In the Net or Not....

[INearlyCaughtOne]

So I'm interested to find out how many of us tend to unhook with the fish still in the net.

I must admit I go for the in-the-net approach, never really caught huge fish so it's easy for me.
On the odd occasion that I bag a double figure, I will use the mat but for most, it's a case of unhooking in the net.

Assuming you catch an average-sized fish (yesterday was a 7lb Tench unhooked in the net) would you unhook yours on a mat or at the edge of the peg leaning over the net?

Or does anyone unhook in the water...?

 

[sam vimes]

Horses for courses. I will use whatever method fits the situation I find myself in. Unhooking a fish in a net suspended between your knees is pretty difficult unless you are fishing from a seatbox (or chair with straight up and down legs). It also requires the use of certain sizes and shapes of net. Likewise, it's rather difficult to unhook in the water on steep banked venues or from platforms. When wading, you aren't likely to unhook on the bank or on an unhooking mat, not unless it's something out of the ordinary.

 

[Ray Roberts]

If you are fishing for larger fish you would usually have a deeper net, so unhooking with the fish in the net is problematic, as with the net on your knees the fish is on the deck. It’s horses for courses really, mat for larger fish and suspended on knees for smaller one’s.

Oops, posted and Sam has said almost the same above, lol.

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[mikench]

I nearly always use an unhooking mat and unhook from the net on the mat which is why all my pics are of fish in the net. Swingers are different of course.

 

[theartist]

I had times where even a mat has been problematic such as narrow canals where you want the fish back in the water quickly yet away from prying eyes and more importantly busy towpath traffic, like cyclists and dogs, as for between the legs at the edge of a platform I sit behind the damn things so that would be fun to try

There's times where I've been mid river and unhooked a fish in the water not wanting to disturb the fishing by wading back for my net yet wished I had in retrospect as it was the best fish of the day, this has happened a few times. Not fun either unhooking in the water when you know there's a big pike about, that really gets you a feeling of being close to nature, perhaps too close but it is a buzz.

As others have said there's no one way of unhooking fish unless you are fishing the same spot every day.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I had times where even a mat has been problematic such as narrow canals where you want the fish back in the water quickly yet away from prying eyes and more importantly busy towpath traffic, like cyclists and dogs, as for between the legs at the edge of a platform I sit behind the damn things so that would be fun to try

There's times where I've been mid river and unhooked a fish in the water not wanting to disturb the fishing by wading back for my net yet wished I had in retrospect as it was the best fish of the day, this has happened a few times. Not fun either unhooking in the water when you know there's a big pike about, that really gets you a feeling of being close to nature, perhaps too close but it is a buzz.

As others have said there's no one way of unhooking fish unless you are fishing the same spot every day.

I wonder if anyone has had a pile chomp their hand when returning a fish? It certainly would be a possibility. I have had fish come almost close enough to touch when wading in clear water and once had a pike tangle it’s teeth in the mesh of my landing net when it went for a fish I had just slipped into the keepnet. I had to do a diving save to grab the net handle. I had a heck of a job getting the mesh untangled from its teeth. I weighed the fish and if I remember correctly it went just over twelve pounds.


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[theartist]

I wonder if anyone has had a pile chomp their hand when returning a fish? It certainly would be a possibility. I have had fish come almost close enough to touch when wading in clear water and once had a pike tangle it’s teeth in the mesh of my landing net when it went for a fish I had just slipped into the keepnet. I had to do a diving save to grab the net handle. I had a heck of a job getting the mesh untangled from its teeth. I weighed the fish and if I remember correctly it went just over twelve pounds.


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Many years ago I fished into dark on a Thames weirpool getting good roach and the pike on a number of occasions banged into my legs, I was wading pretty deep and they were getting quite close to the important parts so to speak. Each time I scooped a roach out (they were too big to lift and I was too far from my net) I did think this could be the one, but it didn't happen. The swim came alive in the crepuscular moments before the float was no longer visible, it was magical

 

[sam vimes]

I wonder if anyone has had a pile chomp their hand when returning a fish?

This loon was asking for trouble, but it demonstrates the possibilities.

 

[Ray Roberts]

This loon was asking for trouble, but it demonstrates the possibilities.

Wow, some terrible handling there. Obviously it can happen, lol.


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[sam vimes]

Wow, some terrible handling there. Obviously it can happen, lol.

It was only the last clip that I was referring to. The rest weren't really pike attacks, just poor hand handling.

 

[markcw]

I mainly fish from a seatbox , so it's landing net across my legs, fish unhooked, kept in net and either returned back in the water or into the keepnet if in a match, occasionally I will take pics of fish in the net and most of those are taken looking down onto the fish with net still between my legs .
If using a chair ,unhook in the net on a mat and keep in net to return to water .

 

[Keith M]

I have a couple of different sized unhooking mats that I use whenever it’s necessary and I nearly always have one available; but as I see it unhooking mats are mainly just for unhooking fish that are too large to unhook on your lap or in the landing net; or while still in the water; to prevent loonatics laying them on gravel or concrete or sharp banking material when they are trying to remove the hooks; which could damage the fish. Soft grass should be fine but even cut grass can poke fish in their eyes and damage them if your not careful.

However using a dry unhooking mat that’s been out in the sun, or using one on sloping ground so that it slides off, can be just as bad or worse than laying your fish on the ground; therefore common sense must come into it,

An unhooking mat is a vital piece of my kit if I’m remotely likely to hook any large fish and/or the rules dictate that one is necessary.

Keith