Fishing… has long been a method used by humans to gather food. As the saying goes, “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a night; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” Historically, many societies have relied on fishing as their main source of food.
Many people today fish for purely recreational purposes, though, so the actual catching of the fish is secondary to the enjoyment of the process of catching them. However, people love to brag about their catches so getting the fish in their hands is quite important to many people.
In many situations, simply grabbing a fish with your hands is dangerous, difficult, or impossible. That’s where one of fishermen’s most trusted tools come into play: the net. Since it’s such an important piece of fishing equipment, you want to be sure you buy the right one.
Here are four tips for buying the best fishing net:
Know what kind of fish you are targeting, and what kind you may catch on accident.
Though all fish are similar in many ways, they have some distinct differences. These differences can determine what type of net is best suited for catching them.
For example, Trout… are a type of fish that doesn’t have scales. Instead, it is covered in an antimicrobial slime. This slime is important to the fish’s survival, and can be removed by the wrong type of net.
That’s why if you’re fishing for trout, it’s best for the fish’s well being for you to use a rubber coated net (and to practice safe catch and release).
Determine whether or not you are fishing from a boat.
If you’re fishing from the shore, or while walking in a river, you’re close to the water while landing the fish. These situations don’t require a long handled net.
However, if you’re fishing from a boat, reaching over the side to net a fish can be dangerous and difficult. That’s why it comes in handy to have a long handled net.
Research how big the fish you are catching can be.
When buying a net, it’s important not only to know how big the fish you are targeting get in the specific body of water you’re fishing, but it’s also important to know the size of other fish in the water. You never know what you might catch!
You want a net that is big enough to comfortably net fish that are large for the area, but not too big to over encumber you.
Decide how long you want your fishing net to last.
Lastly, you need to know how long you want this net to last you. If you’re just going on a weekend fishing trip and don’t plan to fish much after, you don’t need to go buy a state-of-the-art net.
If you’re fishing every weekend of the year, you may want to spend some extra money for a net that lasts.
Take these 4 tips into account before buying a net, and you’ll be sure to make the right purchasing decision. Now, get on the water and catch some fish!
