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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Fishing Forum Net or Not |
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04/04/2015 12:50AM
I've always wanted to be minimalistic, and pack very light. I've never brought a net over the several trips that I have lead. Last year we had some rough fishing where we caught almost no fish, and I lost multiple large fish at the edge of the canoe before I could bare hand them like usual. Is anyone in the same boat as me, and questioning if a net is worth the size and weight? I'm looking for innovative ideas, or if I should abandon my "bare hand pride" for a net and a little extra weight...
04/04/2015 02:53AM
This topic has been covered before and from my memory, most don't bring one. I do. - for the simple reason that when fishing is poor and you get a nice fish on and close enough to the canoe and lose it because you didn't have a net. When fishing is great-- who cares. The net can double as a bug net :O)-- or even anchor bag. Fish are lost not because you did bring a depth finder or a 3rd pole/reel or too much of this or that--- but either by a poor hook set (dull hooks?) or bad line or no net and or bad luck. simply a means to an end -- that I have found out the hard way with trophy fish (in one case it was the only fish I had next to canoe -+20" SMB in nearly 3 days of fishing in a cold rain.) If you fish HARD-- bring a net. It's like not bringing rain gear.
The two loudest sounds known to man: a gun that goes bang when it is supposed to go click and a gun that goes click when it is supposed to go bang.
04/04/2015 07:43AM
On our trips we have a net for each boat. Almost required if your fishing for lakers or walleye. You just have to secure them to the boat correctly over portages so they don't get snagged on vegetation. They come in handy for retrieving something that dropped overboard.
04/04/2015 08:42AM
If you are planning on eating lots of fish, a net ensures your catch at the boat. As we all know, many fish are lost at the boat. Doesn't matter when you are catching tons, or when yo have a huge pile of food to eat, but if you actually need the fish, Mr Murphy will make an appearance. Many small collapsable choices out there. Another alternative is a fish glove, like the rapala one. Will gve you a great grip, no weight or bulk.
I've mentioned it before but if targeting brookies, always take a net. They are very slippery and fight right to the end, never giving up, and flipping all over the place so grabing them by hand is next to impossible. I think most guys sometimes take a net, and sometimes don't, depending on the trip, portages, basecamp or moving, eating lots of fish or not. It all depends.
Moonman.
I've mentioned it before but if targeting brookies, always take a net. They are very slippery and fight right to the end, never giving up, and flipping all over the place so grabing them by hand is next to impossible. I think most guys sometimes take a net, and sometimes don't, depending on the trip, portages, basecamp or moving, eating lots of fish or not. It all depends.
Moonman.
04/04/2015 09:13AM
No net for me. But I do have a glove and a plastic grabber. For most eater size fish, when along side the canoe I place my hand under the fish's belly and quickly lift (flip) them into the boat. If the fish is a big toothy one I'll use the grabber. It seems to me the majority of lost fish come unhooked well before they are along side the boat.
Take a net if you need one. I wonder how ice fishers land so many fish?
04/04/2015 09:28AM
quote Moonman: "If you are planning on eating lots of fish, a net ensures your catch at the boat.Couldn't agree more !
I've mentioned it before but if targeting brookies, always take a net. They are very slippery and fight right to the end, never giving up, and flipping all over the place so grabing them by hand is next to impossible.
Moonman."
" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD
04/04/2015 09:34AM
I'm going to have to dissent a bit. If you are doing any catch and release, fishing with a net damages the fish and greatly reduces their chances of survival. That's because the net itself scrapes off the slime that protects fish from disease and parasites in the wild. That's also why you shouldn't handle fish with dry hands. Now I realize that you're talking here about eating the fish you catch but imagine fishing, say, for walleye and hauling in a nice ten pounder. Too big to eat but you want to measure it and get a photo. Having netted it, the chances of that fish surviving upon release is pretty slim. Fishing from a canoe puts us pretty low to the water. Boating a fish is much easier for that reason. Personally, I would recommend spending the money on a good quality lipper, like the Boga. Sure, you may lose a fish or two (I think I lost one big trout all last season) but lipping is not only better for the fish but for the fisherman as well since you don't have to deal with lures getting all tangled up in the net and maybe ending up through your thumb. Anyway, my 2 cents.
04/04/2015 10:05AM
I would never say that having a net isn't the best option . .but when I pack light, I never bring a net. I also think a good fish grip is almost as good as a net. I used to buy the good ones but they seem to rust on me after a while.
For the last couple of years, I've been using one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/United-Plastic-01-3780O-Fish-GripOrange/dp/B002L96JG2/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1428159941&sr=1-1
Cheap and light, it easily clips into the boat or onto your person. It's not as good as Boga Grip. It can double as a tree anchor. It puts a pretty good grip on a fish but the big ones will twist your arm off, lol.
It's better than trying to hand-grab a big, toothy fish and it's light and small enough for ultra-light tripping.
For the last couple of years, I've been using one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/United-Plastic-01-3780O-Fish-GripOrange/dp/B002L96JG2/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1428159941&sr=1-1
Cheap and light, it easily clips into the boat or onto your person. It's not as good as Boga Grip. It can double as a tree anchor. It puts a pretty good grip on a fish but the big ones will twist your arm off, lol.
It's better than trying to hand-grab a big, toothy fish and it's light and small enough for ultra-light tripping.
04/04/2015 11:39AM
I started out as a minimalist and hand landed fish, I never really lost many, but to hand land a pike, walleye or laker you need to play a fish longer and most studies indicate tiring a fish out so you can easily hand land it increases the chance of delayed hooking mortality so I switched to a rubberized net. One of the above posters had a good point about nylon nets damaging fish---I totally agree I am almost to the point they should be outlawed so get a rubber coated net or rubberized net and the chance for damage is very minimal. Also nylon nets snag lures better than fish:)
If you want to stick to the minimalist option go with one of the fish grippers, use a little heavier line so you don't kill the fish with prolonged fight, make sure you keep the fish straight when you grip their jaw or you may damage their jaw and cause delayed mortality as well. Don't lift up and twist the fish for pictures.
T
If you want to stick to the minimalist option go with one of the fish grippers, use a little heavier line so you don't kill the fish with prolonged fight, make sure you keep the fish straight when you grip their jaw or you may damage their jaw and cause delayed mortality as well. Don't lift up and twist the fish for pictures.
T
04/04/2015 12:08PM
I bring one. I have a smaller net that's made for strapping to your back while fishing for trout in streams. It has large, silicone mesh and a deep basket, so it actually works pretty well for all but the largest fish. I fit an 8lb largemouth in it just fine the other day. A lot of the time when I hook fish on a hard bait with trebles, I'm hesitant to try grabbing them, so this net, with the silicone mesh is perfect.
http://www.basspro.com/Frabill-Wooden-Trout-Net/product/10202165/
http://www.basspro.com/Frabill-Wooden-Trout-Net/product/10202165/
04/04/2015 02:22PM
I'm with Kerry, generally speaking.........
I slapped an 8lb laker into a net on Poobah and the dang thing spun up into such a mess I had a heck of a time getting it out. Of course the thing died and I felt plain awful. I'm not exactly sure why I didn't use a boga grip since I always have one along. Plain and simple there isn't a fish handling tool quite like a Boga grip.
And don't discount your dry hands taking slime off a fish.........It actually does have adverse consequences. We used to stock the local ponds around our house with all sorts of fish. We would put small walleyes and baby perch into all sorts of potholes thinking we could ice fish for them later on. Anyways, we put a bunch of crappies into a pond on a college campus and went back a few weeks later to try and catch some. Lo and behold we spotted one of the crappie with a white fungal growth on its side shaped like a hand. Weird right? The fish was sick and obviously going to die. Since then I'm a bit more careful how I handle fish.
Having said all that I do take a folding aluminum net along and do net walleye I intend to eat. Getting a boga on a walleye at the boat with barbless hooks on a lure can result in lost fish real quick.
I slapped an 8lb laker into a net on Poobah and the dang thing spun up into such a mess I had a heck of a time getting it out. Of course the thing died and I felt plain awful. I'm not exactly sure why I didn't use a boga grip since I always have one along. Plain and simple there isn't a fish handling tool quite like a Boga grip.
And don't discount your dry hands taking slime off a fish.........It actually does have adverse consequences. We used to stock the local ponds around our house with all sorts of fish. We would put small walleyes and baby perch into all sorts of potholes thinking we could ice fish for them later on. Anyways, we put a bunch of crappies into a pond on a college campus and went back a few weeks later to try and catch some. Lo and behold we spotted one of the crappie with a white fungal growth on its side shaped like a hand. Weird right? The fish was sick and obviously going to die. Since then I'm a bit more careful how I handle fish.
Having said all that I do take a folding aluminum net along and do net walleye I intend to eat. Getting a boga on a walleye at the boat with barbless hooks on a lure can result in lost fish real quick.
Lets Go!
04/05/2015 06:35AM
quote lundojam: "net. I cut down a cheap aluminum and put in a bigger net that can hold more fish. Spray some foam into the handle to flotationize it."
I just added "flotationize" to my vocabulary. Guinness! I mean genius!!
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle
04/05/2015 10:44AM
quote Oisinirish: "quote lundojam: "net. I cut down a cheap aluminum and put in a bigger net that can hold more fish. Spray some foam into the handle to flotationize it."
I just added "flotationize" to my vocabulary. Guinness! I mean genius!! "
+1! This is exactly along the lines of my self-made ridiculous vocabularisms. :)
04/05/2015 11:26AM
For lack of a net, in 2008, I lost what would have been my first laker and only BW laker. That laker would have been my largest to this day, exceeding BC and Yukon lakers I caught since that loss.
2008 was the trip that caused me to start taking a net.
2008 was the trip that caused me to start taking a net.
The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that's all there is. ___Mr Carson (Downton Abby)
04/05/2015 12:06PM
As a followp to my previous post, many times when I have a net with me, which is about 90% of my trips these days, I only use it on maybe 50% of the fish I bring to the boat, maybe less. If its a bass, unless really large, I just lip it, walleye, cradle it and pike, try for a side of boat release by grabbing lure with pliers if in a good postion to grab, and let the fish shake free, or just grab him across the back or under gill plate. This saves having to deal with potential tangles etc. In all these instances I do not really care if the fish escapes or gets off, at the canoe. I use the net when I really want to land the fish for a meal etc. I am sure most people do the same. So as I said before, it all depends, but having the net with you makes all the difference when you really want to land that fish.
Moonman.
Moonman.
04/05/2015 04:12PM
I always ask the fish if they need a net. If they need one, I use one. If they don't, I don't. While not a perfect solution, and due to language barriers, misunderstandings occasionally occur.
Livin' the dream. Just another day in Paradise...
04/05/2015 04:25PM
quote old_salt: "I always ask the fish if they need a net. If they need one, I use one. If they don't, I don't. While not a perfect solution, and due to language barriers, misunderstandings occasionally occur."
Ha! Good one
I use a solvkroken collapsible folding aluminum net (made in Norway). It stows very nicely and is not excessively large or heavy and can be flipped open one handed although I usually have it ready to go. Can handle good sized walleyes.......check it out.
MT's net
For your convenience these nets are readily available at MT Enterprises.com
Get an additional 20% off your order with your purchase of an inflatable "Paddling Buddy" >> now new and improved with 10 new recorded responses such as "the bugs are bad" and "we are almost there". Never paddle alone again!
Lets Go!
04/06/2015 09:51AM
quote old_salt: "I always ask the fish if they need a net. If they need one, I use one. If they don't, I don't. While not a perfect solution, and due to language barriers, misunderstandings occasionally occur."
Yep. I try not to use one, but it's good to have a net handy when we need one
04/06/2015 10:19AM
No net here. Stopped using them many trips ago. Too much wasted time untangling messes in the net.
The orange gripper is much easier and I rarely take the fish out of the water.
Plus barbless hookes make freeing the fish quick and easy. Leaving them in the water while freeing them also helps.
The orange gripper is much easier and I rarely take the fish out of the water.
Plus barbless hookes make freeing the fish quick and easy. Leaving them in the water while freeing them also helps.
There is a light and it never goes out. Morrissey
04/06/2015 11:58AM
For those of you who "always" bring a net, what species are your main targets? Do you use a net on every fish?
"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." ~ John Muir
04/06/2015 12:28PM
quote Jackfish: "For those of you who "always" bring a net, what species are your main targets? Do you use a net on every fish?"
There are pros and cons with net and without and I can agree with virtually every side.
What I have noticed is that in the barbless regions of the Quetico a net comes into play and is an important tool especially if you want to secure dinner. I have had numerous fish shake off while trying to slap a lip tool on them while fishing barbless. Goodbye dinner.
So a net is nice for that special dinner guest.......
On the other hand it is just one more thing you have to carry and when fishing lures with multiple treble hooks traditional mesh nets can be a nuisance to untangle and therefore violates my basic canoeing creed of "no Hassles".
The orange lipper is a good tool and for the majority of fish it is fine and dandy. Add in that it is inexpensive and lightweight as well as having a significant safety benefit I strongly advocate their use. If I trip with others their use is mandatory (I don't want to cut my trip short because your wearing a hook we can't get out).
The negative aspect to orange clippers is they don't handle big fish all that well. Try and use them on pike much over 38" or lakers over 8lbs and the fish can easily thrash and break your grip via turning your wrist. Such fish need to be played out before committing the orange vice on them.
If you have boat loads of money or have screwy priorities (I am exhibit "A" in the screwy priority category......not much of a retirement but I do have 2 boga grips) then a boga is the way to go........so far nothing I have used or seen comes close. What is so nice about a boga is the ability to have complete control of even large fish. The "gripping" part of the tool can rotate 360 degrees without your wrist ever moving. Yup that fish can spin all day long no problemo! Grab the pliers and hook out and plop back into the water and you have never touched the fish........very nice!
Lets Go!
06/21/2017 08:41PM
quote AndySG: "
Take a net if you need one. I wonder how ice fishers land so many fish? "
Ice fisherman lose a lot of fish at the hole, no way around it.
We take a net for every canoe. If the fishing is good and there are plenty of fish, you don't net every small walleye. If the fishing is tough and a guy is hungry for fish, then they get netted.
I understand the "gripper gloves" are better than nothing, but if they were the same or as good as a net, they would be the standard in boats across the country. Nets are better, that is why most everyone has at least one in their boat.
I go the minimalist approach if I am hiking to Golden Trout over 10,000 feet. But in the BW, you have a canoe to float all your gear, so I say be comfortable, and take what you want for a successful fishing trip. For me, that means a net.
06/22/2017 02:36AM
This year, two fish got away that I really wish my group had gotten pictures of.... the two largest pike of the trip were caught when we were pulled up and casting from shore and a net wasn't handy. Not life changing fish, but still would've been great pictures for memories. As mentioned, I guess we could've fought the fish for an additional few minutes to wear them out, but I don't like that idea. Tried dragging them to the rocks to gill them and they thrashed their way loose.
Most average size smallies don't get netted, and as for walleyes, the net gets used less the more fish you catch that day; however, a net per boat feels like a worthy piece of gear to me.
Most average size smallies don't get netted, and as for walleyes, the net gets used less the more fish you catch that day; however, a net per boat feels like a worthy piece of gear to me.
06/22/2017 07:40AM
Avid fisherman for nearly 50 years and pretty sure I've used a net about zero times ever. Cannot imagine taking one on a canoe trip. To each his own, of course, though.
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” - Henry David Thoreau
06/22/2017 09:57AM
If you have boat loads of money or have screwy priorities (I am exhibit "A" in the screwy priority category......not much of a retirement but I do have 2 boga grips) then a boga is the way to go........so far nothing I have used or seen comes close. What is so nice about a boga is the ability to have complete control of even large fish. The "gripping" part of the tool can rotate 360 degrees without your wrist ever moving. Yup that fish can spin all day long no problemo! Grab the pliers and hook out and plop back into the water and you have never touched the fish........very nice!
"
This ^^. A net with a coated bag that is sturdy enough and large enough to net a big fish (say a 40" pike), costs $70 or more, and is too big to use easily from the canoe. The 30# boga grip costs $125, handles big fish, and fits in my thwart bag.
06/23/2017 12:38PM
quote bwcarocks: " I'm looking for innovative ideas, or if I should abandon my "bare hand pride" for a net and a little extra weight..."
If you don't want to pay for a genuine Boga grip (and really, nobody "wants" to), you could try the Rapala mechanical fish gripper. It's a boga knock-off, but it has the important rotating-head feature. It's $35 on Amazon. Much smaller, lighter, and easier to portage than any net.
06/23/2017 01:04PM
Have resorted to a fish gripper over the past few years. Has worked fine for me until last week. Would have been great to have a net on last week's trip - reeled in a large Norton (maybe 40") on Buckingham. Got him to the boat twice, but couldn't grab/grip him before he got free. :-(
06/23/2017 07:15PM
Taking my first trip next week and bringing a net. If I were fishing purely for recreation, I wouldn't worry. I've fished for walleye enough to know how many easily can get off the jig where the net would have landed the fish. I hope to eat a bunch of walleye next week and don't want lunch or dinner getting away from me.
06/24/2017 06:59AM
I just got back from a fishing trip to Northern Ontario. We had and used a net for the bigger ones but I found my Plastic fish grip worked for most of the fish. Just wait until they are in reach and clip it on and lift them out of the water. It was very easy.
"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD
06/25/2017 11:17PM
Bringing a net the first time this year. I'm sick and tired of the orange grippers. If the fish has its mouth closed or has a treble hook in its upper and lower lip, pinning its mouth closed, then the grippers are totally worthless. Lost a bunch of walleyes because I was dinking around with the gripper telling the fish to say "ah" and open up. Had to supplement our walleye dinner with smallies....never again.
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