Fish landing net

Whoa Dude! One of the guys on the Central Cal forum got a $701.00 fine for not having a net At MDO. I just put my net in my yak.......

thnx for the info. I checked my net and it was only 16 x 11. I have to get a bigger net!!

anyone have any suggestion? I like the rubber net that is collapsible

Wow that's an excessive fine. 

Make sure you have a landing net on board at least 18" in diameter or risk this fine.

Go big or risk losing a lifetime catch.  My two cents. 

Go big or risk losing a lifetime catch.  My two cents. 

+1 Of course the minimum 18 inch is fine if you are catching and releasing. However, if you happen to hook into a nice big butt, it sucks loosing it to the size of your net; size matters

They have a killer deal on a 22x26" collapsable net at west marine in Santa Cruz  right now, it folds up to about 12x26" pretty awesome, lightweight, etc.

It was $99 normally and on clearance for $39, this week they are adding another 20% off clearance so after taxs it came to $34.. Even if I'll never use it, it's nice to have hanging out with me to know I can rest assured I won't get dinged for that fine!!

I never use my net on halibuts as they in my opinion hate nets and go ape sh*t in them.. Rather if I know it's legal, they get a hole in there head (with a spear) and then the stringer in there gills tied to some rope and anchored along side my yak, until it is ready for some bat swings to its head and then put in the bag and paddle to shore..  haven't lost one this way yet...

Well minus the half dozen 20-30lbers I lost last year due to gear failure :/ and of course fishermen failure as well I'd check your local west marine maybe they have a few!!

Go big or risk losing a lifetime catch.  My two cents. 

Indeed. Go BIG if you are after salmon. Most of the other stuff I just gaff or swing over the rail, but still need to have a >18" net on board.

I never use my net on halibuts as they in my opinion hate nets and go ape sh*t in them.. Rather if I know it's legal, they get a hole in there head (with a spear) and then the stringer in there gills tied to some rope and anchored along side my yak, until it is ready for some bat swings to its head and then put in the bag and paddle to shore..  haven't lost one this way yet...

Don't call your gaff a spear.  You might get a $700 ticket.

Don't call your gaff a spear.  You might get a $700 ticket.

Valid point! Same with the big net deal for salmon!! Nets are great for catch and release fishing too...

Don't call your gaff a spear.  You might get a $700 ticket.

Nets are great for catch and release fishing too...

True, unless you're talking about halibut. Nets have a tendency to damage shaker butt's fins, causing fin rot which can be fatal.

If you're doing a lot of halibut fishing, please consider a "fin friendly" net with soft, fine mesh or rubber.

regarding regular net vs the rubberized type....Ive heard that the rubberized will give quite a bit more drag in the air due to its size and thickness of each thread. Any comments on this?

I picked up one of these:

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/19159/WindPaddle-Release-Right-Floating-Fish-Net.html

Haven't had an opportunity to try it yet. 

regarding regular net vs the rubberized type....Ive heard that the rubberized will give quite a bit more drag in the air due to its size and thickness of each thread. Any comments on this?

Probably will, yes.

Personally, if I'm not 100% sure a fish is a keeper I'll do my best to shake it off the hook  with some needle nosed pliers instead of landing it and measuring. I'm sure I have released quite a few legal fish doing it this way, but it doesn't bother me.

regarding regular net vs the rubberized type....Ive heard that the rubberized will give quite a bit more drag in the air due to its size and thickness of each thread. Any comments on this?

I have both rubber- and nylon-mesh nets, and you are right about the rubber-mesh net increasing drag.  The rubber net is also significantly heavier than a nylon-mesh net of equal size.