A Net Is Only As Good As the Handler

I don't know many fishermen who haven't, at one time or another, lost a nice fish or two alongside the boat because of some sloppy net-handling.

One of my own most memorable recollections of sloppy handling dates back to the days when I fished with the Back Bay Bassmasters. I was the draw partner this one tournament for a guy with a long history of bringing heavy bags of fish to the scales at all of our club events.

The tournament in question just had gotten underway, when this fella tied into a big bass on a topwater bait. He immediately hollered for the net, and I was busy responding to that call. Unfortunately, I let my self-imposed pressure to do a good job inhibit my netting performance, and I ended up missing the fish on its first pass alongside the boat. On the next attempt, I really blew it. I accidentally hit the fish in the head with the rim of the net, and, as you probably have guessed, he instantly was gone.

The ensuing silence in that guy's boat was deafening. The set of his jaw, as I looked up at him, spoke volumes about the kind of thoughts that surely were going through his head. In short, I was certain I just had made a life-long enemy of someone I always had wanted a chance to fish with up until this time.

Later that day, as luck would have it, I pitched a Slider worm to an old boat dock and hooked up with what proved to be a better-than-4-pound bass (akin to the one I had cost my partner that morning). However, I wasn't about to break the silence and ask for some help, especially after the way I had bungled the net job for him.

I still was trying to decide how I was going to land this fish when it suddenly decided to send the drag on my ultralight rig into a screaming frenzy. At that point, the fella on the front deck jumped off the pedestal, grabbed the net, and gently started offering friendly advice on how to play the fish to get it to the net. Moments later, he scooped up my prize, handed it to me, patted me on the back, and returned to his position on the front seat. Only then did he, in a very calm tone, ask me if I had watched how he had netted my fish.

And from that point forward, we had a good day, despite the rocky start. Neither one of us won anything that day, but it didn't seem to matter in the long run, because we had a steady conversation for the rest of our fishing day and all the way home, and we remained friends until I eventually left the club.

Over the years since that incident, I have come to swinging most of my fish into the boat, even bigger ones. Several times, though, I have been burned by this method, especially with fish hooked on crankbaits. I can't tell you how often I've watched nothing more than the mere weight of the fish cause a hook to tear out of its mouth as I'm trying to swing it inside the boat. Nothing is more sobering than to see a nice fish just plop back into the water alongside the boat without your ever getting to touch it.

As a result of moments like this, I have started using my net more often. I keep it handy in the boat now, even on fun-fishing days, just in case Bubba should happen to come calling.

As soon as I feel a bigger fish on, I get off the front pedestal, grab the net, and bury about half the hoop in the water at a 45-degree angle. I make sure part of the handle rests on the gunwale and the rest of it is tucked securely between my legs. That leaves both my hands free to control the rod and guide the fish into the net. As he nears the net, I put enough pressure on his head to keep it up and prevent hooks from bumping the rim and/or tangling in the net. When the fish is about halfway inside the net, I grab the handle with one hand and lift up, so the rest of the fish slips neatly inside.

I should point out here that I always try to use the port side of the boat to land a fish. That way, I don't have a console to deal with. Of course, if your boat happens to have dual consoles, I reckon it's six of one and a half-dozen of the other.

A little Internet research revealed that Ergonomic Tools makes what they call a RoboHandle (see photo left) that easily attaches to almost any net handle to make landing fish a one-handed operation.

"Ladies and gents who fish alone see the benefits immediately," says Kevin Lee, the inventor. "Now, the netter doesn't have to worry about losing his/her grip on the net handle and allowing the net basket to twist, which can let the fish flop out.

"Instead, the angler holds onto a pistol grip, and the ring is near the elbow, so anglers can use their strong bicep muscles, instead of weaker forearm muscles, to hoist the fish in."

RoboHandle is available in two sizes: a medium size that fits pole diameters between 7/8 and 1 inch, and a large size that fits pole diameters between 1 and 1.4 inches. Both sizes attach with included clamps or #6 sheet-metal screws (not included). They retail for $19.95.

Lee originally designed this device for brooms and dustpans. "Cleaning crews immediately saw the advantages of it, and it was a natural to attach it to landing nets, too," he said. "The guys we've had as field testers, while catching muskies and big Great Lakes salmon, absolutely love it."

In case you're interested in more info or to place an order, here's the link: http://robohandle.com/.