When boat fishing a landing net needs to be compact, so as not to take up boat space, but also be big enough to handle and retain a large Pike.
After trying various nets I settled upon a large gye net, a “Mclean Salmon Weigh Net”. It is perfect for boat fishing but is equally at home walking the bank with the integral carrying strap. I use it when Pike fishing from the bank for all my lure and fly sessions.
The nets are built from anodised corrosion proof aluminium tubing, bronze finished with rubber non slip hand grip Pear shaped extra sturdy fixed frame with built-in weighing scales to 50lb, in the handle. The mesh fitted is a lure mesh yet perfectly suitable for bait fishing too. It’s very similar to the DLST “Lure Mesh” but slightly softer.
Quite frankly this is the best quality net I have ever used, nothing comes close and I am not exaggerating.
This net has quite a large frame and therefore cannot be folded away after a days session. This makes it not ideal in the back of a potentially clean car, so I would advise using a bin liner but these can be quite flimsy. I contacted Eddie Turner and asked if he could fabricate a waterproof storage bag to suit the dimensions, which he did and at a very good price £14.50.
A good accessory for anyone using these or any other large spoon nets; not only does it keep the car clean but it stops the mesh tangling on rods and other tackle in the car. This bag was a custom job so isn’t at this point listed on his website, you’ll need to email him.
I have started to fish for other predators using lures, mainly Chub and Perch. My gye net was a bit of an overkill due to its frame size so I wanted something smaller.
When fishing smaller lures I tend to use my fly or MOLLE vest which has a D ring at the back of the neck. This allows a fly fishing type folding net to be clipped to it for easy carrying and access.
I again looked at many different nets but found the McLean branded nets were superior in build quality and design. I settled on the “Telescopic Hinged Handle Weigh Net” which folds for carrying and can be unfolded using one hand. It has a 14lb set of scales built in, in the same style as the gye net above.
The quality is exceptional and far superior to anything sold by a coarse fishing manufacturer.
I have since modified the net by changing the mesh to a deep DLST Pike sized version. This still gives me the portability of a clip on net but with the net depth to cope with an unintended Pike should I not want to hand land it.
It’s a compromise and I have to accept that a larger Pike would need to be truly scooped into the deep net, but at least I now have that option while Perch and Chub fishing. To be honest I only use this net on local canals when bank fishing and even a low double figure Pike is extremely rare!
After trying various nets I settled upon a large gye net, a “Mclean Salmon Weigh Net”. It is perfect for boat fishing but is equally at home walking the bank with the integral carrying strap. I use it when Pike fishing from the bank for all my lure and fly sessions.
The nets are built from anodised corrosion proof aluminium tubing, bronze finished with rubber non slip hand grip Pear shaped extra sturdy fixed frame with built-in weighing scales to 50lb, in the handle. The mesh fitted is a lure mesh yet perfectly suitable for bait fishing too. It’s very similar to the DLST “Lure Mesh” but slightly softer.
Quite frankly this is the best quality net I have ever used, nothing comes close and I am not exaggerating.
- Pear shaped extra sturdy fixed frame net with bronze anodised finish.
- Rubber grip handle and in-built weighing scales to 50lb.
- Telescopic handle extends 12” to 44”.
- Overall length extends from 45” to 77”.
- Maximum net opening 33”.
- Carried with built-in adjustable sling.
- Knotless mesh.
This net has quite a large frame and therefore cannot be folded away after a days session. This makes it not ideal in the back of a potentially clean car, so I would advise using a bin liner but these can be quite flimsy. I contacted Eddie Turner and asked if he could fabricate a waterproof storage bag to suit the dimensions, which he did and at a very good price £14.50.
A good accessory for anyone using these or any other large spoon nets; not only does it keep the car clean but it stops the mesh tangling on rods and other tackle in the car. This bag was a custom job so isn’t at this point listed on his website, you’ll need to email him.
I have started to fish for other predators using lures, mainly Chub and Perch. My gye net was a bit of an overkill due to its frame size so I wanted something smaller.
When fishing smaller lures I tend to use my fly or MOLLE vest which has a D ring at the back of the neck. This allows a fly fishing type folding net to be clipped to it for easy carrying and access.
I again looked at many different nets but found the McLean branded nets were superior in build quality and design. I settled on the “Telescopic Hinged Handle Weigh Net” which folds for carrying and can be unfolded using one hand. It has a 14lb set of scales built in, in the same style as the gye net above.
The quality is exceptional and far superior to anything sold by a coarse fishing manufacturer.
- Fixed frame with hinged handle.
- Telescopic handle with rubber grip.
- Weighing scales to 14lbs.
- Easily operated with one hand.
- Handle extends from 24” to 46 ”.
- Attach with belt clip.
- Net opening 19.5” by 17.5”,
- Net depth 27” (original quoted, mine is now much deeper)
- Overall length 54”.
- Knotless mesh.
I have since modified the net by changing the mesh to a deep DLST Pike sized version. This still gives me the portability of a clip on net but with the net depth to cope with an unintended Pike should I not want to hand land it.
It’s a compromise and I have to accept that a larger Pike would need to be truly scooped into the deep net, but at least I now have that option while Perch and Chub fishing. To be honest I only use this net on local canals when bank fishing and even a low double figure Pike is extremely rare!