Large fish landing net?

[RH1]

Hey friends,
Looking for some feedback on wading nets for larger fish like bass and pike.
Im going after my first fly rod pike next week and it suddenly hit me that i dont have a net large enough to land one while im wading.
Thanks for the advice and recommendations

 

[BrookieChaser]

Fishpond.

I have the nomad net with the large hoop and short handle. I'd get the mid length handle if I still seriously trout fished.

 

[Drifly]

I have the fishpond mid length boat net that I use steelhead fishing. That little bit of extra length in the handle let’s me put steelhead in the net by myself. I carry it with the handle tucked in my wading belt and I will admit when I first carried it it felt a bit comber some. When I got the net it had a pretty shallow bag that I had some bigger fish arching out of but I called FP and they sent me a deeper bag.

 

[Bamboozle]

Take a look at McLean Angling. High quality products made in New Zealand.

They make various folding models and others with retractable handles which make them extremely convenient for wade fishing or any fishing for that matter.

 

[TheDuke44]

Fishpond is the "gold standard" but my next net is going to be from FishUSA - from picking it up in-store it seemed nearly identical to the Fishponds but run a decent bit cheaper. They also run pretty good sales on them throughout the year, so I'm holding out to really save some $$$.

FishUSA Trout & Steelhead Landing Net | Rubber Fishing Net | FishUSA

FishUSA Premium Trout & Steelhead Landing Net rivals name-brand, mid-length fly fishing nets at a more economical price. Lightweight, floating, and tangle-free, it’s perfect for wading anglers and larger catches.

www.fishusa.com

FishUSA Premium Steelhead & Salmon Landing Net | FishUSA

Land steelhead and salmon confidently with the FishUSA Premium Steelhead & Salmon Landing Net, featuring a lightweight frame, floating design, and PVC netting.

www.fishusa.com

 

[Porchdog]

How big a pike are you expecting to catch?

I do a lot of pike fishing (mostly in Canada) - the 40+ inchers need a big net. It's really inconvenient to fish wading with a net that large.

For fishing from a boat, I use relatively inexpensive aluminum nets with telescoping handles. You will want at least an 18" hoop and a 24" deep bag - that will be reasonable up to 36" fish.

When I'm wading I just carry the plastic lip grippers. They are better than nothing and a small net is pretty useless. I also use the biggest jaw spreaders I can buy to save my hands and the fish unhooking deep flies. Again, for 40"+ fish they laugh at the jaw spreaders - expect to get cut.