Whether you are primarily a valley angler like me, a boater or even a bank angler, your fishing net can be a very important piece of fishing gear. When you’re lightline fishing (like I do), being able to catch a fish when you get close to it can be a huge advantage in taking the fish down. Many fishermen carry their nets on their backs and simply reach behind them and grab the net whenever needed. Then, when the net is not in use, it simply hangs down the road on the anglers’ back. These nets are great for trout and small mouth bass, but the nets are very small, so they aren’t very effective with really big fish.
Bank fishermen can use nets effectively as well. Bank fishermen usually use larger nets than wading fishermen, and these nets have long handles. This way when the fish approach the bank the net can be used to catch the fish rather than trying to kick the fish into dry land or using your hands to catch the fish. Either of these methods results in fish getting away 25% of the time. Using a long-handled net while fishing on the bank will get more fish into the cooler, there’s no question about that. I have seen handles on the nets of bank fishermen easily over eight feet high! The length of the handle will depend on your fishing condition.
Nets are used by boat fishermen to avoid having to “lift” fish onto the boat. Oftentimes, doing so results in the loss of fish. Tying the fish to nets rather than hoisting them into the boat is a way to avoid losing said fish. Not to mention the fact that many fish caught during boat fishing are too big to be “lifted” and must be staked with nets in order to be hoisted onto the boat. Boat nets usually have handles that are long enough to reach from the boat into the water comfortably.
The bottom line is that fishing nets can be very important to catching fish. Even if you catch and release a fish, fish netting means you handle said fish less often, which is always a good thing. Remember this the less stress we can put on the fish the better, and fishing nets help relieve stress on the fish.