I wear mine over my head. It's simple, ergonomic and I've noticed bait fishermen don't high hole me as often as they used to. I use Cheech's approach except on my sling pack. The bag fits nice over my pack so no getting stuck on trees and groupies.
I learned a cool trick from Ieva and Andy (British fly fisherfolk) and built a net with pipe insulator attached with zip ties. Result is a net that floats so I can recover a fish in the net or rest my fly rod out of the water. Very cool application.
Nice posting displaying options for net carrying. I have a setup that I really like. First, I will tell you what I don't like... Because I am an aggressive wader I don't like waist packs as they get filled with water. The same for nets that hang low - they increase drag in the water and catch in the underbrush. So I go for shorty vests that have pockets high up on my chest. Or waterproof backpacks that I can store things such as that waterproof top that I might need in a downpour. I don't use nets for most of the fish that I hook, preferring to release them in the water "untouched". My preference for a net is a folding one like Frabill makes. I use a magnetic net release system. I attach one magnet where the net folds - I tie it in at the handle end of the net hoop. The mating magnet I attach to the top of my vest or backpack - again tied in so that I can move it to the back of my shirt if I am minimalist fishing. Thus when the net is folded the mesh is high up on my back and the handle hangs down to my butt. The handle is attached to a net retractor as you do it and the other end of the retractor is attached to a loop at the bottom of my vest or to my wading belt. I make all these connections with paracord. I can bush bash without the net getting caught as the mesh is against my upper back. There is a bit of learning as to how to flip the net open and reposition it onto the magnet ... but it is worth it.
A couple options not covered .... if wearing a back pack I slip the head of my net between my back and the backpack with the handle down ... it holds in place and is easy to pull out and put back. Other option is attach magnet to top of net so handle is hanging down ... makes it easy to grab and can use the bungy on net to attach to belt or low down on pack/vest
I've been scouring the internet looking for a magnetic release with an orange attachment point to try and copy cheech's net method. I really dig the low profile setup for hanging laterally behind my back, especially for backcountry bushwhacking trips. Only to find out its some friggin orange backing or something. I've been bamboozled!
Great video, I love the double mount you've got there cheech! Question, what do you do with BIG nets? I do a lot of great lakes salmon and steelhead fishing, and my net dwarfs even the guide style nets you've shown. Any suggestions? Currently I have it rigged with a kayak paddle lanyard and I shove it down the back of my vest. It works, it isn't the most comfortable, and not always the most convenient, wondering if you've got any recommendations?
I put my El Jeffe fish pond net horizontally through the "gravity suspension" pocket of my pack. Didnt see it covered in the video. Can be a little cumbersome when navigating narrow walkways, I just pull it out and that point and hold it on my shoulder. -Tie
Thanks for sharing this! I use the measure nets in various sizes with a similar retractor. For the larger one I want to do the magnet on the side because the current catches it and drags it downstream. But the measure nets catch too much water when netting a fish in fast water making it really difficult to net fish sometimes. I like the Frabile Euro Net that Lance uses and will probably get that from you guys. Does it catch a lot of resistance from the water? Looks like the mesh is slightly bigger than the measure net which would hopefully help?
OK, Great ideas but I have a sling pack. Net magnet to top of net. But when I swing the bag around in front the net is hanging in water and all over the place. Any ideas for this problem?
Ditto. What would be ideal in my mind is to have the magnet at the top of my sling pack attached to the top of the net, and a retractor attached to the net handle at the bottom. Maybe the retractor could be attached to the lower section of the strap? That way both ends of the net are connected. Just a thought... Going to experiment this week.
