Landing Fish - Net Versus Hands?

[wongrs]

So, the atlantic salmon thread makes me ask this question. I find that if I try to land a fish with my hands and tail it, it takes longer to tire out as I can't grab the tail and hang on. There are pros/cons to both methods so let's explore the situation a little further.

 

Net

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Pros: land fish quicker keeping it fresher

Cons: net will rub some slime off fish, fish more likely out of water for longer time

Comments: it is assumed that the angler does not allow the fish to thrash on rocks in the net. also assumed the angler doesn't keep the fish out of water too long. hopefully it's obvious to keep netted fish in the water so they can breath.

 

Hands

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Pros: land fish without the fish touching anything

Cons: fish is exhausted and takes longer to revive, fish has more chance to shake hook

Comments: i find that the fish is more likely to bump into rocks while i'm trying to tail it and/or pin it down - especially if i'm fishing from shore without waders.

 

any other comments? personally, i'm a netter but maybe it's because i don't have enough practice tailing fish. does it really make a difference which way you go? maybe we can have a thread on guidelines for fish safety during picture taking as well.

 

(btw, i'm going away for the weekend so excuse my monday response.)

[Guest bigbadbrent]

lots of fish i dont do either, just get the forceps out and let them off right there, if they dont boot upstream right away i grab them and help revive

[Hawgstoppah]

Tried lots of ways to land fish and the best I can figure, is ... if I am standing in the middle of the river, playing a fish to me, I land it by hand or sorta pin it against my leg to pick it up gently. Remove hook, fish is gone no net. If I am on or near shore, I use a net on larger fish. If I want a picture, I use a net. Land fish, keep net in water with fish in the net, get buddy to ready the camera... lift for 5 seconds... *snap photo* then release.

 

Other than the fish toolman dropped 15 times last night, I haven't seen a fish rub the rocks / grass in a long time *grin*

[Brownstone]

I think me and TM started this "arguement", Im saying this, I tail Atlantics because, It's the way i learned, I don;t even pack a net, the terrain usally allows you to get right on top of the fish and simply pick his tail out of the water with one hand and keeping his head under water removing the hook with the other, quick lift for a few pics and back he goes...saying that..Atlantics are by FAR a more hardy fish..these guys swim great distances over some crazy rapids, falls low water etc.. and hang in fast runs where the biggest of fresh water trout would get swept away..and the strength of a salmon can't be compared to trout on any level...they take a lot more playing to even get them to a point where you can land them..I can land a 25" trout with the same gear i use for salmon 75% quicker than a salmon of the same size..you dip one of these guys in a net, they don;t lie there and let you reach in and remove the hook, they panic and thrash LOTS..and IMO dangerous to the fish...I've seen Altlantics dipped..90% of the people who fish in Newfoundland are hook and cook fisherman, if the fish is too big to keep..(over 63 cm) it does;'nt even reach the shore in most cases, unless its a real sportfisherman or guided trip (the other 10%) once they are in the net and realize they are trapped..look out..

 

 

now as for trout..Ive landed some big ass trout out of the Bow but have yet to land a 30" (mainly because I fish mostly with a 5wt) I net some, in areas where the terrain is hazardous to me..(try tailing a fish on a two foot ledge over 4 feet of water..not easy) but most I tail if im standing in the water or on a reasonable shore..when I fish I think of the fish..im not gonna exaust a fish to get the pic. If its a monster I may use the net to steer the fish towards me and to control it..

 

 

so my answer is I use both..but tail 75% of the time..it takes getting use to but i think its easier on the fish

 

...and you can't compare trout and salmon..its like comparing a Magpie and a Bald Eagle...anyone who has grabbed the tail of a salmon will tell you..hold crap he go some power...Ive hooked salmon and had them swim upstream while i was pulling back in faster water then you will find ANYWHERE on the Bow...

 

The Bow rocks i consider it my river, and Trout rock .. there are just different applications for different situations ..

 

Tail/net whatever..if that fish gets back unharmed you done good...but if the fish don;t get a knife to cut the line .. you should'nt get a net .. fair fight like TM said..but the fishs health comes first ..thats just me opinion...

 

sorry to ramble on guys

[admin]

Good arguments for both.

 

I only use a net when I'm in a float tube or pontoon. I can't get the fish to hand otherwise. Fishing fishing rivers, I land fish by hand, meaning no net. I try to unhook fish in the water without touching them. Failing that, I make sure I have wet hands, and turn the fish upside down remove the hook and place them back into the water. Turning them upside down seems to calm them a bit.

[OneMoreLastCast]

For me it depends on whether my net fell off my back downstream somewhere that I had a seat.....

 

I used to land everything by hand because I couldn't afford a net.

 

I now net pretty much everything and think that if it is done correctly, little or no harm will come to the fish.

I rarely remove the net from the water, remove the hook and release the fish.

 

I do land some by hand if the situation is right, but the fact is, I have become accustomed to using a net and doing it properly, so that is what I do. Usually I land the bigger ones by hand because the net I have is small. I do have a nice long, deeper scale friendly net for my boat and pontoon though, to use when necessary.

 

I use a net with the "Fish Friendly" netting, not the big holes, etc. and it's nice and shallow.

The fish really doesn't even touch the netting all that much when it comes down to it. If the net is left in the water, the net more or less just contains, or traps the fish so you can remove the hooks and let it go.

 

I've watched people, (and done it myself to be honest when I was younger), trying to land a fish by hand where the "Fight" only took 2 or 3 minutes, but the "Landing" of the fish took 10. One guy actually did this in front of me and then proceeded to lecture me on the damage nets do to the fish.

I've also seen people "Tail" fish where they grasp the poor fish so hard that they do more damage trying to do the right thing.

 

I think that if someone knows, or learns, the proper ways, it doesn't matter if they use a net or not.

[lonefisher]

Yeah I usually try to fish with a moderately strong line for the fish I am trying to catch and once they are coming in I just slid em up to my leg keep tension on the line with my hand, stick the rod in the armpit and pop the hook out. If you do have to handle em then rolling them on their back seems to work well to calm them down. And when picking them up there is a sweet spot (seems to be on the underside behind the head and gills) and if you put finger tips on this area they usually stay very still. Seems to me the smaller the fish the harder it is to hold them without them squirming. I find the most important thing is your knots and your leaders lack of wind knots. Had to tippet down to 6x nymphing the highwood yesterday (forgot my stronger leaders) and in the first hole I took about a 23-25 inch bull trout on the bottom dropper. Even though he took me 30yards downstream I still managed to land em in about a minute without a net...... you can put a lot of pressure on 6x IF your knots are really well tied and tested before you hook a fish. I usually pull on my knots (while rigging) until I think I am just under the lines breaking strength and when doing this I find 3 outta 5 knots (on 6x) break too easy and need to be retied but when you have a strong rig 3lb breaking strength is more then enough for a big fish. At the end I just grabbed the line popped the hook and since I had no camera man I let him swim away without ever leaving the water..... Got a big splash of water in the face for my troubles as well.

Tailing a big atlantic....... never tried but its gotta be tougher methinks

Oh and I am no Pro this is just my own crazy beliefs. I just talk here cause I got nothing better to do.

[lonefisher]

Oh and I should mention that I do often use a net but I feel it doesn't quicken the process much..... that said early season on the bow river ice...... you need a net to land fish safely in a lot of spots IMHO, same deal in a pontoon boat when landing larger fish. I don't really feel that the fish are gonna be much more exhausted by the lack of a net as I find if you can get em close enough to net you can get a hand on your line and the process is just as fast...... Having someone else net your fish on the other hand can take some time off of the fight especially if they land the fish a ways away from you while its still really fresh.........

[SteveM]

Arctic Grayling have gotta be the worst fish to land by hand; they just never settle down, always have one more flip left in 'em!

[Brownstone]

I agree, Grayling are very hard to handle...

[toolman]

I was out on the Bow today and caught over a dozen trout too 24". I did not need a net to quickly land and release any of them. The longest scrap was under two minutes and I even took a couple of photo's of a few trout in the water. All of the trout swam away after only 10- 15 seconds of recovery time. A fair fight is what I like, right to the bank.

I win some, I lose some...I'm getting better at it.

[grannyknot]

I'm a clutz, so a net really helps me not drop big fish on their head, and when using a long leader I find it easier and faster to scoop the fish up, rather than try to grab my leader then the tail and not drop my rod in the current. For smaller fish I use the same technique as Brent, just hold the leader with one hand, stick my pliers in the water and give them a quick twist, unless the fish is worn out and needs to be revived, but they typically bolt right off. Hasn't been too much of an issue lately though, you've gotta hook them before you can land them.

[birchy]

I seem to have a really difficult time holding fish without them flopping and me either squeezing them too hard to hold on, or dropping them in the water.

 

So I got myself a nice catch and release net. I land them in it, keep them in the water, and use my hemostat to twist the fly out. If it's a picture worthy fish I'll pick it up for a quick picture, otherwise I just lower the net into the deeper water and off they go.

[Pikebreath]

I think a lot of it depends on what you are comfortable with. Over the years, I have fished both ways,,,,nowadays from a boat with high side (such as a drift boat, or in water to deep to wade, I'll use the net. Where I can wade comfortably, I will land by hand. Most beginners would probably be better off (or should I say the fish will be) if a net is used at all times. As your experience level goes up, you will be able to land fish just as quickly without the net and generally you can release the fish with minimal handling which ultimatelty is better for the fish. Please do not beach fish or lift them by their tails,,, tailing a fish is okay as long as you don't lift it of the water by its' tail. Most fish (Atlantic salmon are an exception, apparentally) cannot take the strain of their whole weight without messing up their back bone's alignment while being held up by their tail.

[cdock]

I use a frying pan. If they can be eaten, I fry them up. If they don't settle down I give them a wack. Oh wait, we're talking catch and release. Just kidding around. Seriously I try to do what Birchy does. Use a net but try to keep them in the water as much as possible and let them go. Or if I can get them to settle down without the net I don't even touch them, just release the hook and away they go. It's all good as long as the fish return strong and healthy, not floating belly up.

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Hilarious cdock !

 

With squirts I prefer to leave em in the water, they normally shake off on their own but if they don't this is what I do - I like to hold the line snug in my left hand and with my right hand I pinch the line between my thumb and trigger finger, you'll see that despite their seemingly continous fight they usually have short little pauses every few seconds. Leaving about 6"-12" between my pinched fingers and the fish I wait for a pause, then quickly slide my fingers up the line to the eye of the fly/hook and just hold it still, as the fish begins his next set of head shakes it almost always pops off on the first movement (most of the time the hook pops out before the fish even gets moving again). I started doing this with both the pontoon and tube but now do it for nearly all smaller fish wading too. My buds have watched me do this and are convinced I will end up with a hook buried in my finger or thumb but I have been doing it for 3 years now and have not been jabbed once (I did get some tippet jammed up under my thumb nail once but I blamed myself for being slow sliding down the line - it is key to reach the hook before the fish begins to flip again. The other key is that you are moving your fingers to the fish, if you pull the fish to you it doesn't work (it will keep flipping) - I like this method as I never touch the fish or lift it out of the water. I have thought of trying to design a little plastic tool that would clip on the leader (picture a macdonalds size straw) that is large enough dia to fit over most flys but small enough to catch the hook bend - theoretically the idea is sound - wish I had more time to experiment with stuff like that...

 

For larger fish I use the net in the toon and tube and usually tail when wading (ha ha ha - like I ever catch big fish)

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Re-reading that I should mention the importance of pinching firmly at the hook eye - obviously if the eye makes it past your pinch you'll end up with a poke in the finger or thumb