How much weight do you carry??

You're required to carry a 18" min diameter net when fishing so that you can release short or silver salmon and other fish.

Has anyone here acctually been cited for this rule and if so how big is the fine?

Has anyone here acctually been cited for this rule and if so how big is the fine?

I don't know anyone cited yet.. or know how much the fine would be, but why take the chance at getting dinged by some stupid technicality.

Has anyone here acctually been cited for this rule and if so how big is the fine?

I don't know anyone cited yet.. or know how much the fine would be, but why take the chance at getting dinged by some stupid technicality.

 Since we are talking technicality how do you define a net?  I bet if you had one of those game bags they could still cite you because it isnt a fish net with a handle.

Here's the excerpt from the regs....

Fin Fish — Gear Restrictions
28.65. General.
......No person shall take finfish from any boat or
other floating device in ocean waters without having a landing net in possession or
available for immediate use to assist in landing undersize fish of species having
minimum size limits; the opening of any such landing net shall be not less than eighteen
inches in diameter.

.... and since there are now lots of collapsible landing nets on the market... I'm willing to bet mine is legal!

And after the 5 or 6 incidents this year alone where people landing big fish suddenly found themselves face to face with GW's I don't think I'll be using a gaff for anything

Good point!.... definitely less fish blood with a net vs. a gaff.

I confronted the boat builder after seeing some of the reaction on the board and he said I misunderstood (possible though my hearing checks out fine). what he was driving at, he says, that it isn't a panacea--that Kevlar boats are very hard to repair and they still get damaged because Kevlar has different strength characteristics (tensile, compressive, how its used as a fabric overlay in fiberglass, whatever, blah, blah). I left it at that--I am in over my head at this point. And frankly I don't care to debate something i don't know much about--it seems I should never have repeated something I didnt fully understand in the first place. I'll let the designers fret, and I'll buy what suits me at a price I can afford in what I hope is a competitive market full of innovation. I don't design kayaks--I paddle and fish from them. There at least I can claim first-hand experience.

Good discussion on boat designs. For the record, I never intend to start using a crate so I won't have to give one up. Looking forward to the solutions people come up with for cleverly stowing lots of gear on existing boats as well as reducing the load to begin with. When I was a mountaineer doing alpine climbs in the Sierra, 'light' was always 'right'. It seems some principles apply universally to many sports. I am also looking forward to what the industry come up with in the coming years to fit the needs of the growing fishing kayak market.

I figure with a huge net I can scoop up a fish while it's still 'hot' and have it safe on my lap before anyone's the wiser.  AFAIK the GW stolen fish were taken at boatside, before they'd been gaffed.  The shark can sense the struggling fish from 100 yards away, but it'll take 10 minutes for the blood to diffuse that far through the water.  Getting the fish out fast is helpful if sea lions are about too.

I figure with a huge net I can scoop up a fish while it's still 'hot' and have it safe on my lap before anyone's the wiser.

That is an excellent point.  I have lost a few lings because I wasn't able to gaff them, or like last trip when I acctually had one shake off the gaff.  I think I might startt utilizing the folding landing net.

It keeps down deck clutter and eliminates the mess of a gaff. Plus the fish is release-able at any point should you change your mind or measurements don't allow for keeping--not so with a gaff. Then there's the shark attracting factor of a gaff's carnage   I know it's Halloween, but could we stop with all the GWS stuff--yikes! To think I rolled around in the water off Bodega Rock among those seals practicing rough water rescues. Old Mister GWS musta sized me up and found me too lean and grizzled to bother with--but I ain't banking on it in future  

Here's the net I bought this year:
http://www.charkbait.com/cs/csrPromarNETS_gaffs.htm
I got the large size. It collapses down to 34" long by 10" wide (at it's widest point). After I launch I unfold it and stick it in a modified rod holder. Last year I almost lost the 25# salmon I caught 'cause of my small (18") net. This one will net the damn shark if you need to!
 

Last year i lost the biggest halibut i've ever caught, after having it flip out of my 18"net three times...i promised myself that i would always bring "the big net" when hallie or salmon fishing...
as for the reg-- i'm honestly not going to worry about it for stripers- been checked a few times, never come up. for anything else, i always have at least the little one...

ey Paul...does the net float if you drop it?

I figure that if the handle is hollow - maybe you can stuff some foam peanuts to make it float. THis is what I did my net. It's not foldable but it floats. One less thing to worry about.

ey Paul...does the net float if you drop it?

I figure that if the handle is hollow - maybe you can stuff some foam peanuts to make it float. THis is what I did my net. It's not foldable but it floats. One less thing to worry about.

It doesn't but I leash both my net and paddle It looks like you'd have to remove some keeper clips from inside the handle to do that.

I fired off a note to the guy who makes them asking about getting deeper nets Seems like a good time for one of these manufacturers to make nets specifically for kayak

It's looking like maybe Dux tomorrow but there's 8-10 west swell that could make it tricky in both spots up there

I've been known to drive over the 55 mph speed limit.  Likewise, I've been known to "forget" my net through surf launches.

Not sure if this is ok or not, but the law says:  

"No person shall take finfish from any boat or other floating device in ocean waters without having a landing net in possession or available for immediate use to assist in landing undersize fish of species having minimum size limits"


IMO, a fellow yakker next to me with a net should count as "available for immediate use".

Either way, not something I really lose sleep over.

Stuart

The large Promar is 26" deep (flat-bottom). When it's collapsed it's flat and very stowable. I found the Stowmaster first when I searched for stowable nets; it looks really nice but big bucks. I'm totally happy with the Promar. Plus I like the ad!