Nets & Handles

Netting A Big Fish Safely

Go bigger than you think — a 42 inch net with a deep mesh gives you room to get a long fish in first time and somewhere safe to rest it in the water while you get your tools ready. That last bit matters: leaving a pike in the net in the margins for a minute while you set out mat, forceps and cutters makes the unhooking calm rather than rushed. Check the spreader block and mesh regularly, since trebles find every weakness in a net, and rinse and dry it between waters.