Keepnets - ???

[Newt]

I see a number of references to keepnets on here.

 

Many posters seem to be very much against them and usually say they are harmful to fish.

 

Other than the obvious such as filling the net to the point the fish couldn't move at all or having it poorly secured so it drifts away with a load of fish, is there any serious evidence that keepnets harm fish?

 

Reason I ask, I have read several scientific studies (one with carp and not sure about species with the other) and the conclusion seems to be that holding fish in a properly designed keepnet is not at all harmful.

 

BTW - this is a matter of interest to me but nothing I have personal involvement with since keepnets are not used in the US (well, maybe a couple of ex-pat Brit match guys do but not in general use).

[chesters1]

not so much the keep nets (i use one occasionly ) its usually when weighing ,the net is dragged up the bank so the fish can be put in the weighing basket (in matches etc) as the net comes out the fish have less room to move and usually all flap about at the bottom, there is nothing worse (in my view) than seeing a netfull of fish on the bank for a photograph in an angling mag .

[Zinky]

Chesters1, Spot on with this one, an angler did this on a water a selected few are allowed to fish, yesterday it took him all of 10 mins to sort out his catch, short from Twa*ing him not much I could do?? its in the rules you can use keepnets? but next season we will have no keepnets if I get my way.

He appears to be the only one out of 20 chosen ones who use a keepnet.A true "Dickwad"

[phonebush]

Newt,

For the longest time I thought a "keepnet" was the hair thingy women wore in packing houses to keep hair off the product.

Phone

What the heck would an angler do with a keepnet?

[Dave Hill]

Newt,

 

Newt the reports are absolutely right, keepnets when used properly do no harm to the fish at all.

In fact, in my opinion, a fish is probably better off in a net than being released into what is a very dangerous and violent fishy environment!

 

Fish when kept in a net have a chance to fully recover from the fight before being released. After all, if you were to fully submerge a keepnet into a fishery I'll wager that many fish would voluntarily seek refuge inside of it!!!

 

I've been away from this site for a while and now I'm back I can't help wondering whats going on. This site has always had a bias towards specialists of one sort or another, who have no use for a keepnet, but of late I feel that the use of keepnets and match anglers are being villified by various posts on here.... maybe its time for me to find a different site?

 

The very terminoligy used such as 'the net is dragged up the bank' is immotive... I have never seen a net 'dragged' anywhere... after all, it would damage the net!

 

There will always be idiots who give every aspect of angling a bad press. In my view the answer is to ban the idiots, not the practice they are ineptly carrying out.

 

It annoys me sometimes the way some people go on about fish welfare as if the fish were made of bone china and will break if you so much as look at it in the wrong way. Fish are a hardy animal... they have to be, they live in a vile harsh environment where they incur damage and injury regularly. Do they care? In my opinion they don't even know!

 

Finally... and I'm sorry if i'm straying away from your original point... anglers should not be arguing for a ban to any aspect of our sport... This is the third time I have said this tonight!!!

 

I don't like 'livebaiting'... I think it is a vile practice.. my answer... I DON'T DO IT... simple. But would I ban it.... never. I would fight to protect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by ALL anglers regardless of my personal opinion of the individual practices.

[chesters1]

i concur with your point on the dragging up the bank bit ,but some of the netfulls seen in the angling press could hardly have been lifted bodily out by the owner even with help ,or it could be envy clouding my judgement ,maybe the nets are getting too big ,if the catch was weighed every hour (in a match) and released they would have had time to recover but miss out on the end of match squeeze ,as for your remark on safety in the net how many times have you had jack pike attacking the mesh trying to get at the catch ? i expect the safely ensconced "meal" is giving a "fins up " to the enemy

[Dave Hill]

Chesters,

 

On waters where large nets of fish can be expected in a match I would certainly support multiple weigh in's. In fact, this happens exactly as you suggest, every hour, in at least one competition I can think of.

 

As for the majority of catches in the majority of matches, I would be surprised if the average weight of fish was over 10lbs...

[Dave Hill]

Chesters,

 

Your point about pike. :confused: I am not sure what your getting at... yes I have had pike attack the net many times... by the same token I have seen the water 'erupt' many times as fish try to avoid a charging pike... BUT the fish in my net don't get eaten...I have never had a pike actually manage to eat its way through the net.

[Peter Waller]

I have no problem with keep-nets in themselves. It's the poor sod at the bottom when the net is lifted clear of the water that I feel sorry for! Especially when its a hundredweight of slabs, I wish.

 

Infact, when roach & bream fishing I think they are a necessity. In not using one I feel that a returned fish can take a shoal away with them.

 

But why lift them clear of the water? Just lift the bottom, lower the top & off go the fish, unharmed. In other words, its NOT the keepnet that's the problem, its how we use them that matters.

 

Read between the lines and you might just read 'Match Fishing?'

[John S]

Although I don't use a keepnet myself (haven't owned one since the early 80's), I see no problem with them if they are used properly! I don't like to see the overflowing nets you get in some publications, neither do I like to see a net anchored to the bank at least 7 feet above the water with the fish sliding down the mesh before it finally reaches the water. Used with intelligence, they can be a bonus even in normal pleasure angling. Used wrong and they will kill or injure fish. I'm sure however that the anglers concerned are acting out of ignorance.

 

As for using them to let fish recover their strength, I can see the sense in that. Sometimes I have had to support a fish in the water for a short time until I'm happy that it has got its' strength back, either by hand or in the landing net. A keepnet would certainly make that a lot easier for both me and the fish....

 

Dave Hill.... "Fish are a hardy animal... they have to be, they live in a vile harsh environment where they incur damage and injury regularly. Do they care? In my opinion they don't even know!"

 

As an aquarist I know that some fish are hardier than others, but if you accidentally remove some of the slime from their bodies you will leave them open to parasitic/fungal/viral attacks. For that reason, before I start fishing I fill a 2 pint bait box with water and dip my hands into it before bringing a fish in to hand or taking it from the landing net. Dry hands are anathema to fish slime

 

As for them not knowing, I'm sure you're right in that. I've witnessed severely damaged fish (one looked like it had been bitten hard by a jack) feeding and swimming normally. Any fish therefore should be handled as carefully/gently as possible. They can't tell you if they're feeling ill, so we should do our best to make sure they keep healthy.

 

Reading that back, it might seem that I'm having a dig at you Dave - not meant like that at all

 

Tight lines