Best net for walleyes?

What are your expert opinions?

Beckman…..best nets on the market….lifetime warranty on yoke

Beckman or Loki.

Beckman ..Just ask Big_B about my o’l frabil

Beckman is the best by far. But the cost? $80 not chump change.

Beckman for me as well

Beckman for me.

Beckman.

Had one for a hundred years now. I get a new bag every other year or so or when they start to snag hooks. They are hook resistant to some degree and gentle on fish. They don’t remove the slime like an el cheapo net.

My son Nate has a beckman and loves it. Someday I will get smart and get one too. Thanks, Bill

I also have a Beckman…..only it has a non-coated net. How much$$$$does the coated net cost and who carries them?

Thanks

Try this site Bobber Beckman Nets

Whoa……I guess I must have got a deal on my Beckman? I only paid $24 at Gander Mtn this spring…….The replacement back are big $$$$$$$$

I’m too cheap to spend over $100 on a net that my dog ends up sitting on most times. I have one from gander, I think its a frabill, with the rubber net. Easy to get fish in and out of, hooks don’t snag in the rubber. Think I paid $40 bucks for it.

I got a Stowaway net for my b-day last year. Works well on on fish and stows in the front storgae compartment when not in use. I liked it so much I sold my Beckman.

I Have A Stowmaster Net, Go To ther Web Site And check it out.

Another vote for STOWMASTER.

Fleet Farm has a smaller version of the Beckman for only 24.00. It doesn’t have a retractable handle. Seemed to be a perfect size for a bass/eye fisherman.

After much hook proof testing of bags and reading various net comments, I discovered they do not make the net that I wanted for my style of walleye fishing (light weight, low water resistance, hook proof, with extendable handle). So I ended up getting a $30 lightweight Beckman Pen Shorty with a treated knotless bag and added my own extension that slides within the handle.

With the handle collapsed, the handle is 3’ long — just right for one-handed netting when fishing by yourself. With the handle extended, the handle is 4’6” long — nice for two handed netting when fishing with a partner.

I found it almost impossible to drive a crank bait hook into a “new” Beckman treated knotless bag, whereas the hooks easily went into all the other so called “hook free” bags I tested.

Here is a link to the net:

http://www.beckmannet.com/acatalog/Pen_Series.html

PS: I did not want a rubber net because for me they are too heavy and have too much water resistance for one-handed netting of a thrashing fish.

Dave Gulczinski

I know that I saw that a couple of people use the rubber nets. In my experience they are nice nets that craddle the fish well and are hook-proof.
I am wondering why more people don’t use them? Is it because they tend to be a more heavy or is it other reasons. Just wondering as these net tend to be cheaper than the hook-free ones, like Beckman.

Those rubber nets are OK for panfish and other small fish but they turn into tennis rackets when you have a larger fish at the side of the boat. I had an 11 lb walleye in and out of one 3 times a couple falls ago and in the end the fish needed to be “scooped and flung” into the boat. Tragedy was overted but, in my opinion, if you ever want to make a habit out of landing the big fish you get boatside, get rid of those rubber nets.

I can understand that and knowing the size of the fish that I always tend to catch I better not even think about purchasing one of these nets.

I agree with James. We were at Rainy last weekend and the only net we had was a rubber one. It was like netting fish with a tennis racket on the larger walleye and pike.

Just wanted to add my experience on rubber nets to this post.
I have owned and used one for the last 5 years. It has a handle on it that extends out to 10′ or you can extend it half of that and lock it in place. You can also use it without any extending while locked in place.
Never had many problems with it on walleyes or brown trout. It works best on big fat short fish. They tend to sink right down into it when you pick them up out of the water.
If you try to net something over 36″ long though, it can give you alot of trouble. Cost me a exceptionally large pike on Door county waters a few years back.
The major draw back other than that is the amount of force it takes to sweep the damn thing thru the water. When fishing brown trout, it takes a pretty good effort with two hands to sweep that thing under the fish and follow thru with the pickup. Its not a net you can handle with one hand!
Anyway, my hoop is about wore out and I was hoping I could get a good treated Beckman to put on it.
No more rubber nets for me. My wife doesn’t like it either.
And interesting netting excursion did occur one time on a brown trout a few years back. This fish weighed in around 8lbs and right when I was lifting it out of the water it gave a big tail kick and shot strait up in the air about 3 feet. Seemed to me like it did get a bit of that trampoline effect from the rubber net. Fortunately, I managed to swing the net right back under the fish. My partner and I got a good laugh out of that one.
I had a similar experience out at Lake Oahe while fishing the 2nd day of the RCL with Dave Spaid last week. I got my finger caught in the hoop of his net while swinging it down and under to pick up a 16″ walleye and as I picked up the net, the darn thing trampolined straight up in the air a foot or two. Once again I swung the net right back under the fish and it landed safely inside. His net was not a rubber net by the way.
Only real difference between these two events is that Dave Spaid didn’t think it was very funny and let me know it too!
JWB