Trebles and nets

[Carl Harrison]

I think every pike angler should carry a pair of bolt cutters. They do not need to be used except in an emergency i.e. you cannot get to a hook deep in the pikes throat because the lure is in the way, in which case the hook can be cut from the lure thus allowing the lure to be removed to ease access. Or if two of the hooks on the treble have been set in which case the hook should be cut to remove it. In either case if the hook is cut above the point of entry there is no need for safety glasses.

 

[Gary Knowles]

The hooks that need to be used with large lures are also understandably large. For the sake of the fish I will continue to crop the hooks before unhooking rather than tyring pull a large barb back through the fish's mouth.

I've never had the points of the hook fly out towards me they just drop into the net. Maybe its the type of croppers I use, I don't know. But I have yet to have a problem with them.....

 

[Carl Harrison]

BARB? Surely you use barbless/de-barbed hooks, dont you?

 

[Gary Knowles]

Not when lure fishing, no.

But I do when bait fishing.

 

[Steve Burke]

The lure nets I supplied when I ran Caliber were custom made. You could have either a folding triangular frame or the very popular pear-shaped one. You then chose the mesh you wanted to go with your frame.

The "Titeweave" meshes were the ones to go for when pike fishing as it was almost impossible to get a hook caught in the weave of the mesh itself. Two sizes of mesh were available: "Luremesh" was very wide and most suitable for use with the large trebles on big lures which can easily get tangled in the net. For smaller lures and live/deadbaiting "Pikemesh" was the one to choose. It was much finer, extremely fish friendly and easily the most popular.

I've recently had my arm twisted to come out of retirement and do some rod designs for a new firm which will shortly be trading, mainly on the internet. Custom-built rods will be the main products offered, but I gather that my nets will probably also be offered. If they are I'll let you know.