Netting Salmon

Man, that's great food for thought!  My Scotty bighoop with 4' handle is SO unwieldy I usually leave it home and just tire them out and tail them aboard.

Charles brought a big net with a 1 foot handle last year.  I tried it.  Pisco tried it.  And Charles tried it.  None of us liked it.

-Allen

Charles brought a big net with a 1 foot handle last year.  I tried it.  Pisco tried it.  And Charles tried it.  None of us liked it.

-Allen

I gave that sucker a shot too and about threw it into the water. It's like trying to land a 50# halibut with a trout net. I'm w/ Pole and like the longer handle tucked under my arm. W/ a big fish you need leverage.

Z

continued from above
As I'm reeling the fish and I think he is done, I point my rod tip toward the back of my kayak. My net ready at the front.  I reel in the excess line and turn the fish towards the front of the yak. The hydrodynamics of the water bring the fish to surface and at the same time turn the bow of the kayak towards the fish.  The net then goes into the water and I can raise the fish's head without breaking my fishing rod.  Into the net he goes.

I wondered about bringing a in a big fish while on the yak....figured I'd choke up on the 5' handle on my salmon net and see how she goes.

So far, nothing in the Hobie but trout, kokes and a single smallie - none of them needed much in the way of netting.

Old Grandad (not the whiskey) used to tell stories of catching his 6 coho limit off of Bainbridge in the '50's fishing with drop lines and yanking them in with a gaff....

We were goofing around on a pontoon boat down around Redondo in the late '90's - there were like six of us, 3 guys and 3 gals - middle of the afternoon one of the gals throws out a chunk of herring on an old beat up Fenwick rod mated to Penn 65 (the mono on that sucker was probably 10 years old)  Damned if she didn't tie into a 25lb buck - we watched her play that thing for 45 minutes, that line was so brittle we told her not to touch the drag and to keep on cranking.  She finally brings that fish to heel, and we realize we don't have a net.....took a folding lawn chair that was on the boat, one of those cheapo kmart ones with the webbing.  Folded it part way up, sunk it down and got her to guide the fish in pinched the salmon between the seat and the back and yanked the whole works in - heck of catch.

Not sure I want to peddle the Hobie around with a lawn chair bungied to the deck...

SC

..........and we realize we don't have a net.....took a folding lawn chair that was on the boat, one of those cheapo kmart ones with the webbing.  Folded it part way up, sunk it down and got her to guide the fish in pinched the salmon between the seat and the back and yanked the whole works in - heck of catch.

Not sure I want to peddle the Hobie around with a lawn chair bungied to the deck...

SC

great improv, SC...reinvented the pike cradle, did you?

We were goofing around on a pontoon boat down around Redondo in the late '90's -
SC

Redondo? Like King Harbor? That was my late 90's stomping ground! That's where my "trophy" butt came from. There were Salmon there? Was that that monster El Nino year? Caught everything that year, great WSB year too!  Ahhhh, memories,,,,misty water colored,,,

Sorry, back to our regularly scheduled thread

We were goofing around on a pontoon boat down around Redondo in the late '90's -
SC

Redondo? Like King Harbor? That was my late 90's stomping ground! That's where my "trophy" butt came from. There were Salmon there? Was that that monster El Nino year? Caught everything that year, great WSB year too!  Ahhhh, memories,,,,misty water colored,,,

Sorry, back to our regularly scheduled thread

Redondo, WA

-Allen

Redondo, WA

-Allen

Dang, way to kill a memory.

your still an asset.

Redondo, WA

-Allen

Dang, way to kill a memory.

your still an asset.

That is spelled asshat...not asset!   

YotF

Redondo, WA

-Allen

Dang, way to kill a memory.

your still an asset.

That is spelled asshat...not asset!   

YotF

Yah ... he knows that.

-Allen

So here's a question about landing large fish for CnR. (catch & release).

With fishing for trout I don't even keep a net with me because typically they are small enough that I can simply grab the hook and let them off (I use only barbless hooks for my flies), or if I need to handle them I can grab them at the tale with one hand and work the hook out with the other.  If I a going to keep them I just tire them out, grab my leader and flip them onto my lap or into the yak.

On a salmon, this would probably not be an option for obvious reasons.  Take Moutcha for instance, say you are catching a lot of fish (polepole) and they are not getting off until you help them.  What to do?  Since this is a tournament situation I am assuming a few fish will be landed and released in an effort to get the BIG ONE!

So here's a question about landing large fish for CnR. (catch & release).

With fishing for trout I don't even keep a net with me because typically they are small enough that I can simply grab the hook and let them off (I use only barbless hooks for my flies), or if I need to handle them I can grab them at the tale with one hand and work the hook out with the other.  If I a going to keep them I just tire them out, grab my leader and flip them onto my lap or into the yak.

On a salmon, this would probably not be an option for obvious reasons.  Take Moutcha for instance, say you are catching a lot of fish (polepole) and they are not getting off until you help them.  What to do?  Since this is a tournament situation I am assuming a few fish will be landed and released in an effort to get the BIG ONE!

Actually many were getting off with no help.     I caught over 20 fish last year in 3 days fishing (kept 4).  But I lost at least that many.  I only used the net on a handful of them, mostly on the ones I was keeping.  For many of the others I did exactly what you are saying and just reached down and released them.

Granted many were lost while I was trying to play them close enough to grab the lure.  A good net job would have solved that problem.  Also, a number were lost on the jump ... these fish were hot, with a lot of aerial displays, probably because they were already running shallow in somewhat shallow water.

-Allen

If your fishing with larger single hooks you can use a small dehooker to help release the fish.

They look something like this..

I've recently started using this 18"x24" hooped net with this 48" deep bag fitted as everyone was crying about loosing big salmon at the boat last year. I like the short handle because its easy to control near the boat. The next size smaller actually said it was a "kayak net" on the label.

Hey Wali,
I've got the next sized down net from Frabill. I think it measures 17x21 or so. Where did you get that replacement net? I think the hoop size is fine but the net is definitely not deep enough.

Jay