[Stonefish]

I'm looking for some collective input regarding nets.
I put this in the general forum, but the net will be used mostly in the salt but with some freshwater use as well.

I had a nice hand net, which I liked because it had an extra deep bag.
Unfortunately, it is floating around somewhere in Puget Sound.
Though the hoop size was only 16" on the net I lost, the bag depth allowed me to net fish up to 26" with it.
I bought the replacement model and the bag is so shallow fish just bounce out of it.

I’ve looked at a number on nets online.
There are some very nice nets out there. None of them give me exactly what I’m looking for as far a hoop / head size, handle length and bag depth.
Many are also very ornate. I’m looking more for functionality over beauty capable of handling say a coho up to 30”. I don't need a bunch of different types of wood or for it to be a piece of art.

I really like the Fishpond Nomad composite nets, especially as far as weight goes. I find they are lacking in what I want spec wise in a net. The bags are too shallow as well.
If I could take the Fishpond Hand Net (Hoop size 13” x 18”) and add the Emerger Net handle (14”) I’d have the perfect net for my intended use.
32” long with a ghost bag depth of a minimum of 16" but 20" would be preferred.
I realize I may need to go with a slightly bigger hoop size to get a 20" deep bag.
I want to keep the handle relatively short as I'll be stuffing this under my wading belt behind me. A long handle won't be great for walking either.

I'd prefer wood over metal, but I'm open to suggestions.
If anyone knows a local net Puget Sound area net builder that does customer orders, please chime in.
I'd rather have something made that will meet my needs rather then settle for something that isn't quite what I want.

Thanks,
SF

 

[Jim Darden]

I'm looking for some collective input regarding nets.
I put this in the general forum, but the net will be used mostly in the salt but with some freshwater use as well.

I had a nice hand net, which I liked because it had an extra deep bag.
Unfortunately, it is floating around somewhere in Puget Sound.
Though the hoop size was only 16" on the net I lost, the bag depth allowed me to net fish up to 26" with it.

I've looked at a number on nets online.
There are some very nice nets out there. None of them give me exactly what I'm looking for as far a hoop / head size, handle length and bag depth.
Many are also very ornate. I'm looking more for functionality over beauty capable of handling say a coho up to 30". I don't need a bunch of different types of wood or for it to be a piece of art.

I really like the Fishpond Nomad composite nets, especially as far as weight goes. I find they are lacking in what I want spec wise in a net. The bags are too shallow as well.
If I could take the Fishpond Hand Net (Hoop size 13" x 18") and add the Emerger Net handle (14") I'd have the perfect net for my intended use.
32" long with a ghost bag depth of a minimum of 16" but 20" would be preferred.
I realize I may need to go with a slightly bigger hoop size to get a 20" deep bag.
I want to keep the handle relatively short as I'll be stuffing this under my wading belt behind me. A long handle won't be great for walking either.

I'd prefer wood over metal, but I'm open to suggestions.
If anyone knows a local net Puget Sound area net builder that does customer orders, please chime in.
I'd rather have something made that will meet my needs rather then settle for something that isn't quite what I want.

Thanks,
SF

I agree, one with a deep bag is nice.....not so good for small fish, I just grab them by hand

 

[Mike22]

Are there any options to by a net that fits your hoop/handle requirements and replace the bag with a deeper option? I know there are a lot of replacement bags on eBay.

 

[Stonefish]

Are there any options to by a net that fits your hoop/handle requirements and replace the bag with a deeper option? I know there are a lot of replacement bags on eBay.

Mike,
I would consider that provided I could find the right hoop and handle size combination I'm looking for.
I looked at the deeper replacement bags that Fishpond offers, but they only fit on their larger nets according to their website.
SF

 

[David Loy]

I think you should call Fishpond and tell them what you want. I'd give decent odds that they would embrace the challenge to make your dream net custom. Presuming they have access to all the parts.

 

[Stonefish]

David,
I may give that a try, though the composite nets are one piece rather then parts.
Making a one piece, one off composite net built may pose more of a challenge then having a wood one built, especially from a dollar standpoint.
SF

 

[David Loy]

You could toss it out to Brodin as well. They are fairly"up scale" but are decent folks to talk with. I have in the past. I have their Cutthroat model which has a decent hoop size. Mine has the knot less nylon bag, and it's fairly deep, but they sell it with the ghost net as well. Maybe they can access an extra deep ghost net. I like the ghost nets, except that they are heavy.

 

[wadin' boot]

If you get an oversized fiberglass tennis racquet you can cut off the strings and restring with a fishpond bag. maybe that gets you close to the size you want. I did it with a cheap racquetball setup and it works well for me for searuns, a little on the small size though for salmon

 

[Mike22]

If you get an oversized fiberglass tennis racquet you can cut off the strings and restring with a fishpond bag. maybe that gets you close to the size you want. I did it with a cheap racquetball setup and it works well for me for searuns, a little on the small size though for salmon

I have done the tennis racquet thing as well, worked pretty well and I was never nervous of damaging any custom woodwork.

Does Fisknat (located in Tacoma) have any options for you?
http://www.fisknat.com/hand-nets.html
http://www.fisknat.com/float-tube--pontoon-nets.html

Based on your preferences, I would say the Steelhead Float Tube net or Gray Reef net on their Float Tube/Pontoon page would be closest. Here is a photo of the Steelhead net:

Bow: 11.5" x 20"
Handle: 9.5"
Overall Lenth: 29.5"

Photo of bag depth:

And the Gray Reef:

Bow: 9.5" x 20"
Handle: 12"
Overall Length: 32"

Photo of bag depth:

 

[Stonefish]

Mike,
Thanks for posting those.
I've looked at them before, but not quite what I want.
It would be good to if they also listed the bag depth on their website.
The tennis racket option isn't a go either.

I got a lead on a fellow who builds nets, so I think I'll probably end up going that route.
That way I can get exactly what I want.
SF

 

[TroutHustle]

SF,

I am for reclaiming old net frames. I made mine from an old aluminum net I found in a free pile at the Olympia Food Coop.

Sanded it down, painted it John Deer Green, and dropped a new Rising Brookie replacement net in it.

I spent total of maybe 25 dollars on it. Love this thing and the green pairs very nicely with a SRC in the net.

LL

 

[nailbender]

Brian, please let us know if you find a source for deep ghost bags. I looked several years ago with no luck.

 

[Stonefish]

Will do Doug.

 

[RedFive]

I can confirm that the deeper Fishpond bags don't fit their smaller nets--I tried with a Nomad hand net. That said, I now have a spare large net laying around. I don't know where the black rubber rings that came with it went, though. Doug, if you want it to try on one of your net frames, it's yours, just let me know.

 

[Gone’r]

http://www.risingfish.net/product_listing/5/nets

 

[Gone’r]

I carry a fancy wood net (actually exactly like the gray reef pictured above) around while I trout fish and I constantly worry about breaking it. It's the perfect size for trout and have netted incidental summer steelhead I pick off up to around 8#s comfortably, but when I finally do something dumb and break it, I will replace it with a rising net. They are legit.

 

[Stonefish]

Sean,
Thanks for the tip on the Rising Nets.
Hadn't seen those.
Their Lunker net would be perfect for my needs if it had a shorter handle and a bag deeper then 8.5".
SF

 

[nailbender]

I can confirm that the deeper Fishpond bags don't fit their smaller nets--I tried with a Nomad hand net. That said, I now have a spare large net laying around. I don't know where the black rubber rings that came with it went, though. Doug, if you want it to try on one of your net frames, it's yours, just let me know.

Jon, thank you I think I have a frame it would fit. I'll send a pm.

Doug

 

[freestoneangler]

What I want to know is what happened to all the soft nylon mesh nets when the rubber ghost nets hit the scene? There should have been a flood of them in our Classified forum.

 

[mtskibum16]

I know you said you prefer wood to metal, but I'm planning to get a Rising net. My cousin uses them (and is friends with the owners) and has really good things to say about them. Small company in UT, made in the USA, and cool designs. Multiple size options. http://www.risingfish.net/product_listing/5/nets