Need a new boat net

[hewesfisher]

I have a decent, extendable coated knotless net we use for all our fishing adventures. Despite being knotless, and supposedly tangle free, it sure isn't. I'm on a search for quality boat net with an extendable handle in the 5' - 7' range and with a bag similar to many of the rubber nets currently on the market. I don't like the rubber nets, they're heavy and awkward to handle in the store, so they'd only be worse on the water. It has to be light enough that my 5' tall wife can maneuver easily and have a handle long enough so she can net from the boat without fear of taking an icy dip during our cold season fishing outings.

I saw some pics of Beckman nets that seem really nice, but the price is quite a bit more than I really want to spend on a net.

I also found a Frabil that looks similar to the Beckman for half the money. I've played with one of these at a local tackle store, and like the handle design, but it had a standard mesh bag so it wasn't appropriate. I want a smaller mesh for less tangle so the one I linked to might be just the ticket.

Those feisty Roosevelt rainbows love to roll in the net and it always takes time to untangle them and I'm usually trying to do just that when there's another one at the boat ready to net. I need a better solution.

Any other suggestions?

[Fish-N-Fool]

Get a quality rubber net and end of problem. Plus if you plan to release any fish a rubber net is much easier on them.and will not hurt the fish like a string mesh net will. If you have a good hoop that will fit you can just get a replacement rubber net and save urself a few bucks like this one on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/RANGER-RUBBER-LANDI ... 3a623ff241

[blufin loui]

Hey Hewesfisher, I know what you mean. Fish-N-Fool, the replacement net you referred to is quite heavy on the end of an extended Handle, So would make a difficult job for Hewe's wife who is of smaller stature. We bought one of those style rubber nets, and we returned it after putting it to the test of netting fish, it was just too heavy "for us" to feel comfortable using. Granted we did get the larger diameter net, but when out fishing the need for a larger net does present itsself. There is no question the rubber nets are great for no tangles on the hook. Cindy and I have been looking for a knotless, tangle resistant net (that would fit our needs), and are still looking. The key for us is one that fits the application.
The Frabil mentioned looks nice, let us know how it works Hewesfisher if you get one.

[hewesfisher]

Get a quality rubber net and end of problem.

I don't like the rubber nets, they're heavy and awkward to handle in the store, so they'd only be worse on the water. It has to be light enough that my 5' tall wife can maneuver easily and have a handle long enough so she can net from the boat without fear of taking an icy dip during our cold season fishing outings.

Maybe you missed this in my post, but the rubber net is not an option and I don't want one. They're too heavy, and on the end of a 6' handle my wife won't be able to get the job done. Even I wouldn't want to deal with the weight. I suppose if we had a low side wall bass boat it might work, but we don't.

Blufin - I may just go ahead and get that Frabill I linked to, it sure sounds like it would be better than what we have now and the small loop size would have much better tangle free properties. Our current model, a cheap Ranger, has a 55" handle when extended but has the larger loops on the mesh and despite the mfr's claim of being tangle free, it definitely isn't.

I'll wait and see if there are any other ideas before I place an order.

[G-Man]

I also don't care for the rubber nets, can't close the bag on them and I've seen a few fish "hop" out because of that missing feature. If you see a rubberized bag you like on a net, check to see if they offer replacement bags and fit one to a handle/hoop that suits your needs. I have a few knotless bags made by Danileson that I've fitted to older lightweight frames that I'm quite happy with. I cringe at the thought of paying $60+ dollars for a quality landing net. Danileson also makes a nice lightweight, extendable handled trout net for around $15. Remove the nylon bag it comes with and throw this PVC Coated Bag on it and you can have a trout friendy net for under $25.

[hewesfisher]

Hey G-Man, thanks for the tip. Yeah, $60 for a landing net is a bunch of money, but in the heat of battle I need a net that works well. The one we currently use, a Ranger with an extendable handle, has a PVC coated bag and the hooks get horribly tangled in the material. If the trout wouldn't roll like a crocodile, it wouldn't be so bad, but they do. I've gotten to where I pop the fish out as soon as I get it in the boat, but frequently, it's too late due to the "death roll".

I'm really leaning toward the Frabill, it's half the price of the Beckman and the kids are donating part of the purchase price as a Christmas gift so it won't be so bad.

[hewesfisher]

An update, I finally found a net I like. Just arrived yesterday, so I can't give a performance review yet, but right off the bat, I can say it is exactly what I was looking for. Price was still about half the Beckman at $79, but it is definitely not a cheap net in design or quality either.

I got an EGO S2 Slider Landing series net with PVC coated small mesh bag. Handle length is 4' and extends to 9 feet! Sweet!

I opted for the medium hoop size of 17" x 19" and 16" deep bag. The handle is foam coated it's entire length, and the handle extends from the locking button in both directions! Another bonus, the net floats if dropped overboard.

Compared to our other net, fully retracted the EGO is only about 3" shorter. The hoop is just slightly smaller than our old one, so there should be no issues with our targeted species. Unlike our other net, the bag holds its shape like a rubber net when held in position, a definite plus. Another really cool feature is the option to interchange hoops simply by unscrewing the handle and changing to a different hoop.

Hopefully the reservoir levels at Roosevelt will start coming up so I can post a performance review soon!

[blufin loui]

Hey ya Phil, I too look forward to the lake levels coming back up as I miss your reports from up there. I bet the new net will do all asked of it, and you will be well pleased. You and Debbie take care and we're waiting on the report of the new net in action.

[Toni]

That looks like a great net. I had been looking for one and then someone gave me a rubber net that is about 4 foot long, fixed. But in my 12 foot boat it is enough. It is heavy but I can handle it.

[hewesfisher]

Well, the water levels finally came up at Roosevelt, and we finally found an open weekend. Despite an almost 2' daily increase in the reservoir level, we still managed to catch 6 nice rainbows, 2 walleye, and a SMB. So the new net got a workout, and on a scale of 1 to 5 (poor to great), I rate it a solid 4.5, and only because the hoop is slightly smaller than what we had before. The bag is perfect for our use, the extendable handle is so smooth and you can adjust it on the fly. I deliberately ran it out about 7' and scooped a 3lb rainbow with it. Yeah there was some leverage at that length, and a 3lb rainbow seems pretty heavy with the net almost fully extended, but the package performed flawlessly. We scooped most fish with it extended in the 5' to 5.5' and that seemed ideal for our use.

Thumbs up on this one!

[sickbayer]

Good post

This is a late reply but thought id had some input. I have had the knotless net for trout, orginally got it as it was light for the misses, but it always got the hook caught in it. So i moved on to a frabill rubber net. It is good net but a big mack or trout certinaly has the abilty to jump out of it, altough I believe a tired fish wouldnt. Even though the frabill has a long handle it isnt enough for my high deck on my boat i needed a 6 footer, with that in mind i bought the Beckman net, it is light strong and well built but a tad expensive.
After seeing the OP decision on his final choice of net im curious to try one out for myself.

[MarkFromSea]

By chance, did you happen to come across one of these silly knotless nets that some waters, Coffee Pot, require now? One that you liked? I'm not interested in overpriced heavy rubber nets either.

Thanks

[G-Man]

Mark,

Check out my intial reply to this post, I really like the Danileson replacement bags, they are inexpensive, light weight and very deep. The only drawback is getting the hooks stuck from time to time. However, if you are fishing selective gear waters, the barb needs to be pinched down and it becomes a moot point. I also picked up a knotless, folding net at Cabelas recently and really like it for fish under 20". It is lightweight, deploys with one hand and is deep enough to close properly once the fish is in the net. It makes a good pontoon boat net but is does not float on its own so be careful!

Cabelas Folding net link - I picked up the larger size

[hewesfisher]

I know I'm digging up an old post, but I thought I should share something about this net.

The last couple of outings I noted it was increasingly difficult to extend the net and during yesterday's outing at Roosevelt, I also noted a lump under the foam near the collar at the top of the handle. I think it's a broken rivet or screw and is the creating a bind when trying to extend the net.

Today I checked the EGO website and found the net has a 2 year warranty. Next I checked my file folder for the receipt and it was not there, couldn't find it anywhere. Warranty details on the website said proof of purchase required for warranty. Bummer.

So, on a "what have I got to lose" whim, I sent the company an email, and the link to this post which documents the date I received it, explained I could not find my receipt, and asked for assistance. I sent the email at 11:02PST and got a reply at 11:32PST, the text of which is provided below...

Phil,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding the problem you've experienced with your EGO S2 Slider landing net. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused but will get the issue resolved right away. If you will provide your shipping address, we'll get a new replacement 48" handle shipped to you immediately.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience but wish to thank you for giving us the opportunity to correct the problem.

Best Regards,
--
Grant Corbett
Sales Manager
Adventure Products, Inc.
Phone: 478-788-2404
Email: grantc@adventureproducts.com

I already think this the best net going, now I can say the same about how they stand behind their product!

[Amx]

Sounds pretty darn good.

[Mike Carey]

nice customer support. That will win them some business. They look like great nets. I have an extending handle net I got for kokanee, and replaced the net with a coated nylon type. Will test it out this week. One thing I did with my other net that I will do with this one is to put a rubberband about half way down the net to decrease the depth of the net. I found the kokanee would just get hopeless twisted in my original deep net. It definately helps and I had no "hop out" problems.

[hewesfisher]

One thing I did with my other net that I will do with this one is to put a rubberband about half way down the net to decrease the depth of the net. I found the kokanee would just get hopeless twisted in my original deep net. It definately helps and I had no "hop out" problems.

Now that's a good idea I may just have to try.

[bugmasta]

Look at stowmaster nets.

[Fissurski]

Hey G-Man, thanks for the tip. Yeah, $60 for a landing net is a bunch of money, but in the heat of battle I need a net that works well.

I'm really leaning toward the Frabill, it's half the price of the Beckman and the kids are donating part of the purchase price as a Christmas gift so it won't be so bad.

Get something that works, end of story.. When people spend all this money on a boat but go cheap on things like terminal gear or nets, I cringe.

[racfish]

I plunk the rivers alot especially in tidal flow estuarys. I take my standard knotted net and add a piece of dowling in the end. I use a hex screw or cotter pins to hold it together. I like a longer net handle myself both in the boat and on land. For rivers I ad a 8' dowel. For the boat half that. Im not trying to be cheap I just want what I like to fish with.