Net Man Blew It!

[solbes]

So we were out trolling cranks on my favorite lake on Saturday (about 2 hours before storms blew in). My father in law hooks into a fish with some shoulders. I put the boat in neutral and start clearing the rods in the surrounding water so we can land the fish without tangles.

He pulls it up nice and slow and we can see it's a big pike, likely 40 inches plus. I had the net in the water already so as to not spook the fish, which it did not. My net is not a muskie net; it's a Beckman with a med/large hoop but a deep basket. I kind of came at the northern from below and upward at an angle to drop her into the net. Must've hit her jaw and she flopped once and was off.

What should I have done differently? Try to lead her head first horizontally into the net? Come at her horizontally from behind? Just wanting to make sure I get that big girl next time for some quick photos and release. Thanks

[DTro]

Bummer

Most extreme net man issues are a result of over aggressive netting. I much prefer that a person dips the net into the water, and I lead the fish into the hoop rather than having them take random stabs at landing it. That usually ends badly, especially with a big fish.

[mrklean]

yeah i try to stay away from the stabbing to easy to knock a fish off we almost have some net problems on a big salmon this weekend

[Jim Uran]

Caution should be used when trying to net a fish with a crankbait stuck in it's lips. All those extra hooks can get caught in the netting and the fish pops right off. I've been there with one of my buddies and his PB walter, well it would have been his PB.

Like Dtro said it's best to try to lead the fish in and not get to anxious and get it in there before she's ready to "submit".

It only gets tougher with an undersized net. Don't beat yourself up to bad.

[BobT]

I usually prefer the opposite approach. Too often I've had net men put the net in the water expecting me to the lead the fish into it only to have the fish get off because the net was in the way and the fish wasn't ready to be taken yet. I believe the problem comes when they put the net in the water too soon and the fish is not ready to give up yet and decides to make another run or two and in the process the line gets raked across the net and breaks. For this reason, when I'm fighting a fish, I prefer the net man wait until I tell him the fish is ready and then wait until it's near the surface where he can dip the net and run it under the fish from head on. Never try to take one from the tail. You're asking for trouble this way. In the same way, when I'm handling the net I'll wait for the signal to pick it up.

[Fisherman45]

I fish mainly bass don't carry a net in my boat but when I am with someone else in their boat and am to be the net man I wait for the person in control of the fish to direct me as he knows what he has going and what his plan is to land the fish is.

[solbes]

He was ready and the fish seemed calm and ready as well. I do like the idea of having the angler lead it head first into the net. Or get a bigger net, which I really didn't want to have to do.

[Nick Kuhn]

Big net and lead it in head first. Big esox have a fairly poor turn radius, you'll know if they are going in the net or if they aren't ready and are going elsewhere. I'm not a fan of people jabbing at big esox as it spooks them and they tend to be strong enough to escape the net in just about every way imaginable when riled up.

[mainbutter]

Netting big esox - slow and easy does it.

Hand-landing big esox is a skill I've learned pretty well in the past year. I find it's surprisingly easy to hand-land a big pike or musky, just gotta be careful of the hooks.

It's better to hand-land than to try to fit a big'un into a net that's too small.

[matthothand]

I used to get paid to net fish and I would never ever wait with the net in the water while trolling. So many things can happen badly that way. The net could fully or partially invert or the fish could make a run and get fouled up. The less time the net is in the water the better. You should quickly scoop up the fish head first just as it comes within comfortable reach. The person fighting the fish is to direct it to the netter and maintain steady pressure and direction of movement while the scooping takes place. Running a net seems easy but there's a lot of instict and skill involved to be close to 100%. Things happen but really the longer that net is in the water the bigger the gamble. People that knock fish off because they stab or scoop just aren't concentrating.

[Duffman]

Losing a fish at the net is part of the game. When people lose big fish, the netting process IS one of the main reasons why. Two guys and the fish have to cooperate at the same time, and every landing is different. Talk about the netting just before or as it's occuring, let your partner know which approach you're taking, that's both net and rod guy.

And never blame the net guy.

[JohnMickish]

Bummer but it happens. Try to land the fish head first, fish can't swim backwards so if the head is in the net, it has nowhere to go but farther in. The person with the pole plays an important part in this as well.

I usually works best if the netman is ahead of the person fighting the fish, as the fish comes to the surface, the person fighting the fish should keep the rod high (in case the fish isn't ready yet and makes a run for it) there is room to move the rod and put less stess on the line, then when the fish is ready the rodholder should move the fish forward keeping it's head up at the same time the net is coming backward. Try to keep the net about 2/3 in the water and just make a fluid sweep with it.

Landing a trophy fish is not an easy task but with some practice it can be done easily even if the net is not the right one. Unfortunatly this is where most of the mistakes are made since everyone gets excited when they see that monster at the boat. Communication between netter and fisher is key.

[BobT]

I suspect that when it comes to landing the big fish, often times both the net handler and the rod holder get too excited and too much in a hurry to get it out of the water. Take your time and play it out enough to do the job and it'll go much easier. Just remember that you've probably exhausted the fish so once out of the water, handle the fish gently, get the hook out, photo shoot, and release as quickly as possible. Hold the fish in the water and help it catch its breath by slowly moving it forward and back so the gills open and fresh water get through them. The fish will let you know when it is ready to go.

[shortfatguy]

Alot of times, with bigger pike, I will just land them by hand. let the fish run when it wants and when its a little calmer from fighting I grab it by the gills then use the other hand to lift it into the boat. They always seem to thrash around in the net and get tangled up if they have a crankbait hanging out of their mouths.

[2thepointsetters]

I used to get paid to net fish and I would never ever wait with the net in the water while trolling. So many things can happen badly that way. The net could fully or partially invert or the fish could make a run and get fouled up. The less time the net is in the water the better. You should quickly scoop up the fish head first just as it comes within comfortable reach. The person fighting the fish is to direct it to the netter and maintain steady pressure and direction of movement while the scooping takes place. Running a net seems easy but there's a lot of instict and skill involved to be close to 100%. Things happen but really the longer that net is in the water the bigger the gamble. People that knock fish off because they stab or scoop just aren't concentrating.

X2 could not have said it better myself.

If you guys want some net man pressure, try netting a 20 plus pound king in the early morning darkness with 11 other rods in the water. Thats where you learn to be a net man.

[Scott M]

You got lots of good advice. Never net any fish from behind...you ever see a fish swimming backwards? No. They can back up and turn, but not on a dime...they have to stop their momentum. Always net head first and only when the fish is tired, especially pike or muskies. When I net for others, I try to have the net in the water when the fish is ready, right at the surface. If that fish makes a run or turns, I don't stab, I get the net out of the water...you don't want it to get tied into the net and have extra leverage to get off.

Should have had the 20 pound northern, instead net man blew it!

[Sherpa]

I know the lake superior guys out there tend to have many lines in the water and keep trolling when they get fish on. Solbes said he was in neutral at the time so the net would not be affected by current so much. I still try to avoid putting the net in the water before the fish is ready though. I always try to net them head first as many of you suggested. Nothing like making a mistake like that to make you a better and more aware net man. I botched the net job on my friends' personal best walleye this year. I honestly felt sick to my stomach about it. I will not be making that mistake again.

[Down Deep]

30 years ago a guy I was fishing with gave me some sage advice......" fish cannot swim backwards" . So I try to get the net on its head and move to the tail.

[BobT]

One trick that I use when landing Pike is for the rod holder to keep the line tight after the fish is in the net. This makes it a lot more difficult for him to roll in the net and so removing the hooks is easier and it's better for the fish. I just use the net to support the fish's weight but not to actually carry the fish completely. Try it sometime.

[Jim Almquist]

If you guys want some net man pressure, try netting a 20 plus pound king in the early morning darkness with 11 other rods in the water. Thats where you learn to be a net man.

You forgot to mention that the boat was still moving between 2.4 and 2.8 MPH while trying to net that fish

Its a whole new ball game with a bunch of lines that are out and a boat that cannot be stopped for risk of a major mess.

[solbes]

Great advice guys, thanks. Get everything set, communicate, and if all goes to plan lead the fish into the net head first.

Da-chise, those Lakemaid caps were exactly where the thread title came from. I love those things. 49 lb muskie is my PB, just wish it were true in real life.

[Duffman]

And if your using a larger net, hold the bottom of the net against net shaft with your trailing hand before the attempt and while it's out of the water. It's sort of embarrasing to make the attempt and the net gets caught on a boat cleat.

[BobT]

And if your using a larger net, hold the bottom of the net against net shaft with your trailing hand before the attempt and while it's out of the water. It's sort of embarrasing to make the attempt and the net gets caught on a boat cleat.

Good advice. Plus, it prevents the net from dangling in the water and spooking the fish into making another dive.

[JohnMickish]

[quote name='2thepointsetters

If you guys want some net man pressure' date=' try netting a 20 plus pound king in the early morning darkness with 11 other rods in the water. Thats where you learn to be a net man. [/quote']

Or landing a 30" Walleye during an FLW Walleye event on the river going upstream. Boy am I glad I didn't blow that one.

[onemore]

With a big pike I would skip the net and hand land it - play the fish to the side of the boat and grab it behind the head.