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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | ...[fill in blank].
Pretty critical relationship in the excitement of landing a big fish here. So many fish lost at boat side due to a poor net job.
"Gosh, sorry dude".
Alternatively, there can be some great saves by a great net job. Personally, I'd prefer no drama when netting them. Done correctly, the net job will seem like a non-event and easy as pie. A no-drama net job doesn't just happen though.
So, what do you think are the qualities that make up a good 'net man'? How do we increase the frequency of these successful, no-drama net jobs?
BrianF.
Edited by BrianF. 11/22/2014 5:04 AM
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Posts: 215
Location: Wisconsin | ...Always get the fish safely in the net.
Doesn't work that way in the real world as strange things do happen. Therefore, a "Good" net man will/should do the following:
1. Do not panic, do not rush. Move quickly but stay controlled.
2. Make sure the net is not caught on anything (boat cleats, fishing rods, lures, windshield, ....) before picking it up.
3. Use two hands.
4. I like to hold the bag of the net with my leading hand.
5. Always get the head of the fish into the net first.
6. Keep the fish in the water.
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Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | NOT hold the net straight up like the flag and run back and forth from the front to the back of the boat. Been done!
NOT hold the side of the boat with left hand and reach out with the net in the right hand to reach the fish. Been done!
NOT only put the front brim of the net about an inch under the water. Been done!
NOT stand locked with the net in hand while fish is lying on the surface a foot from the boat. Been done!
NOT keep casting while I'm fighting a fish. Been done!
NOT lash at the fish like he is trying to hit a tennis ball with a racket. Been Done! |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | "A good net man will...... Always buy the next Beer/Cocktail, and if he screws it up, he will buy dinner too.
My Boat, My rules. Also you pay a dollar for every backlash and every snag. |
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Posts: 224
Location: Madison | A good net man listens to the guy fightning the fish, and follows their directions. But they also have good sense to adjust as necessary when something goes wrong on a fish. And they know when to do each!
I've been fortunate enough to have some really good net men to fish with. Landed a big girl this fall when I tried to take her when she was a little too green, and my net man (guy I'd only fished a few hours with) was able to adjust and get her in the bag. |
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Posts: 140
Location: Scandia MN | Not react to fast and knock the lure out of the fish's mouth - I still wonder how big it was - |
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | Will not be too offended if his partner is yelling at him "get that #! $#@$ thing in there"! |
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Mostly what is stated above, especially move swiftly and controlled and on the note above as the person fighting the fish, be measured and controlled too. If your in a panic yelling and screaming at the person with the net your putting that person in your same panic state. Not good.
one of my best net jobs was a buddy fighting a fish and his line broke at the boat with his favorite lure(hellhound I will share) crossways in it's mouth. I quickly scooped the fish before it could swim away.
Edited by ToddM 11/22/2014 9:22 AM
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Posts: 1023
| Kirby Budrow - 11/22/2014 9:03 AM
Will not be too offended if his partner is yelling at him "get that #! $#@$ thing in there"!
Hahaha. I get all fired up and yell at my net man regularly. We laugh later. |
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Posts: 455
| It`s not all the netman. A good fisherman knows when and how to lead the fish into the net. If you tell the netman to scoop to fast that can be your bad. |
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Posts: 572
| A good net man listens to how I want him to handle the net. The person holding the rod should always be informing the net man to what he wants done rather than leaving it up to the net man to decide. |
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Just know that when your yelling and screaming at the net person, your not communicating well, causing panic in the net person and person fighting the fish as well. Creates a climate for losing a fish by both parties. With net in my hand I would tell the other person to calm down. |
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Location: 31 | Shultz. |
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Posts: 2024
| I would assume a Good Net Man doesn't really need to be screamed at, or told what to do. Also, Jerome charges interest guys, so pay attention to what you are doing in the boat with him. |
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Posts: 295
| Never net a small fish, if its not anywhere near 4 feet long it shouldnt come anywhere near a net... if it is, He should do absolutely nothing with the net until the fish is right in front of him... A fish can (and will) always be lead right into the net. If its far enough away from the netman he has to reach at all, he should just wait for it to come back around so he can simply lower the net straight down and put the fish in it. Until then dont even put it over the gunnel. A simple "ok here we go" is all that needs to be said by the angler before the net goes over the gunnel. One and done. |
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Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | .... knows how to flip the net if the hooks end up on the outside on the first initial scoop
.... never misses
.... supplies the beer or other fun recreational activities
.... stays calm and calms down the screaming angler fighting the fish
.... takes quick and beautiful pictures |
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | bryantukkah - 11/22/2014 12:02 PM
Never net a small fish, if its not anywhere near 4 feet long it shouldnt come anywhere near a net... if it is, He should do absolutely nothing with the net until the fish is right in front of him... A fish can (and will) always be lead right into the net. If its far enough away from the netman he has to reach at all, he should just wait for it to come back around so he can simply lower the net straight down and put the fish in it. Until then dont even put it over the gunnel. A simple "ok here we go" is all that needs to be said by the angler before the net goes over the gunnel. One and done.
I net every fish big or small. That's a good way to get a hook in your hand!  |
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Posts: 668
Location: mercer wi | Not say anything. Just net the fish like a champ.
Then take a great pic |
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Posts: 880
Location: New Berlin,Wisconsin,53151 | The best thing about this topic, it hits home. The 1st time I received the name is when I netted Sluggo's first 50"r. One of the 1st muskiefirstoutings, fishing that sewer Cass lake. You have be able to listen well to orders and make outstanding meals. But the best thing is whenever the one is talking about what he caught you get included in the conversation. So you have to enjoy the abuse but the rewards are endless.
So keep running when you hear "get the net man".
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Posts: 8782
| You really just have to communicate well. The rest is common sense.
- Get the dog out of the net
- Make sure the bag isn't tangled up in a lure or a stray hook
- Make sure everyone in the boat knows how to extend and lock the handle
- Make sure you know who is going for the net if you have 3 guys in the boat
- Get your lure out of the water and your rod out of the way
- Watch the fish
- Stay out of the anglers way during the fight
- Be ready to move when the fish is ready
- DO NOT panic
- Head first into the net
- Don't swipe or stab at the fish
- Get the net under the fish as the angler is pulling the fish towards the net
- Be ready to get the net out of the water and re-set if the fish makes a u-turn
- Stay in the boat 
- For God sakes, when the fish is in the bag, get the hoop up and out of the water, and put the net in a position where the angler can get to it to unhook the fish.
Poop happens. But as long as you are communicating, telling your net guy "on my left, I'll bring her to you, scoop her" etc. And your net guy is communicating as well "Don't back up, I'm coming around. Let me know when you're ready..."
You should be fine.
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Posts: 2097
| Someone that won't choke under pressure. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Let you catch all the fish.
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Posts: 670
Location: Otsego, MN | Doesn't panic
Stays calm
Can read fish and anticipate there next boat side move |
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Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | See that it's barely snout hooked and #*^@ near jumps in to scoop it. Saved me from another heart breaker! Thx man...
Two things: first is they are human. Second I may be the net man next! |
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Location: SE Wisconsin | Top H2O
My Boat, My rules. Also you pay a dollar for every backlash and every snag
I have buddy you'd send to the poor house with those rules |
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Posts: 716
| Scoop AROUND the fish burying the head deep in the bag..."up" happens last.
And then they High Five you right away
Edited by bturg 11/22/2014 10:01 PM
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Posts: 284
Location: Eagan, MN | I agree with a lot of what is written here, especially those learned in the school of hard knocks...where I studied. Hah
For me, good communication is a must. If I'm your net man, I'm waiting and asking questions while staying out of your way.
"Tell me where you want me."
"Tell me when you want me to take her."
Assuming the angler is experienced, I let the angler control the action on the net job and only execute on the directions give. If the angler is inexperienced, thats a different story.
So, for me, a good net man communicates well, takes direction, then executes well.
That last part - execution - is worth a few words. When executing, I like a net man that reads the fish, anticipates her movements, and only nets a fish that is calm at that moment. No excited or panicked lunging at a fish that is going nuts at boat side. The best net jobs are when the net man brings the net from deep below a fish that is calmly swimming...swimming right into the open net.
When executing, I like a net man that knows to 'inflate the bag' in the water prior to the fish coming into the critical zone. The angle of attack is key here. Vertical net positions, in which the net man is thrusting the net straight down to try to get under a fish, are disasters waiting to happen as the bag is deflated and will create a curtain of mesh that too often prevents the fish from entering the hoop and instead finds a hook to help the fish tear-off. Same with a long distance lunge with a shallow attack angle which doesn't allow the bag to be inflated.
Part of that could be timing decisions. Some net men seem reluctant to put the hoop and bag in the water when a fish is starting to tire. I'm not one of those. I say, "show the fish the bag". I think doing so helps keep them calm. Unlike largemouth bass or other gamefish that tend to dive into cover when struggling on a line, muskies seem to want to move away from objects and cover, which would include the net. Let the fish see the stationary bag in the water, ready to be inflated by the net man at just the right time. Generally, those last second and rapid movements with the net don't help keep the fish or anyone else calm and ready for a no-drama net job.
Netting seems so easy and common sensical, but if that is the case then why are so many fish lost in the netting process? I once had an inexperienced net man knock off three fish in one night! Now, inexperienced anglers in my boat get a netting 'lesson' prior to making their first cast. There definitely is a right way of doing things, so I think the subject is worth talking about.
Brian
Edited by BrianF. 11/22/2014 10:27 PM
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Posts: 455
| Todays tactics almost dictate netting every fish. It`s not so easy to pop out 8/0 hooks. Considering double 10,s and pounders are pretty much all anybody fishes. Poping out the hooks boatside is a thing of the past. The new doctrine states to be a man you must fish mega lures and net every fish. Get with the program bryan. |
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Posts: 20219
Location: oswego, il | Interesting on keeping the net in the water. I understand the need to have the bag open but if the boat is moving, big waves it won't be or in a good position. The other negative is having a net in the water while fighting the fish. Now it is in the way and can cause disaster. I prefer scooping, holding the bag letting go as you scoop. Never had an issue with it.
keep in mind many of our experiences are different, being a fib I catch fib and fib range fish. I am putting a lot of 34-44" fish in the net. Shake offs to some of you. Having said that I would still use my method to net a bigger fish but only have a small number of them.
Edited by ToddM 11/23/2014 9:25 AM
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | bryantukkah - 11/22/2014 12:02 PM
Never net a small fish, if its not anywhere near 4 feet long it shouldnt come anywhere near a net... if it is, He should do absolutely nothing with the net until the fish is right in front of him... A fish can (and will) always be lead right into the net. If its far enough away from the netman he has to reach at all, he should just wait for it to come back around so he can simply lower the net straight down and put the fish in it. Until then dont even put it over the gunnel. A simple "ok here we go" is all that needs to be said by the angler before the net goes over the gunnel. One and done.
If it's not anywhere near 4 feet long it shouldn't come anywhere near a net?
Are we talking sharks here or Muskies? |
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