Seeing as everyone seems to be discussing C & R,reasons for and against not once among all the for and against have i read about "NET MESH SIZE" ,now for me i think no landing net mesh should be above "minnow mesh" size and with a bottom made of micromesh to cradle the fish in ,to me anything above minnowmesh increases risk of fin damage which inturn can lead to fungal infection and possible death of the fish

SO DO YOU PREFER WIDE MESH




OR MINNOWMESH AND SMALLER

__________________
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Bruce I have just renewed the net bag on my landing net, I only fish still water (mcClean Net) with a minnowmesh one and seeing the difference in hand wished I had done it sooner.

Dave

Dave nice recommendation to start off with

__________________
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

I would say it should be minnow mesh, rubberised whenever possible. I've just bought a new pan net.

Colin, im not so sure as to the for against rubber mesh ,yes i understand the reasoning behind it , but is it once again to "catch the angler" as in ease of removal of hooks etc ,rubber is quite harsh as to feel compared to a soft mesh ,and if your using barbless hooks there's no problem ,only advantage as far as im concerned with rubber mesh is it "dries" quicker??

__________________
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Good thread, thanks for starting it.
I prefer the fine mesh, as the jaw mouth parts cannot get snagged. There is nothing worse than observing a trouts scissors, getting detached from the jaw as a result of an avoidable detail. Less risk of this happenning with a fine mesh.
I also don't like rubberised nets for trout, as they cannot absorb water to protect the slime. Trout slime is very easily removed compared to many other species, so rubberised nets are great for carp and bass and some other species, but actually quite damaging to trout. Many people don't know that rubberised nets, are actually more damaging to the fish than non rubberised nets, of a favourable fabric, as the slime washes off a rubberised net very quickly, so they don't rontain much residual odour. Rubberised nets and nylon knotted weave nets are considered undesirable in South African wild trout waters, and in some places, banned totally. Knotted weave nylon nets are even more damaging than rubberised nets, for the same reason. The best fabric for a trout net to protect the slime, is one which can soak up as much water as possible.
The net in the second picture is ideal. it has a fine weave, a knotless construction, and a nice deep bag and large frame, to prevent the fish from jumping out and becomming injured.

I hope this threas remains constructive, and serves a good purpose.

Andreb.....did you vote ????,it is something that is regularly missed out from C & R debates ,knotted nets are illegal here Andreb,PEOPLE GO ON ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE THEM ETC BUT NEVER HOW TO GET THEM TO HANDLE THEM ..IF YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN

__________________
WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Bruce, being a coarse fisherman as well, like myself, you'll know the advantages of fine mesh fish-friendly nets, which is presumably why you've flagged this up Another vote in favour of fine mesh for C&R. This has been standard practice in coarse fishing for many, many years but for some reason, has, as you say, has been largely overlooked in game fishing Also knotless mesh obviously. The only practical reason for using a slightly wider mesh, or at least not a micro-mesh base, is in fast rivers and big nets where drag on the net can cause difficulties, but that is a specific and uncommon situation for most forum trout fishing members I would imagine. Saying all that, when C&R-ing I try to avoid using a net at all, unless it facilitates quicker landing/releasing which sometimes it does.

ps - that first one doesn't actually look to bad - more "gudgeon mesh" in old coarse language - not as wide mesh as many trout nets you see

__________________

Very true about wide mesh nets. We use them here in South Africa, when catching yellowfish in the Vaal and Orange rivers. Fast flowing large rivers, and the fine mess net simply gets carried away in the current. Yellowfish, are very hardy and tough, and don't have the slime to the extent of trout, so wide mesh is fine for them. They also don't have the mouth parts that can get snagged. For trout, I won't use a wide mesh net anywhere, regardless of the strength of the flow.

Hey Bruce. We live & learn. I've always been a fan of fine meshed nets. Nearly all my fishing is C&R with brabless or crushed barbs.