Just wondering how other floaters net and boat fish in fast moving water. I have a two man boat so one person needs to stay on the oars while the other man handles the rods. I usually try to get out of the fast current and drop anchor, but have still managed to lose fish boat side. Any thoughts?

1. Row for the quiet water
2. drop that anchor
3. what ever it takes, person playing fish should be on the "up river end of the boat"
4. Person netting, downriver end of boat", have net ready.

5. Try to net fish "head first"

Works most of the time!!!

"Worse day sport fishing, still better than the best day working"

It can get tough to net a fish "head first" into the net when the fish is in current. Everything DriferWa says is correct. One very important thing to know is that if the fish is going to be released and you have to net it, make sure you have a soft mesh, catch and release style net. The problem with the one I have is that the net is sooooo long that when the netter doesn't hold the bottom of the net it drags in the current and races past the fish and "of course" as it passes one part of the net gets to the hooks; then you have got a major f-up; fish outside the net and hooks in the net. Try to avoid that. Get a soft meshed net, hold the bottom until you can get a good "head shot" and if the fish is wild then release it. The typical store bought salmon/steelhead nets will score the beejeppers out of sides and fin rays of fish that are not intended to be bonked which will cause increased mortality.

Beezer