keepnets

[ColinW]

If you want to use a keepnet, join a club and fish non-commercial fisheries. It is very uncommon to have keepnet bans on rivers, canals and large lakes. It's only commercial carp holes (or small club ponds that have been overstocked to fish like commercial carp holes) where keepnet bans are the norm.

[Anderoo]

I've got mixed feelings about them. I never use one now, and haven't for ages, but maybe that's just because I'm older and my views have changed? As a kid, looking at my catch at the end of the day and watching them swim off was what fishing was all about, so it would be a bit rich of me to be preachy to younger anglers. At the same time, I know for a fact they can cause damage and/or distress to some fish, and as someone else pointed out, a 'netful' these days isn't a couple of dozen small roach and perch, it's a 100lb of carp. So, I'm on the fence, but wouldn't be at all upset if they slowly disappeared...

[Steve Walker]

I've been thinking about this. I don't often use them these days, but then most of my fishing now is either of the sort where every fish caught represents enough of a success in its own right (and perhaps a photo if it's good enough) or else is of the sort where I'm too mobile for it to be worthwhile. The session I had a couple of weeks ago on a local pond resulted in lots of small tench and roach, individually none of them of much consequence but collectively a really good evening's fishing. I think I would have liked to have seen them all together in my keep net - that's how I used to pleasure fish when I was a kid, and also how I used to match-fish; in either case, I set out to catch the biggest bag of fish I could, and the achievement was in the total catch. There wasn't really much choice back then, but I still enjoy doing that occasionally.

 

So I might dig out my keepnet for the odd session, once the weather cools a bit, and assuming that the shed-mice have not entirely eaten it.

[Steve Burke]

Like some other fishery managers the only time I've ever permitted keepnets on the Coarse Lake at Wingham was in the annual match I used to run. This is because on match days stewards and I could keep an eye on things. On a water like Wingham it's not feasible to do so at other times though.

 

If the "Keepnet Code" is adhered to there shouldn't be a problem with keepnets. However, the law of averages says it won't always be the case if there isn't supervision. A particular problem seems to be when the keepnet is lifted out of the water, when I've seen small fish get crushed by big ones. Some of these fish have died on the spot, others have been found dead soon after.

 

I've also found that big bream don't take kindly to keepnets even if by themselves. Usually I return them immediately, or if they need a breather let them have one in a sack. On one occasion a few years ago I experimented with a huge keepnet made entirely of sacking that I thought would be safe. Unfortunately the bream came out with a number of sores on it. So lesson learned, no more keepnets.

 

BTW, there's been no problem with sacks, even though the material is the same. It seems as though the fish stay still in the darkness of the sack rather than rubbing against the keepnet, and it may be it feels more secure with the sack enveloping it. I say "it" as you should only ever have one fish per sack.

 

So please remember if you come to the Wingham Fish-In - no keepnets!

[dapper64]

Not good practice to keep barbel in a keepnet at all, the fact the barbel has a boney appendige to it's dorsal fin that can get caught in a net, and the oxygen that the fish requires to survive is more than most other species. Just now on the Wye there are reports of dead barbel, main reason is that the warm weather requires the fish to be fully recovered in the margins before release, this can take up to 20 minutes or so. I am afriad this is not always done. Personally I would never us a keepnet again, but then again I don't match fish.

I haven't had a barbel yet,but I have fished for them,and I have taken a keepnet with me when targeting them,after the information you have given,I will not be taking a keepnet in the future.

[blockend]

Can't remember the last time I used a keepnet. If fish welfare makes me a bleeding heart liberal so be it.

[gozzer]

Can't remember the last time I used a keepnet. If fish welfare makes me a bleeding heart liberal so be it.

 

No "bleeding heart liberal" mate, just someone who has made a choice.

 

If someone makes a choice and it's legal, then I respect them and their right to that choice.

 

If on the other hand they force their choice on others, (who are also acting legally, but make a different choice), then I have no respect for them.

 

There are many aspects of angling today that have scant regard for fish/wildlife welfare, but are accepted, and even endorsed by anglers themselves. For those people, (who accept and endorse these aspects), to judge others on a particular part of their angling, is just plain hypocrisy.

 

 

It's been said many times on here, that if fish welfare was paramount, then we wouldn't go fishing.

 

 

John.

[blockend]

Maybe my comment didn't match what I meant to say and I agree on the wider point about fishing and welfare. When we were kids we used keepnets indiscriminately, especially those 4ft jobs with the big mesh and at the end of the day you'd have 70 gudgeon with their heads out and gills trapped and finish up trying to squeeze them through the holes.

 

Obviously modern nets are different but I'd need a reason to use one like setting up a photo before I could justify it. I remember seeing summer matches where keepnets were solid and the mortality rate shocking. That's a different matter to a few chub in a net in a well oxygenated river.

The whole commercials thing is so far from my idea of fishing anyway it's like a different sport but if it keeps people at their holes and away from my pitch good luck to them.

[Dick Dastardly]

Well I will admit to using keepnets sometimes! I still enjoy the odd day out catching small fish.A lot of the enjoyment I get is seeing the total bag at the end of the session.

 

Some situations I also use one for barbel.I would rather the barbel went belly up in the net than belly up in midstream where I cant do anything about it.

 

I have to disagree with Steve here re bream.Ive seen bream die in sacks and dont like (in fact wont) sacking them full stop.Happy enough to use them if needed for carp but nothing else.Not only is the oxygen/water exchange in them very poor but they often pull bream over on their sides.

 

When I have wanted to retain bream for a short while (a few hours maximum) Ive used a short but wide (24"diameterx4' long) keepnet that has the top section twisted so its shut and this is then sunk and staked out in the shade as deep as possible. I have now got a modified catfish tube that I can make "rigid" by putting a bankstick in pockets along the side so no need to stake it out and this means I can get it into even deeper water.Its made of carp sack type material but I only have this to 1)keep fishery owners happy and 2) because I agree the dark helps keep the fish quiet.

 

If ever I had to retain a pike I would use the same.Sacks aint good for anything other than carp! and even then I reckon the carp only survive them because they are so hardyand can survive so low oxygen levels.

 

I wont bother explaining how I use/when I use/dont use nets.When I do/dont retain fish as there are obviously right and wrong with each.Im happy enough that I do it correctly and as a result the fish in general dont suffer to much.

 

But that said I have noticed that livebaits kept in a keepnet tend to fungus up a lot more often than ones kept in buckets/tanks so the long term effects are obviously detrimental.

[gozzer]

But that said I have noticed that livebaits kept in a keepnet tend to fungus up a lot more often than ones kept in buckets/tanks so the long term effects are obviously detrimental.

 

When have you noticed this Budgie?

 

When they are still in the net, or on the hook?

 

John.