Landing Net Advice

[ga-rat]

Once again I am just after a bit of buying advice, this time its for a landing net, I realise there are many net's for many situations and once again I am trying to find a cheap-ish solution, a net that would do for all types of fish upto 20lb (20lb may be wishful thinking, I don't want to catch one and not be able to get it out the water)

 

I had bee advised that I would want a 36" at least.

 

I have found a few cheapies in various stores, has anyone had any good or bad experiences with the ones below.

 

Argos 14.99 Keenets

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/part...LANDING+NET.htm

 

Argos 9.99 Keenets

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/part...LANDING+NET.htm

 

Sportsdirect £8 Zebco

http://www.sportsdirect.com/zebco-landing-net-791102

 

They are all brands I know. I have been looking on ebay at used ones, unless one comes up on ebay local to me its no good, postage is sometimes as much as the pole/net.

 

I have seen a nice keepnet pole/handle in my local tackle shop for just under £10, so this may be an option and I could just buy the net on ebay as most of the nets in the shop are either to small or they're £25+.

[Tigger]

TFG do a decent net. I got one from fishteck with a zip up stink bag included for 15 ripp's.

[John S]

I'd suggest you get two nets - one for small fish that you can't bring in to your hand, and a larger one for the real biggies that would prove difficult to net with the first one. You could end up feeling a right twonk slipping out a large landing net for something that weighs less than 1lb otherwise

[gozzer]

I'd suggest you get two nets - one for small fish that you can't bring in to your hand, and a larger one for the real biggies that would prove difficult to net with the first one. You could end up feeling a right twonk slipping out a large landing net for something that weighs less than 1lb otherwise

 

I agree, I once forgot my pan net, and had to tie off the bottom of my 30ins net to land dace and roach between a half, and three quarter pound, otherwise they were 'lost' in the bottom of the net.

 

John.

[Barry C]

Yep two nets is the way to go unless you are only going to target big or small species.

Many carp venues stipulate a minimum sized net to be used. But if like me you target roach or perch on those waters you will feel a right tozzer using a 36 inch net on 1lb roach.

I use an 18 inch drennan and a non descript 32 inch that covers my big bream and double figure carp.

[ga-rat]

Thanks for the advice, I think I will go for the landing net pole and a smaller net from my local tackle shop and then buy a larger net to fit the same pole.

 

Think I have been a bit silly, I will need 2 poles, I can't go changing the net when I have a fish on the end of my line and waiting to see what size it is.

 

I would rather support my local shop when making purchases. Sometimes it's hard though when you see such bargains online.

[Emma two]

You could end up feeling a right twonk slipping out a large landing net for something that weighs less than 1lb otherwise

 

 

Has the notion of image permutated angling as well as lots of other areas of life?.....probably has.

why bother about the net size, so long as it does the job?

 

I often carry a v small American style 'dip net' when out on my prowling lure fishing sessions, I'm using small to medium cranks, spinners and soft bodies with wire traces and minimum 20 bs braid. The species most encountered is Pike, so the 'twonk' look/feel potential is there, however lots of the fishing is done from a rocky shore, I wouldnt use a net on a lure looked Pike in those conditions, opting to 'chin' them out instead...what is also likely to turn up though are good Perch those are what the dip net is for, soft mouthed stripeys I prefer to net.

Happily on most occasions I don't see anyone else, but even when I do I care little for what they may think of my apparently unbalanced gear, I know what I am about.

 

Similarly when afloat one net serves for all, I take and old but very good folding Salmon net, I replaced the mesh, it originally had knotted, it's that old. I have this one due to knowing that I am not strong enough to haul a big double (Pike) over the side when I am alone in the boat, so it gets used when I have a good fish like that, I also use it to land any Perch from around a LB up, Having a big Perch fall off when trying to just swing in aboard is a bit of a heartbreak.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Emma two

[watatoad]

As others have already said choosing a landing net and a handle is a variable and not an easy one.

 

1: Will you be fishing over weeds or down a steep slope? - One of my landing nets has a 12' 3.6mtr handle because of a need to reach past/over obstacles.

 

2: What species are you intending to target? - Think about both weight and size.

 

3: Some landing nets are coated so as to save you having smelly water slowly draining off them in the back of the car/tackle bag plus they are less damaging to the fish being less likely to remove or damage scales and they are less likely to rub off the fishes protective slime.

 

4: I hear some fisheries actually insist on coated landing nets so as to prevent the transference of water born diseases and parasites, so check out your intended venues for restrictions.

 

5: In my personal opinion cheap or lower end landing nets and landing net handles are not worth considering as I have no intention of loosing a specimen fish or a personal best due to a desire to save a few quid on a landing net and a handle. I would sooner go fishing one less time and use the money for a really good landing net and handle.

 

6: Once you have almost chosen your landing net and handle. STOP - look very very carefully at its construction - I went through several handles and nets last season looking for a good modern ones.

- - - one the fixing on the handle which the net screws into fell off because the glue used was a water soluble glue ... poor manufacturer yet a famous company

- - - one the handle snapped and it was not a cheap one ... poor manufacturer yet a famous company

- - - one the handle pulled apart because the telescopic sections fitted the wrong way ... remember you will be pulling it towards yourself ... poor design yet a famous company

- - - one although designed for Carp bent and bowed as if it was made of rubber rather than the aluminum it was made of with a fish weighing less than 20lbs then the joints failed ... total load of rubbish from a famous company

- - - one so called waterproof net lost all the rubber coating within 4 sessions

- - - one a largish barbel bent the metal used to hold the net in shape

- - - one the screw fixing where it meets the metal used to hold the net in shape failed

- - - one the net itself fell to pieces after 3 sessions

 

hehehe...there you have it the Toady guide to landing nets and handles and not a manufacturer mentioned.

[Steve Walker]

I recently bought a new landing net. It's got rubberised mesh, something I've not had before. I used it at Wingham, so it has had an eel and a large tench in it, yet it didn't stink up the car on the way home, it has virtually no odour at all. They are also supposed to resist getting hooks caught in the mesh.

[Dick Dastardly]

If you want to keep the price down why not buy a 24" round net with a deep mesh (the John Wilson Wanderer or similar) It will land anything you are likely to get plus with the net banded up (put an elastic band around the gathered up mesh to stop it being so deep but a big fish will pull the band down) it will still be ok for smaller fish.

 

Incidentally Ive had 25lb+ carp,12lb+ bream and mid double figure pike in such a net.