I'm still new to this whole DB thing and am using a net on the river for the first time. Yesterday we netted some summer-runs that we released. Two of these were embarrassingly difficult. My net is supposed to be easy on steelhead and is a much finer mesh than the normal salmon net. These two fish and their hooks got really tangled and it took us way too long to set them free. We were fortunate they swam strongly away. One fish was hooked on a jig and the other on a plug with a single siwash. I couldn't imagine netting a fish with a K-15 and two treble hooks with that net. You would never get the thing out.

This leads me to two questions:

What is the best style/brand of net for netting and releasing steelhead?

Or

Do you simply just never net a fish you've determined will be released?

Thanks in advance!

Generally it is best to not touch the fish at all if possible. Many times a net is easier on the fish than not, particularly if fishing from a boat. What I like to do is net the fish but keep the net in the water. Then grab a pair of pliers, lean over the edge, and gently remove the hook. Then sink the net and reverse it which lets the fish swim free without ever touching it. If fishing from shore find a gentle sloping shoreline, slide the fish up to the shallows, do not remove the fish from the water, and then remove the hook with as little handling as possible.

Tailing the fish can be particularly damaging to spring chinook. Spring chinook are generally caught when water temperatures are very cold but these fish then move to tribuatary areas to spawn. The fish hold in the tributaries until late August before spawning. Many of the tributaries have water temperatures that are marginal for spring chinook and the first place to fungus up is where slime has been removed...the caudal peduncle...the area we fisherman like to grab which can and does lead to pre-spawn mortaility. Whenever possible try not to handle a fish that is to be released in any way.

RM

Try this link:

CnR steelhead nets

The softer mesh nets are definitely more of a bugaboo when it comes to entangling hooks. The solution.... less hook points, no barbs! Not even an issue if you only use one single point hook... it will be buried in the fish, leaving nothing to snag the net. I love my Beckman Finsaver Pen with custom NON-treated bag. Very fish-friendly mesh that is constructed very similarly (if not identically) to the net TRBO uses in the link above.

I guess I'm just old fashion, I just tail-them.

All fish that you intend to release should be left in the water and released as delicately as possible. I use a special stick with a stainless hook on the end to remove the barbless hook gently without the need for a net. Once you get the hang of this method it is really quite easy and efffective. If you feel you must net a fish use one of the shallow rubberized nets by Frabill. WDFW will have examples of these nets at the upcoming boat show and sportsmens shows. The coated knotless nets can be used with less harm to the fish but personally I see no real need for them in the CNR fisheries we have now. On my boat you will here a loud call when a fish comes towards the boat...."STICK BOY!!" That signals whomever is not reeling in a fish to get the release stick ready.

Thanks guys. Sorta of what I expected to hear.

Seems like it's a matter of recognizing the best option in regards to the type of water the fish was hooked in with the net being the very last option. I've tailed every steelhead I've caught up until very recently so I figure I will stay with that when possible. My second choice would be handlining to the side of the boat and removing the hook with a pair of pliers ("STICK BOY?). The very last option would be the net in conditions where there is no beach or calm water. I like the picture of TRBO cradling a calm steelhead. I tipped the net, closing the opening, like it was a salmon and that's when the fish began to roll making things a mess.

Thanks again!

If you are not familiar with the stick release method I was speaking about please look into it. It is much more fish friendly than pliers and nets and the touch or grasp of human hands.

Get a beckman fin saver.Nice on the fish and the hooks don't go into the rubber netting.Making C-n-R quick and easy.
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE