[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I went out and bought one of those rubber nets hoping that treble hooks that hooked into the net while landing a fish would be easier to remove than the typical nylon type net. Well, It certainly does make hook removal from the netting slick but I also found out a residual effect that a rubber net has.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I landed a wiper last night in the rubber net; these nets are relatively shallow in depth compared to most other types of nets. I was standing next to the gunnel and just got the hooks removed when the fish flopped in the net. His weight coming back down on that rubber net was enough to "trampoline" him over the rim of the net and back into the water. Lost fish! DOH![/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Moral to this story? If you buy one of these nets, they do make hook removal great but unhook those fish inside the boat![/size][/font]
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Sounds like that fish deserved to live to fight another day, he never gave up.
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[cool]I just got a couple of those myself, for tube fishing. Like yourself, I was tired of spending time extricating hooks from the net, long after the fish had been sent back home.
I haven't experienced the dreaded "trampoline" effect, mostly because I do a scoop and slide routine, to get the fish onto my lap. I would imagine that a "green" and fiesty wiper might not just lay down for hook removal. They are known for being "active". If nothing else, you can fake it and try to convince everyone that the backwards one and a half release is necessary for style points.
I'm betting that once you get used to the unique properties of your new acquisition, you will find more to like than dislike. For one thing, I suspect that the wetted rubber mesh will be less invasive and destructive of the fishs' protective slime coating, for harmless releases. Some nylon mesh nets leave visible marks on the sides of fish netted in them.
I also suspect you bought the net more with macks in mind than acrobatic wipers. Maybe you should give it a good workout on troutkind before passing final judgment.
TubeDude
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I thought it was pretty funny LOL. The fish had it planned the whole time. He was nice and still and as soon as BLM got the hook out and swung the net around, bounce and splash!!!! Back in the water.[sly]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Actually I did buy the net for trolling applications for smaller fish such as wiper, etc. The net is not nearly large enough to handle big macks. I've got a net that's close to a 3' opening for macks and I'll put up with a stuck hook in the netting for a big fish but for the run of the mill stuff like wipers, etc., This rubber one should be great...just as soon as I get smarter than the net![/size][/font]
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Hey BLM that big net only works good if you "remember" to put it in the boat!!
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]"BIG FISH RULE"M.H
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Like I need to be reminded I'm a D.A.? Ya, you're right. I've been guilty of that more than once! That's what happens when you're switching between three nets all the time. You forget to bring one! DOH![/size][/font]
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A couple years ago I was fishing with a guy at Willard and we had fished most of the day with little luck. In the evening I caught a nice wiper of about 3 3/4 pounds. I was getting ready to release him, when my guest asked if he could have it to eat, and I said sure. He took the wiper and laid it on top of the ice in his ice box, which was sitting on the seat in the stern of my boat. He reached for the lid of the ice box to close it when that wiper flipped once and landed in the water (which was a good 3 1/2 feet away). It provided a good laugh for me especially, he wasn't so sure that it was that funny.
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I also hated the time it took to get my lures free from the net BLM,when I came accross a nylon net that had a rubber coating over the nylon,it is still deep,we used it the other day and it worked great.
TIGHT LINES
Tony[cool]
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