There is
little point going to all the effort of purchasing a fishing license, picking the proper rod and reel, selecting the
proper bass lure and hooking and
playing a fish if it is to be lost at the end of the fight because it cannot be
landed safely. The culmination of hours of anticipation and determination
should never be left to chance, and a few minutes considering the right
equipment to land your fish, be it a net, tailer or gaff, is time well spent.
The most
popular means of landing a fish is with a specially designed landing net. These
come in various forms to suit the size and species of fish being sought.
In
freshwater specimen hunting where bass, carp, pike or catfish are the quarry, a
large triangular net, with sprung glass fiber arms, is the most efficient type
because it is able to scoop up fish of 30 pounds or more. Even for fish of this
size a net with 36-inch-long arms is quite adequate, although some specialist
anglers use nets with arms as long as 50 inches - just to make sure. If the
fish is to be returned unharmed, as little damage as possible must be inflicted
and so nets with soft, knotless nylon mesh are now used. These nets have bags
up to 3 feet deep, to prevent a large, powerful fish from injuring itself.
For most
coarse fishing, flat-bottomed pan nets are the most popular type, but their
size and construction means they are not ideal for very large fish or for
species such as trout or salmon, which are apt to jump. Pan nets allow the
angler to remove the fish quickly and easily without having to search through
folds of mesh, making them a great favorite with competition anglers who fish
with ultralight tackle. A pan net has a round or a triangular frame and is
attached to the end of a long, telescopic pole so the fish can be netted well
away from the angler.
For trout
fishing, nets with extendable handles, and which can be carried either strapped
to the angler's back or attached to a belt, are the most commonly used type.
Many also fold, with the head hinged so that it collapses back along the handle
when not in use. This makes the net easier to carry and minimizes the risk of
it catching on bushes and barbed wire fences while the angler is walking. When
a fish is hooked, the head of the net is simply flipped into place-with a flick
of the wrist, and a mechanism at the fork of the frame locks it into position.
For salmon
fishing, a large, rigid-framed net such as the Gye Net, which has a strong
alloy frame and handle, is the perfect choice. This type of net is usually held
by a strap to the angler's back, the extendable handle sliding through the
frame prior to landing a fish. Because of the strong fast flow typically found
in salmon rivers, the landing net should have a wide, open mesh to reduce water
resistance and make it as maneuverable as possible.
When wading
or float-tubing for trout, some anglers prefer a light tennis-racket style of
net, although these are only of any use when the angler can get very close to
the hooked fish. These nets have a wooden or alloy frame similar in shape to a
tennis racket head, and a deep, soft mesh. This type of net is light and easily
carried either clipped to the angler's waistcoat or attached to it by an
elastic cord. Tennis racket nets come in a range of sizes and are capable of
landing large fish, but using this type of net properly requires experience.
With a mind
to conserving stocks, more and more sea anglers are netting their fish. Bass
and sea bream, which are often returned, arc regularly netted rather than being
gaffed, while non-edible species such as tope are either netted cir tailed by
hand. From boats, rigid-framed nets with large, open mesh are the most often
used, though from piers and high rocks a drop net often makes the difference
between landing a fish and losing it.
This latter
type of net has a circular frame up to 36 inches in diameter, and rather than
having a handle it is dropped into the water on the end of a thin, strong rope.
The base of the mesh is weighted so that it sinks quickly, the technique being
for the angler to steer the hooked fish over the mouth of the net before the
netsman hauls it up by the rope.
Although
salmon may be netted, some anglers prefer to use a tailer. This device consists
of a metal loop, fixed to a rigid handle, which slips over the salmon's tail.
When the
loop is in position, it is quickly but gently pulled tight. It takes an
experienced eye to use the tailer efficiently, but where carrying a large net
is a problem or where beaching or tailing by handing is impossible, a
mechanical tailer is a safe and effective method of landing a salmon.
The fact
that a salmon has a 'wrist', a rigid step between the base of its tail and its
body, means that this implement is extremely secure, but can cause damage to
the tail and it should not be used if the fish is going to be returned.
Some
anglers still use a gaff, which is a large metal hook, on a handle, which is
thrust into the fish's body. Now rarely used for salmon, pike or trout, the
gaff is still a common method for landing large seafish such as cod, ling and
conger eels plus big game fish such as shark, tuna and marlin.
With big
game fish, which can weigh hundreds of pounds, a special gaff with a detachable
head is used. This type of gaff is particularly important with fish such as
shark, which are inclined to roll when gaffed. The breakaway or flying gaff, as
it is known, is attached securely to a rope, the handle pulling free once the
gaff head has been deployed. The gaffed fish is then pulled to the side of the
boat with the rope. However, IGFA rules do not permit the use of a flying gaff,
and therefore a world record claim cannot be made for a fish secured in this
manner.
With
conservation in angling becoming increasingly important, many anglers are
forsaking the gaff - which seriously damages or even kills the fish - in favor
of netting, tailing or beaching. With these methods, the fish can be landed and
released unharmed.
Even big,
powerful species such as marlin are now no longer always gaffed, many being
unhooked before being measured, tagged and released.
