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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I had this conversation last night with BigMo, and Steve W. There is a whole bunch of stress on the netman when a fish like jonnysled caught last night is coming to the boat. I know that is the most stessful moment for me guiding also, securing the clients fish in the net. I have seen some awfully goofy things happen at the net with big fish.
What's the biggest one you have ever netted, and if it doesn't cause too much pain, what's the story behind your biggest net mistake. |
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Posts: 27
| Netted a 51" on Mille Lacs last year....thankfully it was uneventful as it was my fishing partner's biggest ever.
Biggest mistake? Well, let's just say that you should never try to net a fish tail first....enough said.
I'm also a big fan of the "hooks in the hoop" syndrome, and "net bag caught on the rod holder" approach....good times!!! |
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Posts: 723
| the biggest fish I ever netted was my buddies 55lber. that was some excitement, I think he tried humping me afterward. anyway, that fish made it difficult. It took me three attempts. The first two she flopped out and the 3rd sealed the deal. I have netted some big fish but this one took the cake.
My biggest netting mistake was recently trying to net my own fish, I was fishing alone before work when I hooked into around a 49-50ish fish. I had caught a 49 2 weeks prior to this so I thought it was coparative in size. Only this fish was casting, the other was trolling. We usually net fish pretty green, so as to not play them out or lose them. Well this fish I tried to horse towards the net and she shook me off about 6-7ft from the net. That was the dumbest thing I've done in a while. And probably the most painful. |
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Posts: 578
Location: Sheboygan Falls, WI | Biggest fish netted was a 53", 40lb LOTW beast. Very uneventful net job.
Biggest screw-up? Well, there were 3, none involving musky. I knocked 2 big King Salmon off for my dad while fishing from the pier in Manitowoc about 20 years ago, both in the same night. The only other was knocking off a rainbow for some clients while chartering on Lake Michigan about 18 years ago. The idiot that was fighting the rainbow dropped the rod just as the fish was getting in the net and the hook got caught on the net and the fish was gone.
I have netted fish for you Norm and have not knocked any off or even come close. I will net any fish for anyone and not feel as if I will screw-up. Heck, I have netted salmon up to 30lbs and musky up to 32lbs while fishing alone. Now, netting fish of that size alone is a complete trick. Norm, remember me calling you multiple times that one day last fall??? 
Chuck |
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Posts: 148
Location: DES MOINES, IOWA | Started netting big Pike when I was 8,and never have lost one,yet.Biggest was a green 48" Musky,that tore my new net into pieces.Before the new large rubberized models.Those old nets were crap for Musky fishing.My son lost my biggest Northern of all time,a mid 20#er at Eagle on his first attempt at landing a fish larger than a Bass.He hasn't lost a big fish since.Landing these fish greener than we use to years ago,definitely makes it a challenge.We use to land them 1/2 dead,and mortality rate was a lot higher.Using 17# monofiliment, it took a LOT longer getting them in the boat. |
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Posts: 341
| There's definitly some added drama when the net guy misses a couple of times and then scores, especially a big fish. Gives everyone a heart attack during but when the deal is bagged creates euphoria in the boat which leads to what the gentleman quoted above ''leg humping''...
A netman is like a NFL kicker the game can ride on his shoulders. |
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Posts: 91
| Have yet to land a "huge" fish, 44" last july is my big netjob. But I have to give a shout out to my buddy who netted my first, Jon Wenzel managed to put a 43" into my old "musky net". The hoop measured 28x32, first try on the biggest fish either of us had been involved with up to that point. Thanks Weiner!
Biggest Botch - Fishing walleyes and norts on Lac Seoul with an uncle that fishes 6 days a year, he gets about a 35' nort to the boat. I get the bag hung on my finger, so instead of a bag I have a "frypan" (no belly in the bag). Fish flops, Blooop, off it swims. He looks at me like he's going to cry and says "well i had my chance". It would have been his PB by 5". Not a big fish but a big moment for him. I still think about having the net out every time i go for a fish to this day. |
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Posts: 5874
| Biggest is my boy, Eric's big fish 2 years ago on Green Bay. Caught it trolling, there was some current, and he did a great job controlling this fish. Came to the boat, and I scooped it into the Frabill easily. I measured the fish at 49 1/2, but when I looked at the pics, there was a couple inches of tail laying on the bottom of the boat yet. I'm calling it a 51 1/2. Fish was very solid, and the largest in the family, and my boat to date. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | we had a couple of attempts last night and the third time was the charm. just a really big fish that didn't want anything to do with the net. i believe the net work is harder than everything, been able to put big fish in the net for my partners over the past few years and the wildest one was when i grabbed the net along with a zillion baits and a water bottle. got most of the baits out scrambling and my partner didn't know the struggle i was going through .... sweating bullets we got her into the net and the water bottle and one remaining bait went along for the ride! after the release i got to tell him the ugly truth and we both started cleaning up the boat! |
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Posts: 880
Location: New Berlin,Wisconsin,53151 | I hate to say it guy's but I didn't get the name for nothing.Here are NETMANS 10 steps to a successful fish in the boat. Monday night 10:30 on Pewaukee and Sanks lucked out with a fish at the end of the night. All the necessary measures were taken: 1) Grab the spotlight; 2) find the snips and pliers: 3) Net in one hand & spot in the other: 4) tell Sanks not to lose the fish 5) fish along side of boat; 6) fish in net on the 1st attempt and spot on fish for hook removal: 7) grab tape measure fish; 8) Camera ready pictures taken; 9) Slap high five's; 10) mix cocktail for victory celebration.
NETMAN |
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Interesting, I was thinking about this the other night when I had clients out. I had a couple with me and she caught her first ever musky and I never really gave it a second thought, just kind of went into auto-pilot and thankfully, all turned out well. But about two weeks or so ago my wife had on her biggest fish to date, not huge, but a nice 42 incher. The fish was out of the water more than it was in the water. I wanted that fish so.... bad for her. She caught it just days after her Dad had passed away, and she has lost a few nice fish over the years. The first time I went for it the fish turned and amost got hung up on bag, it jumped one more time and I could see it was starting to come unpinned. The next chance it gave me I drove the Big Kahuna deep, darn near fell out of the boat from the reach, and brought it in. I've netted a handful of larger personal bests for people...and no doubt it can be un nerving time. Good net skills are worth their weight in gold. |
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Posts: 1188
Location: Iowa | Netted a 47" for my buddy last year on Mille Lacs, a 44" on Eagle two years ago, two 37"ers, a 36" and a 35" in Iowa all for the same guy. He always catches the fish when I am with him. Seems like I am only there to hold down the back of the boat. Oh well at least I get to see some fish. I lost the biggest on of my life last saturday trolling. She hit and ran straight at the boat. Got her up and go a great look at here. 46"-48" and girthy...probably a 30 lb class fish...she death rolled at boat side and spit the hook. I had a jointed depthraider fly past my head followed by a lot of bad works and some things being broken...I was just sick...the funny thing was, we were talking about how I had never lost a muskie 2 hours before I actually did...can't get them all huh...
Big Perc |
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Posts: 32944
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I think the best net man I've ever fished with has to be my son Keith. Always the bridesmaid...
He's netted over a dozen 50" or better fish for me, and I've returned the favor for him on multiple mid to upper 40" class fish, but he's never kept a 50 stuck. He's never missed, and never even made me a little nervous. Now that we fish a big Frabill, I'm even more confident he will not miss. Sue is also very good with a net!
I've never knocked one off the net, but I did net a 48 for a guy who walked out of the boat during the battle. Both he and the fish were in the water... |
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Posts: 1430
Location: Eastern Ontario | Biggest I have netted was a 56 for a client last fall, the fish just laid on the top the last half of the fight. Even with the big Kuhuna both sides of the fish flipped into the net. Right away I knew we were into a special fish. I've netted a whole bunch of 54's ( one just the day before yesterday ) not quite a blunder but a mishap with a 53. The fish was barely lip hooked and I offered the client the choice to net it right away or allow it to take a run under the boat and risk getting off. Well the fish headshaked as it was entering the Kwick Kradle and the believer got caught on the rim and the fish went bye bye.
Just this opening day I had forgoten the Kahuna in the garage and when my son attempted to cradle my 52 inch 40 pounder well he got the lure and not the fish. I had to through the cradle on top of the fish and then proceeded to flip it over so the fish was inside the cradle. That was the second time I had to do this, the first time the fish broke off at boatside and quick thinking let me grab the craddle and through it on the fish, flipped it and I saved the fish and my lure. |
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Who's the top netman?