Keepnets

[theoriginalpikeflyco]

Folks I have read comments regards ongoing arguments about keepnets, commercial fisheries & matches etc...

This query is about the use of a keepnet for successful private/pleasure fishing only. We have no commercial fisheries & I am not a match angler.

I have been invited to tackle a few nearby farm lakes for Roach, Rudd, Perch & Roach/Bream Hybrids...no bream have ever been caught out of the waters in question despite being targeted (strange? yet I have seen some photos & the hybrids are def Roach/Bream) & they dont hold any Tench or Carp.

I have been advised a good keepnet is essential as the shoals clear off if fish are constantly released back into them.

Now, I was just about to buy either a Drennan Super Specialist 8 or 10 ft keepnet...or a Middy Big Gob. I reckoned that a good sized keepnet like one of these, with nice soft mesh & super soft sections, would allow plenty of room for silver fish (Will never see a Bream, Tench or Carp).

But upon googling have come across some pretty strong views...especially regarding fin damage from the mesh.

Now, I am very conservation minded & care deeply about fish welfare so my question is...

Will a keepnet cause fish damage ie fins etc, regardless of careful handling? Or are all the concerns related to user misconduct? Am I looking the best type of keepnet for optimum silver fish welfare?

 

[peter crabtree]

Modern keepnets are all fish friendly. If you are fishing for silvers a 3m net is
more than ample over a 5-6 hour period..

 

[mark brailsford 2]

Do what I did mate,
ditch the keepnet altogether (unless you are a match angler) they have no place in a pleasure/speci anglers tackle, just take pride in the fish you catch and return them as soon as possible to fight another day.

Mark

 

[Tee-Cee]

Thought a great deal about posting on this, but I need some clarification from those who match fish...
The last time I Match fished was back in the late 50/early 60's so I'm well behind the times on nets etc etc BUT I would like to ask just how much care is taken on subjects such as fish welfare, thats number of fish retained in nets, the actual weighing of fish, and how they are put back in the water.

No doubt things have changed and fish welfare is a major issue particularly with the anti's looking for ammo, but I do wonder, having looked through some weeklies, and seeing decent quantities of fish being photographed in nets, if much has changed in real terms.......Just how much care is taken??

As I've said this is NOT meant to be a contentious post and I hope it will not be taken as such. I would just like to understand what goes on at matches etc etc and if fish are looked after in a way similar to that practiced by MOST specimen fishermen.....

In my day, and this includes Thames championship matches, Avon championship matches, along with club outings etc etc fish were retained in nets regardless of numbers and carted to weigh points, with the occasional dip in the water, to be dumped into a metal tray and then literally tipped into the water......perhaps this is OTT, but on reflection, it seemed that way at the time.....

 

[mol]

Do what I did mate,
ditch the keepnet altogether (unless you are a match angler) they have no place in a pleasure/speci anglers tackle, just take pride in the fish you catch and return them as soon as possible to fight another day.

Mark

Whilst I kind of agree I do wonder if a keepnet would help at times.

Whilst fishing on the river I can get a shoal of roach/rudd feeding, catch one or two and then they're gone. I do return the fish in a swim or two up stream but it doesn't seem to help, maybe a keepnet would help me catch more? The chub and barbel don't seem bothered, just the silvers.

 

[soffit]

Do what I did mate,
ditch the keepnet altogether (unless you are a match angler) they have no place in a pleasure/speci anglers tackle, just take pride in the fish you catch and return them as soon as possible to fight another day.

Mark

Yer a bit sad if you have to have that final thing of looking into the keepnet at a load of fish thrashing around all over each other. I know the attraction; I would like to see all my fish at the same time. But its out of date I think even with the most careful handling. Digital photography; photo each one and put them in a virtual keepnet.

 

[cg74]

Modern keepnets are all fish friendly. If you are fishing for silvers a 3m net is
more than ample over a 5-6 hour period..

Spot on advice.

 

[theoriginalpikeflyco]

Yer a bit sad if you have to have that final thing of looking into the keepnet at a load of fish thrashing around all over each other. I know the attraction; I would like to see all my fish at the same time. But its out of date I think even with the most careful handling. Digital photography; photo each one and put them in a virtual keepnet.

Oh no please dont misunderstand my query...the only reason I am asking about them on this forum is because the 2 chaps that have invited me along to these lakes are the only people allowed to fish them & have been doing so every fortnight for the last 3 years...and they insist a keepnet is required...telling me that every time they have attempted to fish without one, the swim dies after the release of only a few fish back to the shoal.

I do know these guys & can vouch for their attitudes being very responsible & I know for a fact that they do not photograph the keepnet full of fish, and do not put the real biggies in them.

But regardless of how they do it...I want to know if a keepnet will cause physical damage to fish regardless...because if they do I would not even bother joining them to fish the waters.

 

[sam vimes]

I very, very rarely use any form of fish retention, be it keepnet or sack. However, I've long held the opinion that poor use of either is the main problem and not the devices themselves. Sadly, too many folks jump on the devices rather than those that use them badly.

 

[Bluenose]

Modern keepnets are all fish friendly. If you are fishing for silvers a 3m net is
more than ample over a 5-6 hour period..

I agree with this, totally.

If you are concerned about putting fish back scaring the shoal, as you have stated in 2 posts, and nothing to do with wanting a 'last look' then unless I've missed something, I'd definitely use a keep net.

---------
Edit: In fact even if you do like a last look, so what, still use one if rules allow! Fishing is supposed to be about fun and enjoyment, follow the keepnet code (if it still exists) use your common sense and use a modern net!

 

[theoriginalpikeflyco]

I agree with this, totally.

If you are concerned about putting fish back scaring the shoal, as you have stated in 2 posts, and nothing to do with wanting a 'last look' then unless I've missed something, I'd definitely use a keep net.

---------
Edit: In fact even if you do like a last look, so what, still use one if rules allow! Fishing is supposed to be about fun and enjoyment, follow the keepnet code (if it still exists) use your common sense and use a modern net!

Ok, thankyou for the advise...

So assuming I am going to go ahead and order one tonight...what do you guys think of the Drennan Super Specialist Keepnets??? They look to be a nice muted olive green & claim to be very fish friendly...but are they a good job?

 

[Bluenose]

Am sure it'll be decent quality, but I'd have a look around at a few product reviews mate. I had a middy silverfish net (eaten by mice) only used it a few times as well, that came with a carp net (unused) and was v.good value for money as well as being fisheries approved.

 

[soffit]

Oh no please dont misunderstand my query...the only reason I am asking about them on this forum is because the 2 chaps that have invited me along to these lakes are the only people allowed to fish them & have been doing so every fortnight for the last 3 years...and they insist a keepnet is required...telling me that every time they have attempted to fish without one, the swim dies after the release of only a few fish back to the shoal.

I do know these guys & can vouch for their attitudes being very responsible & I know for a fact that they do not photograph the keepnet full of fish, and do not put the real biggies in them.

But regardless of how they do it...I want to know if a keepnet will cause physical damage to fish regardless...because if they do I would not even bother joining them to fish the waters.

I doubt Anyone has studied it. It all comes down to whether your Ok about seeing a load of lively fish in a small space flopping about on each other. On balance I don't use a keepnet for that reason but i'm not going to break a bloodvessel over it. Just do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[dezza]

The only time I use a keepnet these days is when I'm fishing for roach and where I am allowed to.

There is no doubt that a roach let loose after capture will spook others in the shoal, a shoal you may have spent some time attracting.

Anyone using a keepnet should adhere to the NASA keepnet code which was published some time ago.

 

[sam vimes]

It all comes down to whether your Ok about seeing a load of lively fish in a small space flopping about on each other.

In the rare event of me using a keepnet for a pleasure session, the fish don't leave the water once they are unhooked. You don't have to remove a keepnet from the water to empty it of fish.

 

[soffit]

The only time I use a keepnet these days is when I'm fishing for roach and where I am allowed to.

There is no doubt that a roach let loose after capture will spook others in the shoal, a shoal you may have spent some time attracting.

Anyone using a keepnet should adhere to the NASA keepnet code which was published some time ago.

Perhaps this is in places that are heavily fished? I fish for roach most days in the same swim. All are returned after being caught as they are caught and there is no question of them being spooked. My largest have, on average, been caught towards the end of a session. Apart from the arguement of spooking,which I have not enough experience to comment on, I can only see a keepnet full of fish as a vanity

 

[terry m]

Do what I did mate,
ditch the keepnet altogether (unless you are a match angler) they have no place in a pleasure/speci anglers tackle, just take pride in the fish you catch and return them as soon as possible to fight another day.

Mark

Good post Mark - I completely agree.

Nothing grinds my gears more than TV programmes such as Tight Lines covering Fish'o'Mania that show guys tipping nets full of thrashing fish into weigh bags, back into nets, then back into the water which is speckled and awash with dislodged scales. Regardless of how fish friendly the net itself is, that counts for nothing if the user does not exercise total consideration for his/her charges.

IMHO the televised keepnet antics of some match anglers give the 'fishing antis' much of the ammunition that they need.

 

[Bluenose]

IMHO the televised keepnet antics of some match anglers give the 'fishing antis' much of the ammunition that they need.

IMHO I think that when we anglers start suggesting that placing fish in a keepnets is cruel or in any way inappropriate, then we haven't got a hope of defending the fact that we stick a stainless steel hook in fish!

 

[cg74]

Thought a great deal about posting on this, but I need some clarification from those who match fish...
The last time I Match fished was back in the late 50/early 60's so I'm well behind the times on nets etc etc BUT I would like to ask just how much care is taken on subjects such as fish welfare, thats number of fish retained in nets, the actual weighing of fish, and how they are put back in the water.

No doubt things have changed and fish welfare is a major issue particularly with the anti's looking for ammo, but I do wonder, having looked through some weeklies, and seeing decent quantities of fish being photographed in nets, if much has changed in real terms.......Just how much care is taken??

As I've said this is NOT meant to be a contentious post and I hope it will not be taken as such. I would just like to understand what goes on at matches etc etc and if fish are looked after in a way similar to that practiced by MOST specimen fishermen.....

In my day, and this includes Thames championship matches, Avon championship matches, along with club outings etc etc fish were retained in nets regardless of numbers and carted to weigh points, with the occasional dip in the water, to be dumped into a metal tray and then literally tipped into the water......perhaps this is OTT, but on reflection, it seemed that way at the time.....

The last match I fished in had a strict 60lb limit per net, plus a rule of not mixing silver fish and carp in the same net, this was at White Acres about 2003/04.

As for welfare, I'd say match angling on the whole is on par, if not better than found amongst specimen angling, if you want proof; view from afar the odd barbel anglers mis-treatment of unwanted chub or bream, or how some carp anglers mis-handle bream.

Its simple, there are good and bad anglers in all genres of the sport.

As for giving anti's ammo, sorry, but that's rubbish, the very basis of sport angling is tenuous enough on its own to give them enough reason too out-law the sport; well if they had enough support.... Which they don't, nor will they!

 

[theoriginalpikeflyco]

Thanks for all the replies guys...

People seem split on this so...based on all your comments...I am going to buy a keepnet and join the chaps in question for a session...

If I find the keepnet detrimental or non essential in any shape or form, then I will not use it again, even if this means being 'excluded' from any further trips to these particular waters.

I appreciate all of your comments...and suppose its time for me to find out for myself...I will let you know my thoughts after my first trip...

Cheers all!