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3. Nets

Any recommendations/favorites for catch and release nets? Price vs quality. Also, anyone lake fishing from a canoe, advice appreciated.

i really like my folding MeasureNet. it is not beautiful, but it folds to fit in the wader bag, it measures the fish automatically, its mesh is kind, and the bag zips off for washing or replacement. they're on the web--just Google it.

I use a fisknat ---http://www.fisknat.com/
It is also light weight has a light rubber net that doesn't harm fish.
Good small company -a bit pricey though -a lot of the guides use them.

John

Love the fisknat.

Ducfat-



I have quite a bit of experience lake fishing from a canoe. Do you already have one, or are you thinking of purchasing one to use for lake fishing? Also, can you describe the type of lakes you would be likely to be fishing with a canoe? Answers to these questions will allow me to give you more useful advice.

Roger,

I've got a 17 foot Souris River canoe. The wife, myself, and the four-legged ballast will be fishing in smaller mountain lakes and reservoirs (most likely less than 300 acres in size) in southern Utah, Arizona, and up into central Nevada.

Thanks,

Tim

Tim-

Okay, that gives me a pretty good idea. Incidentally, that sounds like a seriously nice canoe. For reasons of safety, both you and your wife should wear a PFD whenever in the canoe, and should have a change of dry clothing in the vehicle.

Next in priority comes comfort. Fishing for multiple hours without any back support can cause sufficient back pain to ruin one’s day. Some things I have found useful are a seat backrest, frequently stretching, and/or frequent stops on the shore to walk around.

You didn’t mention whether or not both you and your wife will be paddling and/or flyfishing, but I’ll attempt to address several scenarios. If both are competent paddlers, and only one is flyfishing, it is advantageous for the non-flyfisher to be responsible to positioning the canoe to maximum casting angle of the flyfisher. Of course, this is most easily accomplished from the primary paddling seat.

If both will be flyfishing, or if wind is an issue, it is highly advantageous to have a 2-anchor system, so the canoe can be held in a steady position, which offers decent casting angles for both anglers.

When trolling a fly, it is extremely difficult for the person responsible for paddling to fish effectively, as the seating position generally results in the fly rod pointing at a 9-10 o’clock position. This is not optimal position for the fish setting the hook itself, and by the time the paddle has been placed in the canoe, and the flyrod picked up, the fish will often be gone, particularly with barbless hooks. There are several things one can do to lessen this problem. One is use of a rodholder, which allows the rod to be pointed behind canoe. Another is use of an electric motor, which allows the person occupying the paddling position to have a hand free.

Anyway, hope at least one of these tips resonates with you.