netting for dummies

[curado]

i found this. Guidelines for Netting a Salmon, or
any Large Fish






Netting a salmon or any other large fish for that matter, is something some of us seasoned fishermen take for granted, while others shutter at the chance they may knock a good fish off. It is a task that is learned, so if you have the chance, pay close attention when someone else is doing it. Watch how it is done by guides or experienced fisherpersons. There are specific things needed in the equation to have it go smooth & successful.

It has been said many times that most fish that are lost are within 10' of the boat. From personal observation, it appears that this may be divided about equally between the rod handler's & the netter's responsibility. The percentage of lost fish goes up dramatically in direct relationship to the decline in fishing/netting experience. Then occasionally the fish gods happen to smile on some of us, no matter what we do wrong.

NUMBER ONE : Try to net the HEAD of the fish, not the body. Fish do not have reverse, but can turn on a dime & give you 9 cents back. Do not try to net the whole fish, but it helps if the majority of the fish is in the net in the end, concentrate on getting the head in the net & if you do a good follow thru, usually the rest will follow if you do your part. You normally will want the fish to tire out before you try to net it.

By watching, after a while you will get the hang of how each different specie of fish will react when being fought & landed. This is important in the fact that you will after a while be able to anticipate what the fish will do, & be ready to intercept it.

Lead him in a little closer
Turn him around, I can't net his tail





DO NOT put the net in the water & hope the rod handler can lead the fish into the bag. Hold the net at ready just above the water & with your leading hand hold the bottom of the bag lightly with a finger, this keeps the bag out of the water preventing scaring the fish. When you make the pass to get the fish, the net will pull out of the finger's light grasp.

Under most conditions, the fish will have to get tired out enough to be able to be led into the net. As shown here the netter will have to wait for the right moment. Then he can quickly jab the net into the water in front of the fish, when the fish is in the bag, jerk it back up, closing the bag. For most salmon, do not try to lift the net plus the fish horizontally out of the water & into the boat. You can bring the net close to & against the side of the boat with the handle pointing up, this will trap the fish against the side of the boat, somewhat immobilizing it. Then if the fish is large & or legal, you can get ahold of the upper net hoops & lift it in that way.

If you are fishing in an area where you have to release a fish, because of selective harvest regulations, it is best to be able to identify the specie while it is still in the water way before the netting time. Here it takes studying the characteristics, markings & just how the fish reacts. If it is a non targeted fish, (like a non clipped adipose finned Coho) there are other less stressful methods of releasing a fish without netting them. Under this non targeted fish situation, some state's regulations say that you are not allowed to raise a fish above the gunwale of the boat.

Here is the place to use a dehooker instead of the net, & not take the fish out of the water. CLICK HERE FOR LINK

If you have to net the fish & then release it, you can hold the the netted fish against the side of the boat. Here it has been found that if you roll the fish over onto it's back while still in the net & just at water level, it will usually calm down enough to unhook it without taking it out of the water & then you can release it.

This fish is not ready yet Not even


If the fish is a legal keeper & still in the net at the side of the boat & thrashing around, you may want to "Bonk" it on the head, with your "Welcome Aboard" billy club. Otherwise bring it aboard & then bonk it while still in the net. Remove the hooks, take your pictures etc. To make for better eating of any fish, it is best to bleed them as soon as possible. This is done by cutting or pulling some of the gills out. Some fisherpersons then may tie a rope thru the gills, out the mouth & drag it over the side of the boat for 10 min or so, allowing it to bleed out & keep the blood out of the fishbox. This however can be a good way to loose the hard earned fish to a seal or shark.

Most well prepared fisher-persons will instead put them in a chest cooler that has ice in it. Sure you will get blood accumulate in the bottom, but there is usually a drain plug in these coolers. Many fishermen make a slightly raised slatted false bottom in the cooler, so the blood & water will drain down, allowing the fish to still be in the non contaminated ice. If you happen to know a retailer who uses the shopping carts that have the plastic square grating on the bottom & sides, see if they have any damaged ones & if you can get one, cut the bottom out to fit the size of your ice cooler bottom.

A 26# Chinook the net, with the bag closed, note the downrigger swung rearward out of the way A nice 23# Chinook in the net at Westport 2009. This photo was being taken while the resisting fish was still in the water, but snapped just as the netter scooped it in. A lucky photo shot.


These pictures were taken at Sitka Alaska in May of 2005 fishing with L&M Charters with the exception of the above RH photo. The Alaskan raingear was standard even during a nice day as the skipper could hose down the deck along with any bloody pants of the crew to keep the boat clean.

A nice Coho in the boat Smiles


One thing you will see in these pictures is that the skipper is wearing Polaroid glasses. This helps him see into the water better, cutting out the surface glare. This allows him to see the fish better & to help anticipate the fish's moves.

After being hooked, some fish will want to stay on one side of the boat, or go one certain direction. This could be caused by just were the lure's hook is located in the fish's mouth. If they want to go to one side of the boat, let them, not because you are right handed & prefer one corner of the boat to do the netting your way. Trying to make a fish go to the other side of the boat if it does not want to, can create problems in itself & can very well contribute to loosing the fish. Or if possible maneuver the boat to the opposite side of the fish more to your advantage so you can take it on the side that helps you. Or learn to net left handed.

If the fish heads under the boat, have the fisherman place the rod tip or the whole top section even to the reel if need be in the water deep enough to clear the hull & prop. You do not want the line dragging across the bottom of the boat or to get snagged in the prop or rudder. If the fish wants to stay under or go to the other side, have the fisherman keep the rod in the water deep enough to clear things & then have him move around to the other side & resume fighting the fish. Some fish (especially ocean Chum) may even want to hide right under the boat.

Most times if I am trolling with downriggers & get a fish on, I do not shut off the trolling motor, I may slow it down some, but never off or out of gear, UNLESS it is a BIG fish & is putting up a fight or taking out line. If this is the case then QUICKLY pull the other gear up, clear the downrigger balls & take it as it may come. If the fish is really taking out line in the opposite direction, you may have to make a decision very quickly (to give yourself enough time to get your gear in) & possibly have to chase one to be able to recover some line.

I prefer to have the netter standing in one of the rear corners of the boat. This gives him a better ch

[Matt]

Great article. Thanks for the post. Most of that is common sense but I can't tell you how many times I have been fighting a fish and watched in horror as my partner broke a number of these netting rules.

['OL GREY DOG]

good post...1 of the hardest things i've ever done is....

catch/net a 15lb silver while crank'n up a DR,get the net ready,drive the boat,and chunck rocks
at the seal chase'n us
....DOG

[Toni]

i found this. Guidelines for Netting a Salmon, or
any Large Fish

Thank you, this is good information but I would like to know where this information is on the internet? There are some words that don't make sense so I think there should be pictures. There are also words that make me think there are links involved.
When you are copying and pasting it might be a good idea to include the source of the article.

[curado]

is south sound chapter PSA

[Splitshot]

Great article, thanks for posting it. I screwed up last year and knocked a 17" rainbow back into the lake. My buddy said "that's alright, stuff happens" but I know we both felt like carp.

Don't mind if I post the link- didn't see one.
Netting

[racfish]

One thing I really like doing . This might just be me. I tie my own leaders.If I lose a fish to my leaders then its my fault.
I net my own fish sometimes even gaff my own. Again if I lose it its my fault.
If these things happen I dont mind cuz I do it. If some bafoon nets my fish tail first then I get angry.

[goinrcn44h]

I knocked off a very very nice silver in the skagit yesterday, the catcher was not happy at all... I am still shuddering at that fiasco.... ugh

[jtrapier]

The nicest King I ever hooked into was lost due to a buddy that didnt't know how to net (or fish for that matter) He tried tail first and spooked the fish, but I was able to keep it on and yell at him. So the next time he listened when I told him to quickly go at it head first, but he kinda chopped down towards the head at an angle and hit my leader.... I refuse to let him anywhere near the net anymore, and he will never live that one down.