Jerry Newman - 1/2/2020 12:14 PM
Brian Hoffies - 1/1/2020 4:15 PM
I have rails on all my boats basically because I troll quite a bit. I troll for most everything but usually have a big net. After I net a fish i'll often stick the handle in my rod holder on the rail. That keeps the fish in the water. I'll let the fish settle down while getting a pliers or whatever i'll need for the release.
Excellent point on anchoring the hoop over the rail and rod holder. I also recommend having a strap in place to secure the end of the handle so that the hoop angle is perfect, and the net is now completely hands-free.
Another good tip is to not bring the net with the fish against the boat right away… sounds silly until you notice how many deep scratches you end up with on the side of your boat from hooks during the normal initial thrashing in the net deal.
