Fishing Home Page

Fish Netting Tips

Whether it's your biggest fish or the fish aren't biting well and every fish counts, good netting practices can make the difference between a fish on the wall or a limit of fish for the table. The following are some helpful tips for successfully netting the fish on the end of your line. A good fish net and netting skill will dramatically increase your odds of landing bigger fish versus trying to grab a thrashing fish alongside the bank or boat. Using a net also lowers the odds of getting a hook in your hand.

Don't try to net a fish before it is ready to be netted. Fish should be played out and their actions somewhat predictable. By attempting to net a fish to early fishermen most often start to chase the fish with their net. This just causes more thrashing by the fish and a hook coming out. Remember that fish should be netted headfirst.

Fish should be netted just below or on the surface. Don't reach to far below the surface. This stabbing motion often results in knocking a fish off the hook with the hoop of the net frame.

With nets that have large bags hold on to the bag until your ready to actually net the fish. This will prevent the bag of the net from being caught on something in your boat or the hook in the fish becoming tangled on the outside of the net.

If you practice effective netting, your fishing partners will be confident that you can net the big one for them when the opportunity comes along. More importantly perhaps, if you teach your fishing partners effective netting, you can be confident that they will be able to net your trophy fish when it bites.