A full sized net attached to the D ring on my Patagonia Atom Stealth (PAS) pack hangs down on the right - rod hand side of the pack. I have to nudge it over to the left with my right elbow or switch hands with the rod (twice if I want to fight the fish with my right - dominant hand) to reach the net. I have lost fish at my feet when fumbling for my net. I can’t put a net on my left side with that PAS because the pack and net hang up on each other when slinging the pack around or trying to get to the net.
I have the small teardrop-shaped OTFTN with the flat wooden handle that looks rather cool and is small and flat enough to position the pouch on a wading belt at the front of my left hip where it doesn’t conflict with the PAS, nor my stomach . I replaced the net bag with a size small rubber Measure Net Bag. The net bag fits the net hoop nicely, and allows for fast eyeball measurement and pic before release.
Question: Should the net be stored unfolded - out of the pouch when at home to avoid a permanent “set” in the hoop?
It’s probably not what you consider “nice” but I do have a full sized Shimano tamo (with a Measure Net bag). I can’t put a net through my belt on left side because of the PAS.
The Japanese tamo from a shop like Mankyu is a work of a fishing craftsman. If you love tenkara like I think you do, you deserve to understand the balance of a fine net made from a branch.
I have a packnet…which is similar. I hang mine unfolded in the garage. Not for the sake of the metal but so the net and pouch can dry. I sort of leave it that way between uses. Mine has a measure net too.
I dont use it much anymore. Believe it or not that paknet was the first fishing net i ever owned…and i bought it when i started fishing tenkara.
I know this is not part of your query but seeing how adam broke the seal…I will share my 2 cents regarding folding vs tamo nets.
Folding nets are great for the compact size and for dense foliage and technical bushwacking. Those nets are pretty robust and can take abuse. The downsides are the are hard to stow one handed and their hoops can flex in current…which can be frustrating.
Tamos are enginnered to land most trout sizes we catch. I really like the 24cm size. I feel its perfect for what we do. There is something really efficient in its form. I own three. One traillite and two mankyu. They are all angled tamos. About 40 degrees or so. I like the ergonomics of an angled net. So quick to access and stow back into the belt. Its is really hard to explain the full utility without using one on the river. The nets are rigid and cradle/pen a fish in an easier way to take pictures and admire. Most tamo nets are far shallower than folding nets and definitely shallower than the measure net. I like how shallow the net is on tamos. The trailite designs tamo is nice too. Very light and minimalist.
The negatives…bushwacking. they canget hung up in dense brush. I have fallen on mine and have been lucky that all damage has been repairable. The mankyu nets are beautiful and expensive. So the price could be considered a negative.
hahahaha…Don’t you pants drop when you are not wearing a belt?
Are you that flashing angler they are trying to catch?..hahahahhaa.
a Tamo requires a belt. Sometimes I forget it and I have to use a belt loop or just in my waistband which is not as effective or as comfortable…
one could also attach to a pack…but that is not as effective either.
Waders require a belt and all of my wet wading gear are camping/hiking pants that come with a thin webbing belt. They can be bough on amazon if you dont have one for that purpose.
No worries about my pants falling down. I typically wear Prana pants, which have belt loops but not a built in belt…I just never think to put one on. I also don’t even own a net so this is sort of a moot point, but I was curious if there was a way to do it without a belt.
I know there is a school of thought were nets do damage to fish and/or its just extra stuff to carry. I feel its a matter of trading one problem for another. A net can really speed up landing and releasing. Sometimes bringing a fish to hand will prolong the fight. That can be the trade off especially for larger models or the smaller hyper ones. A Tamo does a good job of making a corral to hold the fish when unhooking. Most of the time I keep it in the water with just the rim of the net near the water surface. Probably far less damage than holding the fish directly.
The fisheries bios here have determined that traditional knotted nets can be harmful to fish and that anglers must use nets with nylon mesh or rubber net bags in all waters designated “fly fishing only”. And endangered fish species i.e. wild salmon, steelhead, bull trout, dolly varden, must be kept in the water when releasing. That’s kind of hard to do without a net.
When I was in california, there was not a rule against the use of knotted nets but those of us who fished avoided them as we often saw what the nets would do to the halibut we targeted. These were the cheaper knotted nets with big enough holes for fins of the fish to get caught in. What would happen is the fins would split, and when we would catch fish landed later…sometimes the split fins would be infected and rotting. Pretty nasty.
I suspect that the tamo nets could still do some harm as they are hard nylon and knotted too, but are often 2-5mm holes. Because the mesh is so fine, there is no way there can be gill or fin damage. I like that measure net style bag…very soft fabric mesh. It seems its what the pros recommend, but I still wonder about them as they often have more surface area making contact with the fish and absorbing the fish’s slime. Rubber nets are too heavy in my opinion to be practical.
Use a rod made from some of the very best carbon composite available on the planet, lovingly made by craftsmen on high tech 21st century equipment. Attach a fluorocarbon level line and fluorocarbon leader - again, top quality materials from the 21st century. Made on equipment that likely requires $M in capital investment to go from raw stock to line on the spool.
But embrace tradition, and use a net made from a bent stick?
Is there an acronym between SMH and ROFL ? SMDHLMAO?
All in light-hearted jest, and as you said: practice tenkara your way…
I started seeing the factory, then it faded to a deer eating a tree branch and then Mr. Yoshimura cutting the branch. And many of the best using million dollar high tech rods with waraji and sugegasa and bent stick nets. Getting on a plane and sitting with them listening to some badassery.
And then I thought about your keyboard wizardry.
And then…
The Internet is such a peaceful place. Let’s enjoy it together.
Million dollar technology rods, bent stick tamo, flying to Japan on modern aircraft. All to throw a hook covered with feathers, hoping to entice an animal with a brain about the size of a small pea into biting it.
Incongruity may not be a strong enough word.
Brian,
In the bike community, we used to store tires by folding them in a manner similar to the Daiwa net. I never saw one “take a set” even after years of storage.
. I replaced the net bag with a size small rubber Measure Net Bag. The net bag fits the net hoop nicely, and allows for fast eyeball measurement and pic before release.
