You’ve all heard your buddies mention it around a crowd just joking around, but not many realize the importance of being a good "net man". How many times has your fishing partner and you been standing around talking fishing with a group and you or your partner make the comment that "he’s the best net man around"? Well, folks can say it in jest all they want, but I certainly don’t want the "worst" net man around trying to get my lunker in the boat. How many times have you had a good fish on the other end of the line, fighting tooth and scale to get off, you play it perfectly, only to have someone do a bad net job and loose it at the boat? Maybe the better question is how many good fish have "you" caused to get off at the boat by not doing a good net job.

 Back a few years ago that scenario happened to me, and I got first hand knowledge how it’ll make you feel towards your partner. It was a draw tournament on Santee Cooper Lake in South Carolina. I had hooked a huge largemouth in the grass, we got to see her up close and personal and figured she’d went well over eight pounds, when my partner tried to get a net on her. She had buried up in the grass and I positioned the boat right beside her. She wasn’t more than ten inches under water and you could see all of her except the head. My Georgian partner attempts to put the net under and hits her in the side. She goes wild and pulls off. He literally knocked the fish off the hook! Disappointed, mad, disgusted, and a few choice words later, I recall saying to myself “it happens to everybody eventually". And if a bad net job hasn’t happened to you yet, you just haven’t fished long enough.

 Your first steps towards avoiding botched net jobs are to make sure and have a net that fits your fishing needs. You’re not gonna take a trout net to go Striper fishing. And you’re surely not gonna take a Striper net Trout fishing. An incorrectly sized net automatically gives you and your partner a handicap right off the bat. Make sure you’re using one that’s sized to fit your fishing needs. Long extension handles are a must. Make sure you can reach out and touch one that gets close to the boat.

 Keep in mind that some nets aren’t made to be fish friendly also. The old hard nylon nets may get one in the boat, but they’re almost deadly to the fish. In today’s world of catch and release, it’s best to have a plastic coated net. These don’t take hardly any of the fish’s protective coatings off, and makes hook removal a lot easier also. Make sure if you go with a plastic coated one, that it’s plenty deep enough. Some are made shallow, and it makes it easy for an active fish to jump right out. 

 Timing is everything when you start to get that good catch close enough to the net. Never try and net a fish too quickly. I’ve seen someone try and net one on a quick run by the boat. This rarely works and by jabbing the net into the water on an attempt, not only spooks the fish even more than it already is, but also puts the possibility of the hook catching the net and allowing the fish enough pressure to pull loose. This method could quickly make your partner that hooked the fish cause you to take a quick dip in the lake. Wait for the fish to play out a little. I don’t mean you have to pull a Dance and just totally exhaust the fish. But make sure he’s not going to make a quick lunge once the net is in the water.

  Being able to use a net for your partner not only makes for a good team, but also may be the difference in a good place tournament finish, or an "also fished". But remember, if you’re the one doing all the netting, you’re partner’s the one catching all the fish.