[Gone away]

I returned for more tiger muskie action today. The Fish Gods blessed me. I lost one on the first cast. I was also fortunate to bring two of them to the boat. I had several follows and spotted some big ones, however they choose not to play.

On one of the follows I saw the 2 foot long youngster behind my fly. His/her larger sibling, about 3 foot, came up from behind. the junior fish quickly departed. Unfortunately the larger fish chose to swim away.

Gale Wind showed up in force and it was time to leave. A great day.

I did notice a slight problem with my net. While it is knotless, the mess holes are a little large. The smaller fish seem to get up to their gill plates. I am concerned for their ability to move water over their gills. Does anyone know where I can find a large rubber net bag for a net that is approximately 30 to 36 inches in diameter? Thanks.

 

[Tyler Speir]

I looked all over for a net like the one your describing, and its hard to find. The only one I could find local was at bass pro shop. Sounds like a fun day on the water. Were you out on Tapps?

 

[Gone away]

The net bags are tough to find. It is going to take a bit to find one. It was a rare day of fishing. I was not on Tapps.

 

[Abomb]

Get a cradle. The only pike I net are the ones I'm going to eat. Even a knot less net ruins their fins, see your pic of the tail, it cut 2 slits in the tail. The fins never heal. Rubber nets are a great solution as well and can be found at most outdoor stores. I usually just grab them at the gill plate which makes them open their mouth and gives you total control of the fish, then remove hook and release.

 

[Gone away]

Get a cradle. The only pike I net are the ones I'm going to eat. Even a knot less net ruins their fins, see your pic of the tail, it cut 2 slits in the tail. The fins never heal. Rubber nets are a great solution as well and can be found at most outdoor stores. I usually just grab them at the gill plate which makes them open their mouth and gives you total control of the fish, then remove hook and release.

How well does grabbing the big ones (3 feet +) behind the gill plate work? I am not sure how well a cradle will work with only one person. Still searching for a decent rubber net. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Abomb]

It works fine.