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Posts: 58
Location: Zimmerman | Looking at maybe doing a little more solo fishing this year and looking for opinions on best solo net. I have a Drifter Predator xxl and love it, but might be difficult to use by myself. |
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Posts: 3513
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | I had the heavy net Frabil powercatch for a year and got rid of it as it was hard to handle by myself in a wind. I went back to a Beckman net, but have upgraded the net to something just a touch heavier (clam netting) as I found the bag on the beckman does not stay open like their older fin-saver nets. My original beckman was perfect with the square mesh on the bottom....opened up perfectly like a little pen. The new netting when beckman came back out again doesn't do that...
Steve |
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Posts: 1660
Location: Brighton CO. | I have a Frabill Big Kauna and it is slow and hard to use by yourself and last fall I fished with a guide and he had a Clam and I asked him about the net and he reported that it was slow too. |
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Posts: 1161
| I've used the Frabill Powercatch with the heavy bag for years and netted hundreds of muskies solo. Best net in my opinion. Smaller mesh nets tend to get hooks stuck in them which drives me nuts. Regardless of which net you use, solo netting muskies can be difficult at first but becomes easier the more you do it. An outdoor grip mounted to the top was a game changer for me. |
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Posts: 639
Location: S.W. WI | I have netted 90% of my fish alone for 20+years. many Hundreds.
Frabill conservation hoop, discard the crappy bag it comes with and go with the Drifter XL bag. (or a Clam)
Drifter Predator bag, XL 37x35x36.
Light weight frame/ good bag that moves thru the water easy and doesn't split fins like Frabill does.
also, don't net like Keyes does.
Do not reel line up to a few feet of the rod. Leave 10-12 ft. of line out and raise rod to bring fish to net with thumb on free spool in case fish bolts away at net.
-Jon |
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| I fish alone most of the time and have the Powercatch big game. To me the critical factor is putting the net in exactly the same spot every time and I pick it up the same way every time. I don't have to think about how I am doing it.
Also, as Rudedog states, I leave more line which is easy to do with long rods we use today, giving you some flexibility in netting. As someone who will be 75 when the '26 seasons opens, I make sure I stick with my strength training. Hammer curls in particular help strengthen your forearms, which aids in casting but also when you go to move the net through the water. Couple decades ago, a personal trainer suggested that when I mentioned how my forearms got fatigued casting. He was retired military but had trained guys on the East Coast who did shore fishing for stripers and needed to make long casts. |
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Posts: 1042
| I use the Frabill Powercatch Big Game. I do put some dry lube on the net as it is always stowed. I love it because I can step on the hoop and open it with one hand. It locks into place and the bag moves easily through the water. Very simple and easy.
I could care less that it is a Frabill. Just so happens that this one really works for me. My Drifter XL did not work, at all. Just too slow through the water and too heavy of a net. |
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Posts: 1762
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | I use a Frabill PowerCatch and it has been fine. I don’t care for the drifter net yikes with the aluminum in aluminum. My Frabill net has been flawless. I did break the hoop on a PowerStow, but it only had 2200 or so fish in it, so I got my money’s worth. To me, the Frabill 8425 is as good as it gets. If it’s slow, go to the gym a few days a week or fish with a partner who can handle a musky net. |
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