View Full Version : Rubber Nets?
ST CROIX BOY
03-29-2001, 10:11 AM
Lost my net on LOTW last year and need a new one. I swore I would never mess with tangled crankbaits again. Is a rubber net the best way to go? I can't believe a hook could stick in a rubber bag. Rubber coated bags look like they will stil tangle.
Thanks for the help.
ST CROIX BOY
I have a rubber net (can't remember brand -- Beckmans? maybe?).
Doesn't tangle your lures like the 'string' kinds, but is almost impossible to use singlehandedly because the mesh has much more resistance to movement through the water.
Going back to the 'string' kind this season.
Hans
Rubber nets are great for not tangleing hooks, but they are the slowest nets through the water because of the bulkyness of the bags. Bags are also quite shallow and need the weight of the fish to stretch out. We used them about 15 years ago and went back to a coventional coated bag.
I have a rubber net and love it. I have had it 2 years and have not had a single hook get caught in it. I don't have a problem using it single handed either.
Ryan
Frank from TBay
03-29-2001, 10:37 AM
I dislike the rubber ones as well when you are alone. I carry the mesh ones fishing alone and the rubber one when someone else can net your fish. I jig fish a lot and still fish for walleye so the tangled trebles is not much of a problem for me.
Rubber net are like spring boards if you have a big enough fish in there. Let say a 8+ lbs. The rubber stretches and then springs back like a rubber band. Lost one of the biggest walleye every caught due to rubber net. Will never use one again. Maybe with a better net man, I would have a good picture of that fish.
FreeByrd
03-29-2001, 11:18 AM
No one has mentioned the biggest problem with a rubber net. On big fish they can turn into a "catapolt/slingshot" especially if the person doing the netting gets excited. I've seen this a couple times. It is FUNNY!
The only time I use a rubber net anymore is nightfishing when we cast shad raps on the reefs on Erie. Even then I have a regular net ready for the big ones.
Good Luck,
Steve
FreeByrd
03-29-2001, 11:23 AM
Didn't see your post when I replied...
Borch
03-29-2001, 12:10 PM
I have been using a rubber net almost exclusively the past 6 years. I have not have the trouble mentioned earlier of the catapulted fish and have no trouble using it when fishing alone. It's not a good net for larger pike or muskie, but I have netted more 8+ pound walleyes with it than I can count. Where it shines most is with the crankbait fishing. I hate netting fish caught with crankbait in the coventional nets(although I do carry a big string net in the boat for those big pike and muskie we catch on occasion)you're forever untangling the hooks from the net(conventional). I fish cranks a lot at night so untangling hooks for 10 minutes in the dark is not and option for me with all the other boats trying to fish too. With some of the old rubber nets larger fish would occasional swim through, this has not been a problem with any of the newer rubber nets I have used. Good Luck!
Hawgeye
03-29-2001, 12:55 PM
Beckmans have the rubber/vinyl coated bags that are mesh string and as far as I am concerned the best of both worlds. I very seldom if ever have had cranks stuck in them and they do not catapult like the rubber ones do and also they do not deteriorate like the rubber does. Also, they easily go through the water.
I had a rubber bag on a net that fell apart after 2 years.
yep, you are right. It does happen, I just couldn't figure out how to explain it. You kinda have to see it to believe it.
wopper stopper
03-29-2001, 01:30 PM
Rubber nets have to much drag especially when trolling.Last year I reached out to net a fish and come back with just the rubber handle. If I were going to use one again I would put foam in the handle and tape the grip tight.
The Beckman Rubberized nets are great and 90% tangle free. Obviously if you pull on the hook hard enough it will penetrate the rubberized string. The nets seem to last about 5 years and then need to be replaced. Problem with the all rubber nets is my small cigars slide right theu the holes.
One important point that hasn't been mentioned is that rubber nets are easier on the fish. There aren't any knots to scratch the fish and the rubber bag doesn't split the fins and tails like a string net will.
Jerry Tipping
03-29-2001, 03:53 PM
I like the rubber nets at this time of the year when fishing spawning fish. You can keep the net with the smaller males over the side of the boat to unhook them and keep the milky mess out of the boat. During a tournament or guiding I use my coated mesh Loki with the extendable handle.
WAeyes
03-29-2001, 06:51 PM
I agree on the rubber coated mesh as the best. I have one made by Loki and really like it. Cranks can still tangle, but not nearly as bad as regular string and not very often. It is also light enough to use comfortably with one hand. I have never tried the "rubber springboards" as mentioned above, sounds too risky for Miss Piggy!
Weyes1
03-29-2001, 08:04 PM
I have used one for about five going on six years now and wouldn't use anything else. I ordered mine from Cabela's. It has an extendable handle. I have never had a fish fly or flop out of the net. I fish mainly jigs and spinners. I like the way the hooks don't get caught in the net. A lot of the time I net my own fish and have never had a problem with drag or the net being slow in the water. They work great. I did witness a 9 or 10 # fish bust through a rubber net about 15 or so years ago, but they have improved since then.
Weyes1
Kevin Clark
weyes1@wamego.net
Rubber nets are ok for a back up net. Using a rubber net for smaller fish keeps your big net free and ready for that big fish of a lifetime. At some point in time, all of us have had a crank and a flopping fish stuck in the net when someone else in the boat wants to land a hog.
Rubber nets are ok for a back up net. Using a rubber net for smaller fish keeps your big net free and ready for that big fish of a lifetime. At some point in time, all of us have had a crank and a flopping fish stuck in the net when someone else in the boat wants to land a hog.
Ron Anlauf
04-01-2001, 11:53 AM
The rubber nets are a problem. As mentioned, they are too slow in the water and you can't make any quick moves, and small fish can get their heads started and swim through, and you then have to try to back net. Dotline makes an excellent net with a PVC coated bag, and a octagon telescopic handle. The ocatagon handle allows you to stretch it out with out losing your place.
Ron Anlauf
Bottomfeeder
04-01-2001, 04:35 PM
I have a string type net and had to do lots of knitting every time we landed a fish. I saw some of the rubber coated bags at Fleet Farm, so I tried one. Best $7.99 I have ever spent. Very few tangles now (sounds like an ad for Clairol).
Bugtussle
04-02-2001, 03:03 PM
I have used a rubber net for years and love it. No problem with baits getting tangled in it. Use it alone without any trouble. Just need to lead the fish into the net. Yes it is too slow and heavy to use for scooping fish, but I think that this is a poor technique to use for netting fish anyway. Have seen far too many fish get knocked off the line by someone trying to scoop the fish. As to the problem of the fish using the net as a springboard, I have solved this problem by buying a replacement net for a hoop size quite a bit larger than the hoop that I use. Results in a deeper looser net, which holds the fish well and doesn't allow the fish to get leverage and flip out of the net.