Hi all, this is my first post on the forums, and hopefully someone can give me a little more insight on this:

I have heard from various sourses that a net should not be used when landing fish, as it causes fin splitting and possibly other damage to the fish.  Now, I normally do not use a net when landing smaller species, but, I am an avid Esocid angler, and I find that for the lunkers, a net is usually the only option when they cannot be picked up from the top.  Can anyone add some clarification to this net dilemma?  Thanks

Hi back, Natashia, & welcome to the Forums.  If you also recently just joined the NAFC, welcome to the Club, as well.

Another option that can be used for muskies & big pike is a pike sling or cradle.  It's a type of net that's flat, with a hard handle the length of the net's width at opposite ends.  When the fish is brought to the boat, the sling's brought up from underneath, & the two ends with the handles are raised, slinging the pike at the halfway point in the netting.  The fish rests in the prone position supported on the bottom & sides by the sling, & the head sticks out somewhat, so the lure/hook can be removed.  I first saw them used on the In-Fisherman TV show more than 15 years ago, & they don't seem to damage the fish whatsoever.  In fact, the pike seemed to be very sedate, & all were released apparently unharmed.

Again, welcome to the Club & to the Boards.  Hope I've been some help.  Let us know how you do with those "gators of the north."

Is there a weight rating on nets?  I mostly bass fish and I have a net but I normally hand land them.  I just picked it up in case I needed to land a bigger fish but I'm concerned that it might not be a safe for the fish type of net and possibly not even rated for heavier fish.  It does however have a large opening say maybe 24-30".

i don't think there's an actual weight rating, but a good size fish will bend your net beyond recognition. if you've got a monster on and are going to net, the trick is to: first get the fish in the net, once it's in the net get the net straight up and down then pull straight up. this puts the strain on the whole loop and not just where it connects to the handle.