Tips to Buying a Landing Net

A landing net is a “basket” style fishing net that remains open by a hoop attached to a handle primarily used for the final capture of a hooked fish.† Landing nets vary in the ìdepthî of the net, the size and shape of the hoop, and the length of the handle.† There are small short handled nets for fly fishing in a brook or river and there are larger ìheavy dutyî nets with longer handles for fishing from a boat in big water.† The species of fish you are after will help to determine these factors.†

Metal is the material most commonly used to make the handle and the hoop of the landing net with wood sometimes used in smaller models.† A rubber or padded grip is usually added to the handle for comfort when handling.† The diameter of the handle on most landing nets will allow it to be placed in a rod holder for easy access or storage.

Landing nets are available in three common mesh materials, nylon, coated nylon and rubber.† The following list explains all three with the pros and cons of each material.

Mesh Material

Nylon mesh is the least expensive and therefore has more disadvantages for the fisherman.† The mesh is formed by thousands of individual nylon strands woven together to make the net.† Like a shoe lace, a hook point can penetrate these strands and get caught in between making it extremely difficult to remove the lure.† Another drawback is over time these individual strands will start to fray and become damaged due to constant exposure to water and heat from the sun.† This could cause the net to fail as you try to land the fish of a lifetime.† If you practice catch and release, the abrasive texture of the nylon may damage the slime coating of the fish causing harm or possibly death.

Nylon-Coated mesh is covered with a poly-chemical that adhere all the individual nylon strands together making them almost impenetrable to hook points.† These landing nets will last longer because the coating protects the nylon from the damaging elements.† The coating also provides a softer surface that is less harmful to the fish.

Rubber mesh landing nets will not tangle and the most resistant to hook points.† The rubber will not harm the fish yet still provides the strength and durability you require in a landing net.† Although rubber has a tendency to break down over time you can expect many years of use from a rubber landing net.

The color of the mesh is also important and available in black, blue and yellow to name a few.† The black is most common and least visible in the water and has less chance of spooking a hooked fish when you are trying to get it in the net.

Finally, you may find it difficult to find just one net to handle all youíre fishing needs.† For example, the net you would use fishing for trout or bass may not be suitable for larger species such as musky, pike or salmon.†