Choosing the Best Net for Kayak Fishing

More and more saltwater anglers are getting into kayak fishing every season. It’s no wonder why – kayak fishing is exhilarating, effective, good exercise, and comparatively speaking a lot more affordable than fishing from a larger boat. And as more people pick it up, I get hit with more questions regarding kayak tactics and gear. Once that’s come up more than a few times recently is how to choose the best landing net for kayak fishing.

There’s one overarching rule to adhere by when choosing a landing net (whether it’s for a kayak or any other type of fishing boat): make sure the mesh is rubberized or rubber-coated, not the cheap knotted nylon type. Knotted nylon mesh can injure fish that you intend to release, because the knots scraps off their protective coating of slime. That slime acts as the fish’s immune system, blocking out and trapping potential infections, so when it gets scraped off the fish can get sick. Any contentious angler who owns a net with knotted nylon should toss it in the trash heap, right now, and get a fish-safe net asap. But beyond that, there are some kayak-centric variable to keep in mind when choosing a landing net:

• Longer handles are not better. In fact, most experienced kayak anglers prefer shorties. They’re easier to manipulate in your contained area, and a long-handled net can actually throw you off balance.
• Floating models are a must. If your net doesn’t float the question isn’t so much if you’ll lose it, as opposed to when you’ll lose it. And yes, you can leash it, but that can make scooping fish more difficult. Plenty of quality landing nets do float, so finding one is not a problem.
• Collapsible nets save space on a boat, but on a kayak, not so much. There really aren’t many stowage options on a kayak in the first place (vertical, as pictured above, is probably best) and saving a few inches of length via a telescopic handle won’t accomplish much. However, you will discover that most folding or telescopic handles only last for a couple of seasons in the saltwater environment.
• Opt for a relatively deep bag. This will allow you to lay the net down with the hoop over the bag, closing it off and securing the fish, immediately after landing it.

What about landing your fish without a net? Some kayak anglers feel that their low position makes it very easy to swing fish aboard. And, they’re right. But when you get on the fish of a lifetime you can bet that will be the one to pop off at just the wrong moment. So even if you commonly land fish without a net, having one aboard at all times is a smart move.