fishing alone - landing net

[jakemcarroll]

I just switched jobs and will be lucky enough to frequently have fridays off this summer. This also means I will more than likely do a fair amount of fishing alone. I'm looking to do a lot more fishing this summer for northerns and bass and I'm looking to purchase my first net, so keeping in mind I will need to be able to handle it myself, any have some suggestions, maybe in the 50-75$ range? Thanks!

[JimBuck]

Frabill and Beckman make great nets. I suggest getting your hands on a few since weight and feel can often be much more important in a solo fishing scenario. What are you typically going to be fishing out of? What type of handle length, hoop size etc. I love my Frabill!

[stifler51]

I LOVE MY FRABILL!!! with a telescoping handle. great for solo fishing cuz u can extend the handle and hold it with one hand and put the other end in your armpit and land those fish. plus it works great in a boat and on shore.

[bmc]

I started using a net with rubber bag on it last year, I think it's a Frabill. Man is that nice not having to fight to get hooks out of the net. Just make sure it has a long enough handle like stifler51 said, so you can use your armpit to help

control the net.

Brian

[TruthWalleyes]

BMC, wouldn't happen to have a pic of this plastic bag technique would ya? Little bit interested, HOoks in the net are no fun.

[LakeDocktor]

One thing that I would definitely consider when getting a rubber net is to make sure that the net is deep enough. There are a few cheaper rubber nets on the market that aren't as deep and don't allow for any stretch. Landing fish by yourself with these shallow nets can be a challenge to those who haven't done it before. I have seen many fish spit the hook in the net and these shallower nets act more as a cradle than a landing net.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have a stowmaster and really like how compact it is when I am not using it.

[solbes]

I fish alone 50% and more too. I have a Beckman net that's nice and deep. Had some upper 30"s pike that were difficult to land with the shallow nets. This one should be good to land the 40"+ should I ever land one. The hooks do dig into the Beckman, but I would rather spend 2 minutes digging hooks out than losing that fish. If the rubber ones are deep enough, then that would be the best of both worlds.

[Muddog]

Go with a black color net. Spooked fish head to deep water and a black net looks like deep water.

[winniewalleye777]

Are you serious Muddog?

[muskielaw]

I have a pretty cool net made for fishing alone where the handle at the end is curved and bent side ways to fit under your forearm to give you more leverage. Not sure what brand it is but can check when I get home. As far as those black rubber nets I call them "trampoline" nets. You will know why when the fish gets excited and bounces right out of the net and back into the water. Trust me my grandfather had one of those nets at the beginning of one season and we had more then one nice bass take a bounce do a somersault with a twist and made a nice return to the lake with a perfect 10 score! But then again others seem to like them.

[Zemp]

I've always used rubber nets (my dad loved them!) and they are definitely a lot easier to get hooks out of, especially crank baits. Saves time when the bite is hot! The recommendations on depths mentioned are good to follow. One thing to watch out for if you are going to be fishing pike, the rubber stretches and it is possible for a northern to slide right through the rubber loops. I have seen this many times with fish up to four pounds or so. You just have to get the net over the sides of the boat a little quicker. I've never had it happen with an 'eye or bass...not sure if its the head shape, or just the fact that the pike are that much slimier.

[fishorgolf]

I have two nets in the boat. one rubber and one very deep coated netting Beckman.

The rubber is for when I am fishing for keeper walleyes with the kids and such and I am doing allot of netting for everyone in the boat and the advantage of not getting the hooks caught in the net so I can net more fish quickly out way the very occasional lost fish. The Beckman I use when I am fishing alone or when I am targeting larger fish and a slower bite.

[Ronpamlukejake]

What brand of net was the one that you could use with one arm? I have one called a Strong Arm Net but that company has gone out of bisuness.

[hunterjoe]

For landing fish by yourself, I would recommend getting a little larger net than you think you might need. It's easier to get a fish in net by yourself if there's a little room for error.

[jigginjim]

I had always used a rubber net. That really save on the fish, and easy to get the hooks out. The rubber one was nice, but if the fish was large the rubber would allow the fish to flipp out of the net. I how have a beckman pen net. The net is deeper, coated so hooks will not get stuck in it, also came with a long handle. So far it has netted some really nice fish.

[jakemcarroll]

As an update I was at gander ~1 week ago and purchase a nice beckman net, I was impressed with the build quality and they seemed to have very nice nets. A salesperson then came over and told me they were 50% off!! How could I resist, only landed one fish so far (a little 22" northern) but it was great to use it! I can't wait to get out more now, thanks for all of the awesome suggestions!