really ticked some folks off by suggesting C&R could be done responsibly. What the article said was:

When you net fish, use a soft-meshed or rubber landing net that is held in the water. If you must touch the fish to get the hook out, wet your hands first. This is the single most important aspect of handling fish. ALWAYS wet your hands first. Dry hands always take off slime. Never drag the fish up onto the bank and let him flop around. Grass does some damage, but not as much as dirt, gravel and boat decks. Among the tools you should consider for catch and release are the BogaGrip type. The original namesake tool is very good but quite expensive and many other companies have copied the design and sell for twenty percent of the original. Properly used, you can hold, lift and never touch your catch, and some grips come equipped with scales to handle that task as well. However, this tool is too heavy and bulky to use on trout or smaller fish. A fairly new tool is the LippaRig, which takes knowing how to use it to make it work. With this pair of unique pliers the fish never leaves the water so the fact that the ends of the pliers when closed always leave a gap is intentional (although frustrating if you try to lift a fish with them). A good net is an acceptable approach if you don’t toss the fish around in it like flipping pancakes. The new special C&R models are particularly good.

Personally, I carry a "guide net" which has a very large hoop, is 48" long and rubber hook proof mesh. I tuck it in the back of my wader belt (which is another topic but a mandatory piece of equipment) and never notice it until needed. It can also substitute as a wading staff if you hold the end of the hoop. With this net I usually manage not to bonk the fish with the net and don't over play them at my feet and can have them captive in a large enclosure (still in the water) for unhooking. All in all, pretty cool.

[gadabout]

I use a net for trout of any appreciable size. I think it is the best way to handle them, as long as you are reasonably careful. And my landing net doesn't have the so-called "catch-and-release" net material, which I strongly believe has more to do with lowering manufacturing costs than protecting the fish.

[fishdog54]

I carry a net - when I remember to bring one! I only use it if I have to. I generally use barbless, or I should say, pinched-barbed hooks, but not always. I prefer to reach down and grab the fly with my fingers and give it an upward jerk! Usually that works - but not always! Sometimes I use very light tippets - 6x thru 9x and will net the fish as opposed to it breaking me off in a last second attempt to get away! Also trying to grab #22 thru #32 size hooks with forceps while a fish is struggling, can be a bit tricky! I don't know if I'm going to use my net on a fish until the "moment of truth". Every fish reacts/fights and cooperates differently - so nothing is set in stone. I've made my own nets in the past, so I have quite a collection of them - and still I can leave home without one. I have had days where I wish I hadn't forgot it, and days when I wondered why I bothered with it. Go figure!

Now, as to this rubber ghost netting? I (me, myself) think it is absurd to stick one of those ugly rubber things on a beautiful handcrafted, wooden trout net! Also - where is the scientific evidence that these rubber nets don't take "any" slime off the fish? I don't buy it for one moment, and like it has been said, if you wet your cotton netting before you net the fish ( which I can't see how you can stick the net in water and not get it wet) is there any difference as far as the fish goes? I am also from the camp that believes that this is nothing more than creative marketing at work here. Btw, barbless hooks back out of all netting materials and even barbed hooks are not a problem if you have a little patience! You can generally open the weave and extract any hook!

If you have to hold onto the fish to extract a barbed hook - try holding them upside down - I have had a lot of luck doing it that way.

Best regards, Dave S.