Making my own pike/musky cradle

[Steve Foss]

Hey all:

I'm posting this here instead of the equipment/expert info board because this is the place for Esoxophiles.

I'll be making my own landing musky/pike cradle. It will simply be a couple pieces of smooth wood with fabric/mesh wrapped around them and fastened. Very simple.

Question is, what do you think the best mesh material is, and what would your dimensions be? Sure, I can make it 5 feet long easily, but how wide should it be to allow room for those sometimes girthy fish?

Thanks,

------------------
"I still miss my ex-wives, but my aim is getting better!"
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[RuKiddingMe]

Stfcatfish, I made my own last summer, it was pretty cool, I sat around wondering what I could use for the mesh also. Then one day my brother and I were out at Mills Fleet Farm kicking around a I noticed some mesh decoy bags, I picked up the package and checked out the dementions. Turns out the bag was a perfect fit, it was like 52" x 33", so I cut the bag open, cut off the back side that had the shoulder straps, bought a 1 2/1" dowel for the handles, perfect in my mind. We put two fish in it last fall, it really worked well.

Hope this helps. If you try it let me know what you think.

I like that Esoxophiles...

[LaVoi]

I also am thinking about making my own cradle. Am I correct that you would want a fairly soft mesh. It seems like some of those bulkier, coarser meshes would do some damage to their slime coats.

[RuKiddingMe]

That would be correct, that stuff that we used was really soft, the wholes in the fabric were abut 1/4 inch, you'll know the stuff when you see it.

The Protective slime was important to me when i was building one too.

[cluelessfisherman]

You may want to look at a sporting goods store. The soft fabric mesh used with most cradles I believe is the same as the ball bags you can buy at a sports store. The ones that has the drawstring opening and holds like 6 basketballs - hopefully you guys know what I'm referring to - might be the same material as the duck decoy bags. I think you can get different sized ones for the different cradles.
Sounds like a great idea and a money saver - might just have to make my own as well.

------------------
Clueless - -

[RuKiddingMe]

Exactly the same material I'm talking about, good idea I never thought about that, those bags might actually be a bit bigger, but all in all I think the one I made was big enough, hopefully I just jinxed myself and this summer I put a mammoth one in the boat to big for the cradle darn now I should buy a huge Frabil or Beckman. Actually has anyone ever used or seen the Stowaway Landing nets? They have a durable telescopic handle, collapsible hoop and a carrying bag that is pretty compact, might be ideal for those of us who have smaller boats.

CPR

[Steve Foss]

Thanks guys, that mesh sounds like just the right stuff, and the basketball bag just the right size.

I also thought that, once I get it made, I'd weave a string through the mesh on each open end and pull them a little tight before tying each string off on the mesh right next to the wood. That should keep the ends of the cradle mesh a little higher than the body of it, which should make it easier to keep a fish from sliding out an end.

[RuKiddingMe]

Catfish, another thing you could do to prevent the fish from sliding out one end would be to, take the left over mesh and completely block one end, I've noticed that the spendy ones they sell have that option.

CPR