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| Anyone know the differences btwn Stowmaster and Frabill's Power Stow nets? Would likely be ordering online so don't have the benefit of seeing first hand...?
Also - size recommendations? There seem to be 2 sizes for musky. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Buy the Frabill. Very nice net at a great price by a company with stellar customer service. I like the 30"X32". |
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| Any difference between the 2, Steve? Is the net similar? (have friends who aren't fans of the stowmaster mesh) Weight? |
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| Guest - 3/27/2011 9:39 AM Any difference between the 2, Steve? Is the net similar? (have friends who aren't fans of the stowmaster mesh) Weight? the Stowmaster design works great. however, i didn't like the small mesh because the hooks get tangled up in it every single time you put a fish in the bag, something that stresses fish due to extended unhooking times and the lure would sometimes hold the fish's head out of the water. this happened pretty much every single time. so, i bought a replacement Frabill net bag with 1 3/4" coated nylon mesh and put it on my Stowmaster frame. i now have the perfect net...but had to pay "twice" for it.
of course, that was before Frabill got on board with a foldable net of their own. the one limitation on these new Power Stow nets is that although they have the larger mesh, it looks like they used a lighter/thinner material on the net bags rather than the coated nylon that comes on the Power Catch. i find the thicker coated net bags are more fish-friendly and do less fin damage. so close, so close... |
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Posts: 51
| I have both Stowmaster's, TS94IM and TS116Y. Get the TS116Y , its perfect for musky and it should last you your life time, I'm sure it will for me.
Ts94IM with a 30''X32'' is way to small for any fish over 40 inches. I use mine for bass, pike and walleye 
http://stowmaster.norsemenoutdoors.com/shop/muskie-net
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The Frabill will last you a lifetime.
The 30"X32" is in no way 'too small' for muskies; the opening is fine and bag plenty deep enough, especially considering most who are looking at this net want a compact design. If you want a larger net, they certainly offer one for you.
I actually assisted in getting Frabill and Stowmaster 'together', and that's why Frabill now offers this series.
The bag is tangle free and knot free; the reason the bag material is not as heavy as the Powercatch series is so the net can be folded and stowed easily. The bag is plenty tough enough for Muskies and Pike. It's knots and mesh size that does the fin damage, and some of the heavier netting that looks much like the Powercatch netting competitors have offered can tear up the fish pretty good because the coating is so abrasive.
Here's what Frabill offers:
http://www.frabill.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Powerstow%20net
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| i've had one or two fish that are a few inches over 40 in my Stowmaster TS94. they all went into it just fine...plus the larger nets such as the TS116 or a Big Kahuna are challenging to use when you are fishing alone. imho, on these big nets the size of the hoop really isn't as important as depth of the bag anyway. they're all plenty big "around" for a trophy fish, but it needs to be "deep" enough to be down in the water when it's hanging over the side of your boat holding a fish.
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| lambeau - 3/27/2011 2:34 PM
i've had one or two fish that are a few inches over 40 in my Stowmaster TS94. they all went into it just fine...plus the larger nets such as the TS116 or a Big Kahuna are challenging to use when you are fishing alone. imho, on these big nets the size of the hoop really isn't as important as depth of the bag anyway. they're all plenty big "around" for a trophy fish, but it needs to be "deep" enough to be down in the water when it's hanging over the side of your boat holding a fish.
Frabill is a great company and have always lead the way in fish-friendly products. there's a reason i put their bag on my Stowmaster hoop! that said, i'm just stating my experience fishing and my preference as a consumer. i prefer the more coated knot-free bags because i've found them to be more fish-friendly than the thinner diameter knot-free mesh ones i've used, especially on fins where bigger gaps with smaller diameter mesh is a recipe for splitting. the coated Power Catch bag that's on my TS94 folds up just fine, so i hope Frabill considers offering a bag like that on the Power Stow at least as an option in the future in case i ever have to replace my net at some point.
That new Frabil/stowmaster uses the same small mesh bag as stowmaster. The stowmaster is a nightmirror for hook tangles. Very interested to know what Frabil net you replaced it with cause I need one. I really like the Stowmaster but the net is really bad. Has a nice deep bag and huge hoop but....Thanks for any info |
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| Frabill replacement bag model #4666. 32" x 41" hoop with 42" depth. 1 3/4" coated tangle-free knotless mesh. http://www.frabill.com/landing-nets/replacement-netting.html turned it into the perfect net...but it adds an extra $75 to the cost! |
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| The difference I noticed was the price. Frabil was $30 more than the Stow Master. I use the Stow Master TY116 & have had no issues with it in 3 years of use. Put thrashing 100 Lb sturgeon in it & it held up great.
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| Let me ask the question in another way --- what are the differences (if any?) between the power stow and stowmaster? |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Websites are a great resource:
Frabill:
Product Specifications
Full Description
* Ideal for pike / musky / big cats / bull redfish / striper / cobia/ grouper
* Heavy duty aluminum handle is strong and corrosion free
* Glass-filled nylon yoke for superior durability
* Knotless mesh netting reduces injuries to fish
* Telescoping handle for added reach
Stow Master:
Two stage telescoping handle made from 1-1/4” diameter extruded tube. Extruded ridges for extra strength and slip-free handling.
Hoop made from Oval shaped extruded tube. 100% aluminum yoke.
Hoop is Oval for extra strength, and making it faster in the water.
Hoop and handle are made from 6061 T6 aircraft quality aluminum alloy.
Heavy duty nylon netting with fish-friendly knot-free design. Net Bag is 48? deep with a specially coated “Guardian™” netting and is small meshed to protect fins.
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| sworrall - 3/29/2011 10:06 PM
Websites are a great resource:
Frabill:
Product Specifications
Full Description
* Ideal for pike / musky / big cats / bull redfish / striper / cobia/ grouper
* Heavy duty aluminum handle is strong and corrosion free
* Glass-filled nylon yoke for superior durability
* Knotless mesh netting reduces injuries to fish
* Telescoping handle for added reach
Stow Master:
Two stage telescoping handle made from 1-1/4” diameter extruded tube. Extruded ridges for extra strength and slip-free handling.
Hoop made from Oval shaped extruded tube. 100% aluminum yoke.
Hoop is Oval for extra strength, and making it faster in the water.
Hoop and handle are made from 6061 T6 aircraft quality aluminum alloy.
Heavy duty nylon netting with fish-friendly knot-free design. Net Bag is 48? deep with a specially coated “Guardian™” netting and is small meshed to protect fins.
Steve - i know websites are wonderful but most/all of those characteristics are shared by both nets. Is the Power Stow a Frabill-licensed stowmaster or is it a different (improved?) net?
I like Frabill in general....assume its improved, but from the video looks like a stowmaster clone. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The Frabill uses a glass filled nylon yoke, proven in the Powercatch line and Big Kahuna for years as the smoothest deploying yoke on the market. The Handle and netting are similar. |
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| Thanks!!
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Posts: 133
Location: Duluth, MN | lambeau - 3/27/2011 10:07 AM
Guest - 3/27/2011 9:39 AM Any difference between the 2, Steve? Is the net similar? (have friends who aren't fans of the stowmaster mesh) Weight? the Stowmaster design works great. however, i didn't like the small mesh because the hooks get tangled up in it every single time you put a fish in the bag, something that stresses fish due to extended unhooking times and the lure would sometimes hold the fish's head out of the water. this happened pretty much every single time. so, i bought a replacement Frabill net bag with 1 3/4" coated nylon mesh and put it on my Stowmaster frame. i now have the perfect net...but had to pay "twice" for it.
of course, that was before Frabill got on board with a foldable net of their own. the one limitation on these new Power Stow nets is that although they have the larger mesh, it looks like they used a lighter/thinner material on the net bags rather than the coated nylon that comes on the Power Catch. i find the thicker coated net bags are more fish-friendly and do less fin damage. so close, so close...
I agree that the thicker coated bags are more fish friendly and hook friendly bags out there. When you switch to one you don't see the net markes on the fish and fin cuts. Plus the fish don't get tangled in the net. |
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Posts: 279
| I have a stowmaster and the netting is a thick coated bag got it from Thorne bros last year at a show not sure why as I have seen some of the stowmasters with a thinner bag. |
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| The best advise I can give is if its got the thinner mesh bag take a pass. You will replace it for sure. |
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Posts: 256
Location: Valpo IN | I stopped @ Cabelas today and looked @ the model #8520 looks and feels good. The bag seemed to be the thinner one you guys are talking about, I think it should be fine. |
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Posts: 642
Location: Richfield, MN | polarkraftdave - 3/31/2011 6:35 PM
I stopped @ Cabelas today and looked @ the model #8520 looks and feels good. The bag seemed to be the thinner one you guys are talking about, I think it should be fine.
Gander is running there Frabils at 30% off right now. I just picked up a Frabill that orignally costed $139 so I basically got $40 off. It is the net that has the thicker corded net. Weighs a little more than the $100 one but I figured it wil be worth the extra dollars in the long run.
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 'I have a stowmaster and the netting is a thick coated bag got it from Thorne bros last year at a show not sure why as I have seen some of the stowmasters with a thinner bag.'
'The best advise I can give is if its got the thinner mesh bag take a pass. You will replace it for sure.'
Guess some folks don't have any idea what the bag looks like or how tough it is on either net.
This isn't the light bag one sees on the non-coated non-muskie nets, but it also isn't the large weave net one sees on the Big Kahuna or Powercatch series that lambeau prefers.
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| A couple of the obvious differences:
StowMaster uses an aluminum yoke, not plastic for it's larger size nets.
StowMaster offers a lifetime warranty on the frame and componets (except the mesh), Frabill offers a one year.....
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Posts: 89
Location: East of muskie country | Not looking to beat a dead horse here but as I get ready to pull the trigger on this purchase the only significant difference to me is price. Looks like the Stowmaster TS116Y can be purchased for $170.99:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0013BPDWA/ref=dp_olp_new?ie...
I was quoted $217 for the comparable Frabill power stow. I'm not sure if that price included shipping. I don't believe Gander Mtn carries the power stow at this point, I'm not sure any retailer does. I purchased the TS116Y back in '05 (no longer have this net) - apparently they redesigned the bag 2 years ago - the real thick coated bag which seemed to tangle, knot up hooks very easily was replaced with a bag which I get the impression is the same as the PCatch bag. Aluminum vs glass-filled nylon yoke ???? Never an issue with aluminum. Lifetime warranty vs 1 year??? I guess the decision became a little easier. |
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Posts: 51
| There shouldn't be any questions, Stowmaster TS116Y only. The new version which came out last year has bigger and better net the the previous version. I like the new net cause its wider and accommodates fish better. I love my Stowmaster nets. |
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| Do you guys recommend the 116 or 94 sized? I have a smaller boat, but fish in bigger-fish waters.
Also - if i mostly fish alone, is it better to get a stowmaster/powerstow (which i have to fully set up before fishing?), or a frabill powercatch which isn't stowable but (as i understand it) can at least be extended with one hand? |
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Posts: 51
| Rook - 4/6/2011 7:44 PM
Do you guys recommend the 116 or 94 sized? I have a smaller boat, but fish in bigger-fish waters.
Also - if i mostly fish alone, is it better to get a stowmaster/powerstow (which i have to fully set up before fishing?), or a frabill powercatch which isn't stowable but (as i understand it) can at least be extended with one hand?
For musky, 116 only.
For all around it can be done with a 94, but be prepared to have some split tails on fish and lost fish. We have had some close calls with the 94, and that's why me and my friend had both purchased 116's last year.
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | DMcMusky
Frabill has been in business for decades and will be for more.
A 'lifetime' warranty is only as solid as the company behind it.
The yoke Frabill builds offers a smoother one handed deploy. I have both net brands and have used both net brands, in all models.
The Powercatch can be easily deployed with one hand and has a lifetime warranty. If that's the issue, then buy that net. |
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Posts: 89
Location: East of muskie country | Thanks for your input Steve |
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