New landing net made for conservation fishing

Frabill has just announced a new type of landing net which they call their Conservation Series.

The new nets have no knots which can abrade a fish's body causing injury.

They have a very small mesh size that prevents fish from getting their snouts and fins caught.

And they have flat bottoms instead of being shaped like a sack as are other nets.

The flat bottoms allows the fish to lay flat when lifted from the water instead of being collapsed into a U-shape. Again, this supports the fish's weight evenly and prevents injuries, especially to its tail or caudal fin.

The nets are fairly pricey. A 26x30" model which would be an excellent size for the big walleyes we catch in Red Lake retails for $119.99.

Frabill's 29x34" model that would be large enough for our lunker northern pike sells for $129.99.

I think any serious conservation-minded angler should give the nets close consideration.

Frabill is correct in its assertion that many fish that are released are harmed by the landing net.

Rubber landing nets do a good job of not harming fish too but they are quite heavy due to the weight of the rubber. In fact the ones big enough for northern pike are just too heavy.

The Frabill mesh net should provide the benefits of the rubber net without the weight and have the added benefit of the flat bottom.

Although we provide landing nets with our fishing boats as part of our regular fishing packages, I always advise anglers to bring their own. They weigh little and are not difficult to pack in the car or truck.

The two pieces of equipment that we supply that receive the most abuse are the landing nets and the life vests.

In the case of landing nets anglers routinely cut their lures out of the nets with knives leaving a gaping hole for the next angler's trophy fish to slip through.

With life vests, many people unwisely don't wear them (See Life Vests and also Fishing Equipment )and so they blow out of the boats and are lost or are stood upon as they lay on the bottom of the boat.

See also Rubber vs Mesh Net and How to Net Giant Pike

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