Keep nets, who carries one these days?

[dicky123]

Does anyone use a keep net these days?

I ask as most of my fishing prior to the last few years has all been mobile, where a keep net would not be helpful. But now as I mainly sit in one swim trotting or with one rod on the tip, does putting fish back put the other fish off feeding?

Before I'd just put bigger fish 30 yards upstream. But now I'm catching many small fish before the bigger ones move in. Just interested what others are doing, and what they think about fish retention.

 

[peter crabtree]

Obviously being a regular match angler I use nets and often in non match situations I'll also use one. I'd not use one for pleasure sessions in this hot weather unless just for enough time to prepare before I took a photo.
As long as the net is in deep enough water or staked out in shallower water to allow the fish to move and not retained for an unreasonable length of time I'm happy.

 

[dicky123]

Peter.

What is your feeling about returning fish to a shoal. Does it scare them in your opinion?

 

[binka]

I can't remember the last time I used mine, I've got nothing against them for up to five or six hours and I've always enjoyed seeing a good net of silvers.

A young fella stopped to talk to me during my session on the local dam yesterday and he commented that he was surprised I didn't bring my keepnet as he had also stopped to talk to me on the Thursday earlier when I was really bagging up.

The funny thing is the thought of not using a keepnet was unthinkable to me in my earlier days but it's just a faff I can do without now.

I hardly ever release a fish away from the swim where I caught it and can't say I've noticed it causes any problems, I know roach anglers in particular can be a bit wary of doing this though.

Just remembered the last time I used a keepnet was on the river last season but solely for the purpose of retaining a few freshly caught livebaits.

 

[john step]

Only very occasionally. I have found on one particular lake that I can amass quite a bag of quality roach if I use a net but get a lot less roach if I return them to the swim.

Also perch seem to be susceptible to this.

I do find it a bother nowadays , the business of transporting and drying out smelly keepnets.

 

[Philip]

I can't remember the last time I used mine, I've got nothing against them for up to five or six hours and I've always enjoyed seeing a good net of silvers.

A young fella stopped to talk to me during my session on the local dam yesterday and he commented that he was surprised I didn't bring my keepnet as he had also stopped to talk to me on the Thursday earlier when I was really bagging up.

The funny thing is the thought of not using a keepnet was unthinkable to me in my earlier days but it's just a faff I can do without now.

I hardly ever release a fish away from the swim where I caught it and can't say I've noticed it causes any problems, I know roach anglers in particular can be a bit wary of doing this though.

Just remembered the last time I used a keepnet was on the river last season but solely for the purpose of retaining a few freshly caught livebaits.

Thats really interesting as i actually wondered if you had used a keepnet on that session at the dam.

i have a bit of a phobia about returning fish to the same swim especially when I have my spezzie head on and usually walk some way up or down stream to release them which can be a real pain.

However I do wonder on occasion if its really worth the effort and my fears are more in my head than in reality although something does niggle at me about putting fish back in the same swim, especially with Perch.

Be interesting to hear others views on this.

i should point out I actually have a few keepnets, the biggest has never been used but i got myself a much smaller lighter one to retain fish for an hour or so in a swim so I dont have to make the walk to release them.

 

[S-Kippy]

Once in a blue moon....and only ever if im after silvers. I've convinced myself putting roach straight back unsettles the shoal.

 

[theartist]

It has no effect releasing the fish in the same spot as often you can catch the same fish again. Had a two pound roach twice in one day once so not sure if that counts as two 'twos' but that's another issue. A small perch three times in three hours is my record. Chub, Carp and Barbel don't seem to give a monkeys when on the feed

The worst thing for dispersing a shoal of feeding fish is to lose one down the bottom of the swim, big roach and perch seem to disappear when one of their kind comes off.

 

[103841]

My club (CDAA) allow nets for silvers on certain waters but presently have a complete ban on them due to the hot weather.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

As most of my fishing these days is pretty static I take a keep net on just about every trip.

I am convinced that to return fish to the swim I continue to fish is not a good thing, so a well positioned, properly staked-out keep net is essential.

Obviously for a match situation then you have to use them . . . . so why the difference in a pleasure session?

 

[barbelboi]

I also don't have a problem releasing fish to where you're fishing and also believe that 'bumping' one off is more likely to spook the shoal............

 

[S-Kippy]

Whats the difference between bumping one off and putting one back ?

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Whats the difference between bumping one off and putting one back ?

Erm, would the honourable gentleman care to rephrase the question?

LOL

 

[flightliner]

If I,m chasing small fish like roach and the like I always take my keepnet, it's what Ive always done and see no reason to change.
If I release a bream or barbel after capture when not having a keepnet it doesnt seem to bother the rest of the shoal with either species but lose a good bream halfway thro playing it and its often the end of things unless they are really having it.
where pike are concerned A keepnet is a no no but I've lost count of the times I've returned one only to catch it a little later in the day where the only thing practical to ensure it cant happen would be to retain it and release it later.

 

[tigger]

I've got more than enough stuff to carry without the extra bulk and weight of a keep net, I really can't see the point of them for pleasure angling.
I've never found putting fish back in the swim under my feet has ever slowed things down, in fact i've actually had lots of re captures when doing this so I would imagine the fish have just swam straight back and rejoined the shoal.
To say letting fish go straight back into the swim kills the fishing is for the biggest part an old wives tail I reckon!

 

[binka]

On this thing about not releasing fish back to the swim they were caught from...

We had one old fella on a club water and he would think nothing of walking a carp halfway around the lake, dunking it occasionally along the way, before releasing it as far away as he could and often within a couple of swims of someone else.

We always used to joke that the carp would be back in his swim before he got back

I can certainly say it's not bothering the barbel in the slightest this afternoon

 

[S-Kippy]

Erm, would the honourable gentleman care to rephrase the question?

LOL

No he would not. I'm sure we've all bumped a few off in our time.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Only used for matches and I only fish about two "friendlies" a season, like Ian said, who needs to carry all that extra weight.

 

[steve2]

Never understood the rule keepnets for use in matches only. A good match angler will always catch far for than most other anglers on the same water.
So a few pounds of fish will have less damage than a match anglers 60lbs of fish a net. 60lbs of fish being average net allowed on my local matches.

 

[binka]

Thats really interesting as i actually wondered if you had used a keepnet on that session at the dam.

And that was on a water barely more than 18" deep Philip, this entire conversation went through my head at the time of fishing especially as I noticed that practically every fish headed back out in the direction of the shoal regardless of which way I initially pointed it.

I've heard it said that Perch can also be disruptive and I've caught the same fish in a session on several occasions.

And yes...

I did count it twice!