Rubber nets?

[dan94]

Anyone use rubber nets or have experience with one? Im looking into getting one mainly for walleye and pike. To me they seem like i would have less problems with tangles and hooks getting stuck in the mesh. 

[bigturtle]

I have a rubberized net and I love it. I never experienced hooks getting stuck in any mesh because i only use barbless hooks.

[tstraub]

I have a regular net on my boat and my father in law has a rubber one on his.  The rubber one is really nice. I've never had a hook get caught in it.  I can't say that I convinced enough to run out and replace mine yet but I'm happy to pick up his when I can.  Maybe if I used more treble hook lures, but I'm more of a soft plastic kind of guy so the regular net isn't an issues for me very often.

[Jig Man]

I've had all kinds over the years.  I switched to rubber quite a while back.  I won't have anything else in the boat.

[MickD]

One thing to be careful of when buying rubber is the depth of the net.  I bought one without paying much attention, and it's too shallow.  Larger fish often can flip out of it.  Look for one with a deep "basket."  They are very nice with respect to getting hooks out, and I expect they are very gentle to the fish, being as soft and smooth as they are.

[Team9nine]

When I use a net, the rubber style is all I use. Much prefer them to traditional nets 

[NHBull]

I use a net for ALL trebles and the rubber net make life easier for me and the fish.

 

Will likely buy one with flatter surface area instead of the rubberized rope as the benefits outweigh the cons 

[fishballer06]

Rubber is the only way to go these days. It's less harmful to the fish and it doesn't get hooks tangled in it. Only downside is they're a little heavier. 

[MassYak85]

I'll never buy a non-rubber net again. Better for the fish and I never have issues with hooks getting tangled. 

[Scott F]

I like rubber nets for my bass fishing but for me the only drawback is the weight.  The bag on mine isn't huge so the weight isn't much of an issue. I haven't seen one that was deep enough for pike or even walleye. If one was big enough, it would be pretty heavy.

[JustJames]

I got both, rubber net for the boat and regular net (rope) to kayak due to it smaller size and way lighter weight. I'm gonna upgrade to rubber net later on when I find a good size one with short handle and not too expensive.

[IndianaFinesse]

I have one, and I love it.  I used to hate netting fish, they always got so tangled up in it.  Now I net almost every fish, no tangles at all and are easier on the fishes slime coat.

[fishwizzard]

I have a small rubber trout net and I like it a good bit.  It is too small to fully contain a larger bass, but it works great as a lift-assist for bank and kayak fishing where I can't be sure of getting a good grab on a lip due to terrain or the boat moving.  Sadly I still have yet to hit on a good way to carry it on the bank so rarely bring it along.  

 

The other day I "caught" my first fish on a swimbait only to have her thrash off right as I went in for the lip.  If I had had her butt in the net I bet I could have landed her.  

[Scott F]

33 minutes ago, Bunnielab said:

I have a small rubber trout net and I like it a good bit.  It is too small to fully contain a larger bass, but it works great as a lift-assist for bank and kayak fishing where I can't be sure of getting a good grab on a lip due to terrain or the boat moving.  Sadly I still have yet to hit on a good way to carry it on the bank so rarely bring it along.    

Fishermen who wade and carry landing nets using a magnetic quick release.  The release clips to a ring on a fishing vest on the back near the collar. One piece of the magnet hangs from the vest, the other mounts on the edge of the net. The magnets are incredibly strong. When you need to use the net, you reach behind and pull it off the release. All you need is to get the edge of the net close to the other magnet and it will reconnect. The release in the photo I'm including is connected at the handle.

[TOXIC]

My problem is that my net storage in my boat is right between the seats and if you insert the handle in the net holder, you are constantly walking on it or jumping over it.  I have not decided which one I want because I have friends who have both.  My options are the RSnets or the Hibernet.  The Hibernet head draws back into the handle and can be stored easily in a rod locker or strapped to the front deck just like a rod.  The RSNet while not cheap, is top quality and comes in a number of sizes and lengths.  

[dan94]

http://tinypic.com/r/21do2le/9 Picked up this $40 rubber net at wallymart. Landed small/mid sized pike and walleye no problem 

[MassYak85]

On 7/11/2017 at 11:11 PM, JustJames said:

I got both, rubber net for the boat and regular net (rope) to kayak due to it smaller size and way lighter weight. I'm gonna upgrade to rubber net later on when I find a good size one with short handle and not too expensive.

A tip that might work for you as well as it did for me. I bought a rubber net when BPS had them on sale and took a saw to the handle and shortened it to maybe 2 1/2 feet, and then put the rubber grip back on the end. So now I have a "kayak friendly" rubber net that isn't too long to be awkward. 

[JustJames]

Thanks, that is a very good idea. I'll keep that in mind next time I shop for the net. I'm so new at kayak fishing, gotta find some local kayak group so I can learn how to fish from them.

[MassYak85]

11 hours ago, JustJames said:

Thanks, that is a very good idea. I'll keep that in mind next time I shop for the net. I'm so new at kayak fishing, gotta find some local kayak group so I can learn how to fish from them.

I think it was this one. Dripped nylon net, aluminum handle. A cut off wheel went through it pretty easy and the grip at the end you can just slip back on. 

 

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Shadow-Tech-Landing-Net/product/1509241051/