Nets?

  Long handle Vs. short handle?  Why?

I have always used a long handle and recently I went to a short handle and I like it better, dosen't get in the way when I have it behind me, I can stow it, catches less wind. Since you are at water level the fish are right next to you so why would you need a long handle? Plus you have more control over the Net. I guess if you fish long leaders you might need the long handle. I only net fish I'm going to keep so I don't use it much, pretty much keep on hand to stay legal and trout and steelies.   

  Kinda what I was thinking.  I have a short handle I keep in my (Not used for 3yrs now) 12' alum boat.  That net worked ok from the boat but a longer handled one may have been better for it.  I'm going to relocate that net to my kayak stuff and see how it works on it. Not sure it'd be llegal for theocean, don't they need to be min 18" open? Think mine's just under that.  I'll see when I get out of the boat.

Think mine's just under that.

Just grab both sides and pull till it hits 18"

I have a long-handled net for the ocean. It lives in the vertical rod holder on my milk crate and sticks up pretty high....hopefully preventing other boats from running me over. It is also a lot easier for other kayakers to see me from a distance, although the bright orange pool-noodle wrapped on the net handle might have something to do with that too.
It would be quite difficult to net a salmon with a short-handled net if you're trolling a diver-->flasher-->leader-->lure type of setup, unless you had a very long rod, long arms, and high-sticked the heck out of it.
That said, yeah, I never use my net to actually net fish. I just lip em in the water, remove the hook, and release. And for freshwater, a long-handled net would be way overkill.

I totally agree with PK - with a salmon trolling setup (diver, flasher/dodger, hook rig) you're likely going to need to reel all the way to the gear, hold your rod arm way up behind you to the side, and reach with a long-handled net.  When you have a salmon on you want a long-handled net even if your gear isn't that long of a train of tackle.  You need to be able to position your net when you net a fish that gets squirly.  That goes for a big ling or hali too. 

I think the bottom line is that alot of us are fishing in waters where we could catch a big fish (a ling, a salmon, a halibut...etc.) and you don't want to have under-kill for a net when you get that hookup you've been waiting for.  Go with long-handled unless you're in freshwater.

I predict more frustration and lost big fish from those who run with smaller or shorter nets in the ocean.   

...and I want to see everyone succeed in those special catches, so consider it.   

I don't get the net thing.  I recently bought one and carried it at Elk in order to be 100% legit, (although technically a mesh duffel meets the criteria, I guess).  Hated it...  gets in the way of casting, tangles in everything, catches the wind, and I dont know about Salmon, but for rockfishing it's useless, imo.  If it's a big fish I can control it easier with a gaff, and smaller or borderline fish eare easily released without use of a net.  Is it just me?

Is it just me?

It's not just you - I keep hearing lots of people talking like that, but how many HUGE fish have you gaffed?  I found it a bit uncomfortable to hold a 20+ pound lingcod on the gaff compared to the net.

It's about being ready when you get a HUGE fish.

To each his own.  I'm just trying to give good advice from the experiences I've had.

...and I don't even use the net most rockfish trips - it's ready though.

 

I meant no offense...  Just wondering if I was missing something.

No, I haven't gaffed tons of large fish, but I did get a 19.7 lb ling last year.  I let it tire out, so I didn't even have to gaff that one, really.  Just used the gaff to lift it's head out long enough to get the game clip on it.

I do look forward to my first yak halibut with some apprehension, but I suspect it's all about playing the fish out and getting em on the game clip with a quickness.

Again, if anyone has reasons why this won't work I'm all ears.

i have never fished from a kayak before and just got my first fishing kayak a few days ago.  i also bought a landing net with 27"/44" telescopic handle & 17" wide net frame for it.  is this big enough?  should i get one with a bigger mouth instead?

i have an ocean kayak caper anger model (11' length) and haven't got a chance to test drive it yet.  now that i have it, i am thinking maybe i should have gotten a bigger model,,,like prowler big game or tarpon 120.  but then again i have a small car, and caper is small and light enough for easy transport.  wondering if caper is big enough to handle the ocean fishing for lings and butts.

jp-
Good post - I had the same question.
Anyone want to weigh in on adjustable/folding handle nets? Best of both worlds or neither?

...i have an ocean kayak caper anger model...

Find-Fish, Control that anger! 

...i have an ocean kayak caper anger model...

Find-Fish, Control that anger! 

   haha,,,i meant "angler".

I've been using a big mesh "lobster bag" for a few years to remain legit yet not have a big net sticking up behind me. The opening is 18". I've used it on lings & rockfish when my game clip was full, but not on a halibut yet (of the only 2 legals I've caught via yak, 1 was netted by Mooch, and the other was secured with a gameclip only).
I'm still waiting to find out how large of a fish will fit into the bag , but so far its worked fine for me.

I've been using a big mesh "lobster bag" for a few years to remain legit

I talked to a warden at the MLPA meetings and he said he would write you up for this as it specifies landing net in the regs but his buddy said he wouldn't unless you fishing for Salmon????

I did get a 19.7 lb ling last year.  I let it tire out, so I didn't even have to gaff that one, really.  Just used the gaff to lift it's head out long enough to get the game clip on it.

More power to you if you can tire a fish out so it doesn't make a difference, but I've found that all fish are different in the amount they fight and you need to be ready for a fish to go ballistic on the surface.  I just know that the big net is my best tool when I have a big fish on the surface next to me.  I am pretty persistent about this because I was shocked when I realized how much of an advantage it was for me to have the big net when I had big fish on the surface.

This post shows a strong argument for the long-handled net:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,8758.0.html