Mine is done... came completely unbottoned/apart and is starting to unravel.

Could I get some opinions on my next purchase? A knotless/fish friendly net is a for sure, also mainly landing mid sized fish, steelhead and silvers.

Thanks!

Beckman Fin Saver or Frabill Conservation Series are the best two on the market IMO.

Best C&R net does not yet exist. It would possess strong lightweight mesh to make it ergonomic to maneuver both in the water and out. The mesh would be soft knotless and small to protect slime, scales, and fins from needless damage.

It would be generous enough to support a fish in the top 4-8 inches of the water surface while suspended from the boat gunwale... i.e. not too shallow. However, not so generous that it would allow a fish to wrap itself in the mesh or "twist tie" the bag closed... i.e. not too deep.

Have been in touch with some of these companies to design the ultimate C&R net for anadramous species here in the PNW and beyond. If I could design the net.... it would have the laundry-basket structure (flat floor, vertical walls, moderate depth) of the Beckman FinSaver Pen and the truly fish-friendly fine knotless mesh used by Loki or Gibbs.

In the meantime the Beckman FinSaver would be my choice for large salmon and the Loki for small-med salmon and steelhead.

Thanks for the input. I was looking at the Beckman nets and that sounds like it may be a good option. I am not planning to C&R fish only, in fact I love meat in the freezer, but I do try to be especially careful with my native "bycatch"

The hardest thing about nets seems to be finding them. I suppose it depends on where you live but around here, you'll not only lack choice, you might have a hard time even finding one that you want. I finally settled on a Frabill Conservation Series from Holiday Sports. I actually like it a lot but wish it had the flat bottom (some models in the series do).

I still can't understand why all decent nets cost so much?

My biggest hang up with so many of the "conservation" nets is the use of heavy coating on what started out as a perfectly good knotless soft mesh bag.

I realize the main reason to coat the bags is to make them snagproof to barbed hooks. But if one fishes barbless (and we should be if we expect to be releasing a good portion of our catch), it doesn't matter whether the hook catches the uncoated bag.... it will NOT snag.... it will simply slide right back out leaving the bag none the worse for wear.

The coating adds unnecessary bulk and weight which interferes with ergonomics. It also tends to render the bags stiffer and coarser.... which defeats the purpose of being more friendly to slime scales and fins. Seems the only thing being "conserved" is the bag itself, to prevent damage from barbed hooks.

I say ditch the barbs and ditch the coating. If you insist on fishing barbs in C&R/selective fisheries, limit yourself to ONE single hook... that way the only hook point you have to worry about is already stuck in the fish.... nothing else to snag the bag.

I agree. Some of those nets' coatings are so thick it looks like they've been Rhino-lined!

Doc-

Pro's and con's, pro's and con's to everything. The Conservation series bag is actually designed that way to reduce it's pliability and keep the net from wrapping up in a fish's fins. It also helps the net maintain it's bucket shape in and out of the water. As far as it being coarser, I have caught and released a lot of fish with it and have never noticed any scale or slime loss.

My only beef with the softer nets is that the mesh tends to wrap around a fish's fin's making damage more probable when the fish thrashes or is removed.

I know you are a Beckman advocate, and I'm more of a Frabill Advocate, as we've argued the better points of each net style before.
I personally think they are both great nets, each with their individual benefits and drawbacks.

AP I feel yah on not finding a decent net locally. I am stuck in Smokey Point which might as well be tackle store purgatory, lol. I have to run to 3-rivers or up north to Holiday if I want real selection.

I am planning to go up to Burlington in the next few days to do some net shopping. Most likely will pick something up at Holiday.

Thanks for all the input so far guys, it has been helpful.

So I have been to hook line and sinker, johns, harbor marine, holiday sports, and wholesale sports looking for a net and no one had what I was looking for. Of all the places, wholesale sports had the WORSTE Selection.

I have been looking at one on cabelas and was hoping for an opinion:

http://www.cabelas.com/landing-nets-seines-beckman-big-fish-nets-4.shtml

I picked up two versions of Frabill's soft mesh landing net...a small steelhead net, then a larger version for fall fish...LOVE IT! It isn't as heavy as the coated nets, still has a deep bag and Frabill's yoke locking system snaps in without struggling to line up the pin-hole....plus haven't seen many loose scales in the net after release...the only issue is that it isn't hook proof...but I'm happy with both of them!
Nice deep bag

Big enough for two...

Multiple uses...including terrorizing the pup...


I tried searching for a part number..no dice..just call Kent @ 3 Rivers, I'm pretty sure they still stock them.

Love that soft small mesh, Moravec, but the shape of the bag needs work.

Loki nets were mentioned also, but I can't find anywhere to buy one. Do I need to contact them directly?

OK... gonna resurrect this old thread because I've found what I believe to be the best C&R bags for selective PNW fisheries.

Google up Promar.

First off, gotta thank CanyonMan for making his Promar C&R net available to me the past couple months. It's got ALL the features I'm looking for in a C&R bag, only in steelhead/small salmon size. I was very impressed. Right shape, right depth, right texture, right meshsize.... perfect! Too bad it wasn't made bigger.

Fast forward a couple months... wish come true! I've got my ultimate big fish C&R bag for my barge.

While shopping at a local tackle store a couple nights ago, I found a magnum version of the same bag. Only $59.95 and further discounted by 40% to boot.

SOLD!

Even though it's sold with a worthless stock 4' handle, the bag itself was well worth the purchase price. I'll either get the company to send a custom 6' handle or simply mount the bag on an existing Beckman or Frabill frame.

YOU ONLY GOT 1? Do they have more. Want

You know, I almost bought a second one.... but decided I better give the first one a decent test drive before I give it the full-on "Good Housekeeping seal of approval" fNp endorsement.

My grown children fit inside this bag, and I was able to dead lift my oldest off the carpet (just shy of 100#) without ripping the mesh wide open. Floor of the bag stretches wide enough to allow a 53" king to lay flat across the bottom of the net (mock test using my outstretched feet on legs spread-eagle). If the seam construction holds up to the repeated loads of several hundred salmon per year, this one could be a real winner.

Decide what you want......go on line......buy........all the gas you have used driving from all those stores.....could have bought 2......

Merry Christmas and many fish in the New Year.....

My favorite for general use is made by Ranger. It features a pear shaped bag that at first glance looks too shallow, but being made of rubber, it stretches with the weight of a fish. It has a nice wide hoop and solid handle.

I have netted hundreds if not thousands of silvers with this net and it continues to be my favorite for fisheries where I am letting them go. It is a shade small for chinook shaped salmons, but they will fit.

A big drawback to the rubber bag is drag in the water. As with all nets, the netter should keep the net out of the water until ready to make a quick, sure scoop, but even so, the extra drag takes some getting used to.




Also big enough for two.



For dedicated chinark fishing, I have a Beckman fin saver, which I love dearly. It is quite stiff, but that has yet to cost me a fish.

I never figured out why you need a net, either for keeping or releasing.

Some of us fish from boats in water deeper than crotch-high.