Wintle's World of Angling

There is a lot of comment and discussion about keepnets most of it derisory and a certain amount by people who know nothing about them and, like the anti fishing brigade attitude, knock them because they don't like them.

Its nice to see a well informed and part critical article by someone who knows what they are talking about, well done again Mark.

I think match commercials are, at some stage going to have to get their act together regarding fish retention especially as the average size is getting very large in a lot of instances. This new electronic hoop, that entails passing the fish through a hoop which registers a count but not the weight, then the fish is released, is the latest gimmick but I can't see that getting off the ground, matchmen like weight not numbers. To most matchmen a 6lb carp is not the same as a 2oz rudd but on the proposed system will register as equal, no way will that catch on.

Perhaps cages on every peg is the answer, I don't know but like you Mark I think there has to be an acceptable safe method of fish retention and maybe, just maybe, keepnets aren't the long term answer.

Actually Graham I think the technology exists to calculate the volume of the fish when it is passed through the loop. This might be the way forward. The problem with this type of system is the potential for double 'weighing'.

It's great having fish-friendly nets and the improvement in the fish can be seen when returning them to the water with one proviso and that is that the person using the net actually knows how to empty the thing properly in the first place.
I still see people with the latest fish-friendly nets capable of holding bigger weights than many of could ever dream of catching, but what do they do at the end of their days'fishing - tip the fish from one end of the net, tumbling them down the rings until they finally drop into the water devoid of their protective slime and missing any number of scales - no wonder the antis want keepnets banned!
Perhaps the manufacturers could include a copy of the NFA's Keepnet Code with every new net sold but, then again, as most of the people we're talking about here can't be bothered about any sort of fish conservation then they're hardly likely to read the instructions either!
Maybe the time is approaching when a basic test has to be introduced before anyone can go fishing, a draconian measure I know but with everyone looking over our shoulder at what we're doing we must be seen to be doing watever we can to ensure every angler on the bank knows what they're doing which includes the most basic things like using a disgorger and taking your bloody litter home with you.

I to welcome the new standards for keepnets
the new nets are clearly capable of keeping fish in far better condition than the hotch-potch of shapes and sizes previously used the sooner all anglers are forced to accept the need to use them the better I still see far to many on the bank with inadequate nets(time for commercial fisheries to take the lead of Makins Fisheries,check out thier strict keepnet policy)However far more worrying is the numberr of anglers with landing nets that are to small for the fish they are catching,I was horrified watching Fishomania to see a number of these top anglers squeezing large carp into tiny nets on television for god's sake ANTI'S PARADISE OR WHAT.

Paul, as regards Fishomania I think you will find that all keepnets are checked before they start the draw. Plus all keepnets are emptied regularly during the match, as you will have noticed so I don't think the anti's will get much satisfaction at that venue. You should also note that the likes of those that fish Fishomania are regular match anglers and by necessity will have fish friendly nets anyway, you're not talking about the twice a year know nothing angler here you know.

Steve. Most of the better match venues check your nets before the match or warn you of what is required and will throw you off if it is found to be not up to standard. Very few fisheries allow pleasure anglers to use keepnets anyway so unless you are a matchman theres no problem, come to think of it, none of the lakes I fish allow keepnets.

I believe Gold Valley only allow keepnets in matches and then only 50lb in a net (disqualified if more). Now that might mean just 6 to 10 fish in a net.

The top venue rods therefore often need 3, 4, 5 or more nets (better not to incur the wrath of JR!). JR also has a very healthy number of nets on-site for the poorer and/or more ambitious competitor.

Policies such at that go some way to help the situation.

Another intelligent and articulate contribution from the Wintle pen, thanks Mark.

I watched the Fishomania (how I hate that name!) a few weekends ago and I really did wonder; why on earth do they not weigh each fish, when caught? With the number of 'officials' and stewards there they surely ought to be able to accommoadate that!

As to club matches, I have seen some really idiotic methods of 'emptying' the keepnet for the scalesman. Again, how much better to have the scalesman's assistant to be the only person allowed to empty the net for the scales. In this way you can have somone who actually knows what he is doing, and its in the best interest of the fish.

As I have noted previously, I am in favour of maintaining the use of keepnets if for no other reason that the banning of them I would see as the; 'thin end of the wedge' for angling in this Country.

A properly designed keepnet, properly employed and staked out correctly cannot be that difficult to achieve in today's modern age of manufacture and education.
Or can it?

Surely nets could be made that open at the bottom thereby making it much easier to remove the fish.

Years ago they were - velcro being used to hold the bottom closed. They were sold in the tackle shop where I worked.

Not having been involved in the 'match' scene for fifteen years or more I don't know if this feature is still available.

Although I have never seen Fred's velcro fastening nets I did own a net that had a zip opening in the bottom section of the net to release fish easily a pretty good idea that does not appear to have taken off it was a round net with a spiral continuous hoop in a 3.5 m length, still in use sold it to a friend if the company that made it has gone out of business maybe another manufacturer could look at the technology an adapt it to the larger rectangular nets

I regulary fish boat matches, ( Sea anglers, obviously)This is how our club fish catch and release.I doubt it would translate to a Freshwater match with no nets needed.
The first 5 fish of any species counts 10 points, then every subsequent fish is one point.This encourages all fish to be returned unharmed, obviously the aim is to catch as many different species as you can, We have found that we can actually target different species....I realise that this would cause all sorts of problems for the matchmen that fish the Carp Puddles, but in a good mixed fishery, it would really sort out the skilled anglers from those who only know the one method.I suppose that the practicalities of scoring, and the actual trust between the matchmen whom I believe are very competetive would render any such match almost impossible to Police.

Paul is referring to "Expanda-Nets" with the spiral hoop and zip; devil's own job to put in a net bag which may be why they didn't take off that well.

My plea is for the EA to increase the legal size from 120 cm circumference (30 cm x 30 cm) to 180 cm (40 cm x 50 cm)(or 50cm diameter for round) plus length of 2.5 m (3 m ideally), and only to allow those meshes shown to be fish friendly.

All nets failing this can go in the incinerator as far as I'm concerned.

I wonder whether the answer lies not in making keepnets bigger and bigger, but in using several smaller nets.

For example, where carp are retained (arguments about whether carp should be retained in nets at all can wait for another time) would it not be better to have one carp per net; each net could then be no more than a few feet in length and - say - two feet diameter.

Where mixed catches are likely, carp could be retained as above (or better still weighed seperately as they are landed) whereas one net could be used for small roach, rudd, skimmers etc up to about two ounces, one for the same between two ounces and half a pound, and one for half-pound plus fish - tench, bigger bream etc. At no time should large and small fish be kept in the same net, as the smaller fish will be crushed by the bigger ones when the net is removed from the water.

The small fish nets need then be no more than six feet long by a foot diameter - always provided they can be staked out in water of sufficient depth.

I suppose some people might moan that this would mean carrying several nets, extra expense, and so on. Match anglers often carry half-a-dozen poles, feeder rods, float rods anyway, which cost considerably more and require large holdalls for transportation, so I don't see that it would make that much difference.

Fred,

I can see where you're coming from with separating different sizes of fish. But I still want to take the small sizes of net out of circulation. If small nets like you describe were allowed (currently illegal) I can just see people putting 4lb bream in them which is where the problem starts.

Anyone pleasure fishing really ought to ask themselves whether it's necessary to put EVERY fish in a keepnet. There's a strong case to NOT put the real tiddlers in a keepnet but many people do. I saw this a lot on the Severn last summer where people barbel fishing also put chublet with them - why?

On the better-run commercials where matches are held and big weights expected you would normally have a silver fish only net and seperate nets for carp, with many fisheries now having a weight limit per net [anything from 50 - 100 lbs], so it's not unusual now for a match angler to be carrying four or five nets to a match with him [or her]. Most of these fisheries also have a time limit on how long fish can be kept in nets with the majority going for a five-hour limit and, as I pointed out in my earlier post, a very efficient system for weighing-in at the end of the match where the fish are weighed not only quickly but treated properly as well. I still maintain that most damage is done by pleasure anglers who might be keeping fish in nets for up to 24 hours and don't follow the keepnet code.