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Wading/Trotting Net

V

Vince Maddock

Senior Member & Supporter
Members,

I'm looking for recommendations for a landing net to be used whilst wading and trotting in a medium sized river (the Tees), although a 10lb fish is a rare beast It obviously still needs to be big enough for a decent fish.

Thanks

Vince
 
I use a folding abu net, similar to this snowbee one. I clip it onto my belt whilst wading ....

www.ebay.co.uk

Snowbee Telescopic / Folding Landing Net - 79" - 15200 | eBay

The nets are made to a unique design and utilise the latest top-grade materials:-. And all sizes in between. GY9 Sark (Channel Islands). GY1 Herm (Channel Islands). PH15, 17 - 26, 31 - 40, 49, 50. PA28 - 38, 41 - 49, 76, 77.
www.ebay.co.uk

I also have one with a solid net head, same as this one....

www.ebay.co.uk

Sharpe's Of Aberdeen Bow Errol 20" Seatrout Fishing Net Rubber / Standard Mesh | eBay

Based in the heart of Strabane, Co. Whether you're on the River Bank, Shore or the Field, our dedicated team is here to get you kitted out with all the best gear for an excellent price! Folded size 24".
www.ebay.co.uk
 
I clip my normal net and long handle to either a D Ring on my vest or onto my chest wader straps with a Gear Keeper extender , the gear keeper is attached to the handle of the landing net with a long velcro strap which can slide up and down the handle but not slip off the end of the handle so when I land a fish I unlock the extender and use the net normally The extender allows about 18-20 inches of push away from the securing point It works well and I’ve been using it for years on the Wye


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Huanzhou Zhu said:
Is the net head removable or fixed with the handle?
Click to expand...

The net head is a solid alloy circle which folds over against the extendable handle. It is a really good net and has a clip to attatch it to your belt, trouser top etc.

I also have a snowbee folding net which folds down completely against the handle (I think they are known as tri folding nets) and opens up as you fold the net head out.
Mine is the largest one xxxl model which is ideal for larger fish.
I got mine from Uttings where it was on offer.
The Uttings shop is a very good reliable shop incase anyonehas never used them.

I've just had a nosey and I believe they are still on offer at Uttings.
 
I’ve been using a Wychwood Rover net for the past 9 years which isn’t bad. Teardrop frame 22” wide,.. extends to 7’.
I brought it in D.Tackle Christchurch. Didn’t like the netting as I thought it too shallow so Nigel fitted a deeper net in the shop. It has a belt clip which could also be attached to a D ring on a waistcoat ( for instance).
I originally brought it for rolling meat tactics, handy when …….
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when following the bait downstream but the extended length is too short really.
I tend to use it for trotting sometimes and from a boat.
It’s a good piece of gear but like all collapsible landing nets leaves you wanting more reach.
 
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Vince Maddock said:
Members,

I'm looking for recommendations for a landing net to be used whilst wading and trotting in a medium sized river (the Tees), although a 10lb fish is a rare beast It obviously still needs to be big enough for a decent fish.

Thanks

Vince
Click to expand...
There is a thread on here from last year concerning roving nets that inspired me to buy a Westin W6 foldable net. I have used it on three “expeditions” to Wessex so far and found it to be very good. The net head folds back onto the handle which is extendable to 4 m in six sections and it has a carry strap so you can sling it over your shoulder. The net is rubberised and the whole thing can be operated one handed whilst playing a fish. It will take any chub that swims and will cope with barbel although l’ve only had small ones to about 7 lb in it so far. I did manage to land a rogue pike of about 15 lb in it that took a liking to trotted meat !

It is not perfect though for the following reasons: 1) the net needs to be about 6 - 12 inches deeper to rest fish more comfortably. 2) the net head needs to be facing up when on your shoulder otherwise the pole can become loose and extend itself leading to some interesting dead stops. 3) I would prefer the net head to be about 6 inches larger in diameter to make netting a little easier.

These gripes aside I am, on the whole, happy with but they ain’t cheap !

Steve.
 
Dave Taylor said:
I’ve been using a Wychwood Rover net for the past 9 years which isn’t bad. Teardrop frame 22” wide,.. extends to 7’.
I brought it in D.Tackle Christchurch. Didn’t like the netting as I thought it too shallow so Nigel fitted a deeper net in the shop. It has a belt clip which could also be attached to a D ring on a waistcoat ( for instance).
I originally brought it for rolling meat tactics, handy when …….View attachment 33461View attachment 33462View attachment 33463when following the bait downstream but the extended length is too short really.
I tend to use it for trotting sometimes and from a boat.
It’s a good piece of gear but like all collapsible landing nets leaves you wanting more reach.
Click to expand...
I am still trying to find a net for rolling meat, like you said most folding nets have short handles and the net is not deep enough. The best solution I found so far is the Korum fast net head with opportunities handles, but I always feel that net head is not strong enough.
 
It’s an issue that is grossly elaborated by the rod length you want to use.
Wading with what i would call a short float rod (13ft and under) is quite an easy task regarding the net as in reality you only need an extension of your hand maximum. In a lot of cases you can glide a beaten fish straight to your palm and should you need to use a net, a sizable trout hand held net clipped on is more than sufficient to do the job.

If I was wading and I was using a short float rod all I’d ever need would be a none folding hand held sizable fly fishing net attached to my waist or back and it doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that.

However….. i nearly always use long rods. Regardless of whether I’m wading, fishing from a bank, fishing deep or shallow, a long rod of 15ft or more for me offers a level of long trotting control that I prefer.
It’s about keeping as much line off the water as I possibly can and having an extra 2-3ft on the rod allows me in some cases to have line direct to float even at 50+ yards down

In this situation I need something a little more complex from a net, especially if I’m likely to catch hard fighting specimen sized fish.
Folding extending nets are an option but I find most models that I’ve used a bit of a pain to deploy one handed.
Ideally you need a short folded compact net that you grab, squeeze some form of trigger, and the net both unfolds and extends positively from one hand. Does such a thing exist..? Possibly but I haven’t seen anything to catch my eye.

The other option to to use something already deployed and ready to go at the required length and have it hanged off your person. This works for some people, I see it done successfully quite a lot. Full length nets clipped up on carabiners and straps in the middle of the river ready for action.

I don’t particularly like either and as time has gone on I have shed more and more baggage of me while wading which has definitely increased my personal comfort a lot. I rarely even use a bait pouch now and I rarely ever go back to the bank to grab anything and that’s done with the use of my wading tripod.
It’s very light, fully quick release and will keep everything on your feed/net hand side in the strongest of flows and I’d encourage anyone who doesn’t like carrying excess baggage into the river to seriously consider adapting something similar.

In water Life has dramatically changed for me for the better since adopting this rarely used method of containing all my stuff to hand.

The only time I’d consider a different approach is if I’m moving after just afew trots otherwise if I’m staying in a swim for an hour or more I take this device which I made up myself. It’s undergone afew modifications over time to better improve it further.
Holds everything I need including a conventional long net in the middle of the river ready for action. It isn’t for everyone but it might just be the solution you’re looking for.
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I use a net holder to hold the net if I am wading, two long bank sticks will do the job. And it is also good for resting fish both in the water and on the bank.
 
Vince Maddock said:
Members,

I'm looking for recommendations for a landing net to be used whilst wading and trotting in a medium sized river (the Tees), although a 10lb fish is a rare beast It obviously still needs to be big enough for a decent fish.

Thanks

Vince
Click to expand...
Vince,
Are you sure that you're going to hook barbel regularly enough to put up with having a big net attached to yourself? I am making an educated guess about where you might be fishing and the likelihood of using long banksticks in the water. I'm spending increasing amounts of time on the Tees, including places where barbel are turning up. I do nothing but float fish. Most of the time I wade. I've been catching loads of gudgeon amongst the dace, grayling and occasional roach and chub. I've yet to catch a barbel of any size float fishing the Tees.

After a few years of using "proper" wading nets, I've rigged up my own wading net system that I'm very happy with. It's all done with normal landing nets and handles. Nothing is modified, fixed or permanent. It cost me six quid though I have used a shoulder strap and magnetic net bungee that I already had. Give me a shout sometime if you want to see it. I can also swap out the net or handle for bigger/smaller or longer/shorter whenever I think it's appropriate.
 
I recently did a couple of a DIY jobs with wading nets. I permanently fixed an old aluminium telescopic handle with a folding net frame. I then added a Sharpes of Aberdeen rubberised net mesh. It has a magnetic bungee attached at the head and an elasticated cord with D-ring fixed into the handle.

More recently I bought a 5’ Dinsmore’s aluminium net handle, cut it down to about 20” and put a nice rubberised shrink-wrap tube on it. I attached this to a Korum folding spoon, and I’ll use the same bungee/elasticated cord set-up. This latter net is for wading when I’m expecting bigger fish.
 
Alan Rose said:
I recently did a couple of a DIY jobs with wading nets. I permanently fixed an old aluminium telescopic handle with a folding net frame. I then added a Sharpes of Aberdeen rubberised net mesh. It has a magnetic bungee attached at the head and an elasticated cord with D-ring fixed into the handle.

More recently I bought a 5’ Dinsmore’s aluminium net handle, cut it down to about 20” and put a nice rubberised shrink-wrap tube on it. I attached this to a Korum folding spoon, and I’ll use the same bungee/elasticated cord set-up. This latter net is for wading when I’m expecting bigger fish.
Click to expand...
Good luck with the Korum folding spoon. I’ve had two fail on me now and even contacted Korum about them but got nothing back from them. The plastic folding block is only glued to the bit with the thread on, and only by about half an inch. Both of mine failed there.
 
Just for reference, I often use a 14ft rod whilst out wading in the river and have no problems at all reaching fish when netting them using the nets I have put links to above. I would have no problems scooping the fish up with those nets if I used a15 ft rod either.....I have done it with a 15ft 6inch rod without issue.
I think there is way too much fuss about having to use a long landing net staff in conjunction with a rod up to 15ft.
Personally, I would very much dislike faffing about with a looooong landing net handle when wading.
At the end of the day I often hand out barbel mid river whilst using a 14ft float rod.
 
Brian Penfold said:
Good luck with the Korum folding spoon. I’ve had two fail on me now and even contacted Korum about them but got nothing back from them. The plastic folding block is only glued to the bit with the thread on, and only by about half an inch. Both of mine failed there.
Click to expand...
Yeah I’d clocked that. I imagine it’s slightly less vulnerable with a shorter handle, but we’ll see.
 
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