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| Is there a good replacement net bag that is particularly good at not getting to tangled up in hooks and fish? Gentle on fish, etc?
Thanks! |
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Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | I put the frabill netting on my Stowmaster net. Best net ever! Buy the 4666 Frabill net for most nets. |
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Posts: 921
| We have been using Frabill for years and love them. My buddy bought the large Stowmaster so when he does multi species trips he can fold it up and get it out of the way.
But when we are on our musky trips the nets stay open the whole time. Anyways I had never touched a Stowmaster before our musky trip to LOTW 2 weeks ago. I compared the weight of that huge Stowmaster to the Frabill Big Kahuna and was SHOCKED how much lighter the Stowmaster was.
We brought both nets to LOTW. We used the Stowmaster for the first 3 days and I will tell you it's so light it's great. PROBLEM is the fish and bait gets so tangled it is literally a 15 minute job trying to get everything untangled. I was nervous several times reaching my hand in to grab the fish when the bait was still tangled in the net right by the fish's face.
When we changed back to the Kahuna even thought it's 3 times heavier. I felt it's much safer for the fish and the fisherman.
Question for you RyanJoz. Is the Stowmaster handle and frame much lighter than the Frabill or is it the netting that adds all the weight on a Frabill?
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Posts: 315
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Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | MuskyMidget - 7/30/2012 8:01 PM
Question for you RyanJoz. Is the Stowmaster handle and frame much lighter than the Frabill or is it the netting that adds all the weight on a Frabill?
The netting is the source for most of the weight. The Frabill nets do have their power hoop which has internal ribs to keep it from being crushed. The benefit to using the Stowmaster/PowerStow is that it folds in half for storage. The Frabill netting is much heavier and heavier duty. Essentially you have a folding Big Kahuna net (which I have also). PM me if you have any questions. The 36x38" net is nearly the size of the Kahuna. Stowmaster must measure their nets to different points. |
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Posts: 326
Location: Plainfield IL | I have the StowMaster net as well with the lightweight netting. When I purchased this I thought the netting would be great. Its a pain, when the fish barrel rolls, the hooks get so tangled in the netting that its a big cluster to get undone. Going to change out the bag to either a Frabil or Beckman and keep the StowMaster handle and hoop. |
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Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Running_Hot - 7/31/2012 8:05 AM
I have the StowMaster net as well with the lightweight netting. When I purchased this I thought the netting would be great. Its a pain, when the fish barrel rolls, the hooks get so tangled in the netting that its a big cluster to get undone. Going to change out the bag to either a Frabil or Beckman and keep the StowMaster handle and hoop.
The Frabill 4666 net bag fits my 36x38 Stowmaster perfectly. This is the heavy netting like on the Power Catch nets. |
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Posts: 921
| Thanks guys. I figured the netting was were all the added weight was. I swear the netting on the Stowmasters is the so unsafe for the fish, it's not even funny. We had a fish so tangled with netting and hooks it was impossible to get the fish's head in the water while trying to untangle and unhook.
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Posts: 175
| Is the netting from the Big Kahuna the same as the netting in the Power Stow? |
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Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | cphilli - 8/14/2012 10:44 AM
Is the netting from the Big Kahuna the same as the netting in the Power Stow?
The netting from the Power Stow is much thinner netting than the Kahuna. |
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Posts: 242
| I have a Stowmaster Net that has a hoop size of 30" x 32". This size net is perfect for my boat and I haven't had any trouble using it for musky (granted, I haven't caught a 50" yet either). My only problem is the net depth. My current net depth is 36" deep, which is just a little too shallow for when I have a fish in the net and rest the net down on the edge of my boat. I was going to use the same Stowmater frame, but upgrade to a deeper net bag like the Frabil 4666. My question is would upgrading to a net bag like a Frabil 4666 cause me a problem, because I would essentially be placing a net bag made for a 40"+ hoop on a hoop that is only 30" x 32"? Thanks in advance for the advice. |
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Posts: 1716
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Lucky Craft Man - 8/14/2012 2:12 PM
I have a Stowmaster Net that has a hoop size of 30" x 32". This size net is perfect for my boat and I haven't had any trouble using it for musky (granted, I haven't caught a 50" yet either). My only problem is the net depth. My current net depth is 36" deep, which is just a little too shallow for when I have a fish in the net and rest the net down on the edge of my boat. I was going to use the same Stowmater frame, but upgrade to a deeper net bag like the Frabil 4666. My question is would upgrading to a net bag like a Frabil 4666 cause me a problem, because I would essentially be placing a net bag made for a 40"+ hoop on a hoop that is only 30" x 32"? Thanks in advance for the advice.
I have a brand new deeper net bag. PM sent. |
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Posts: 175
| So is there a perfect folding net being sold? It sounds like the perfect folding net is actually a frame from one model and a bag from another. Yes? |
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Posts: 294
Location: Bloomer, Wi | has anyone used the bucher conservation series? its 32x41" and has a net depth of 54" and is light knotless tangle free. |
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Posts: 111
Location: Weyauwega Wi. | I have an X-190... I bought the Stowmaster because it fit the boat. I got a nice 45 incher last week. I have to buy a new bag for it already. There is a 6 inch hole in the side. The fish was caught on a single hook bucktail. I will be getting the Frabill 4666 replacement. Love the net HATE the bag. |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | i like the beckmen fin saver big and light |
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| Joe Cal - 8/16/2012 4:01 PM
has anyone used the bucher conservation series? its 32x41" and has a net depth of 54" and is light knotless tangle free.
Just received this net in the mail, will be giving it a roll the last weekend of Sept. I will say it is light and the quality is great. It is pretty much exactly what I have been looking for. BR |
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Posts: 294
Location: Bloomer, Wi | thanks for the reply, i actually was in a pinch for time and listened to my buddy and got a beckman replacement net. the mag fin save 32x41 i believe. seems like this new hybrid combination i have is legit.
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| Joe, I am sure it will work great. This is my first non-beckman net. I fish alone quite a bit so the weight of this net is really appealing for me. BR |
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