I like your style, even if it is a .40 Slow&Weak
IMHO,to have a net and not need it is worse, it means you got skunked or the fish are tiny, either way, if you have a trophy that needs landing, you'll find a way,if nor, it wasn't meant to be.
I use one shore fishing for salmon in early spring bc of elevation reasons around winni from where one would stand vs. where the shoreline is. Besides that I don’t use or carry one. However rest assured I can serve as a great net man and don’t bone fish. One wouldn’t believe how bad some guys are at netting, gaffing, harpooning, etc. many a fish has been lost that way.
How about this....What would a caveman do? Surely they wouldn't give up if they couldn't land a fish bare-handed?Not as an insult to anyone, but true anglers don't need a net, just that some want to land their fish a little more easily, that's all.Don't get me wrong...there are times I wish I had a net....
Lol... fair enough Frank, but the 40 fits in my back pocket... maybe this will redeem my man card, there's a 1967 model 29 2 with a 6 1/2" barrel dressed in nickel and hickory on my nightstand...
I agree with your statement about never giving up but I personally disagree with your statement about "true anglers don't need a net".Have you ever tried Fluke fishing? LOL Yes you can flip the 20" or lesser fish right over but I would love for you to try that with an 8+ lber when using lite tackle. Then add when the seas are making your knees/thighs/and calf's bleed from rubbing the sides of the boat just to try and stand in one position. you cannot lip these fish and nor can you grab them by the tail. What does that leave me with? A net or a gaff. I consider my self a true sportsman for using a tool the helps me out but more importantly, helps a fish out. If your topic is a caveman.... then grab a log and beat the hell out of it and eat it raw.
There’s a lot of great replies here, and keep them going.To provide some background I went out on Winni for salmon/trout Sunday with my dad. Got on the water about 530 and we instantly realized our net was an hour behind at home. We decided to fish for salmon anyways, and had a real nice one on shortly there after. I put the iPilot to a crawl and hoped to maybe get it with a boga grip while my dad fought it. Got it to the boat, and it predictably went airborne and headed for the lead core lines to the side. As I attempted to get in position the lure went zinging past my face. Lesson learned I wasn’t going to try that again.We didn’t work too hard after that and enjoyed the beautiful day for a few hours. Couldn’t convince my dad to go for bass or anything else, but still had a great time.For those who don’t do it a net is a must for salmon fishing, and especially trolling in particular when bleaching them isn’t an option.I’d also add that when we realized the net was gone my dad told me story from his youth. My father and his cousin went fishing in the early 90s and had their best/worst day trolling ever. They hooked 12+ salmon in a matter of hours. They also forgot the net. They tried to make a net with line and a boat hook, they tried to boat flip them, tire them out and tail them, everything they could think of. My dads cousin even tried to use his kids brand new starter jacket to get them in to no avail.All in all a great day and some good stories shared.
I am driving right by your town next week. I can do a drop off......