Guidelines for Netting a Salmon

Netting a salmon or any other large fish for that matter, is something some of us seasoned fishermen take for granted, while others shutter at the chance they may knock a good fish off. It is a task that is learned, so if you have the chance, pay close attention when someone else is doing it. Watch how it is done by guides or experienced fisherpersons. There are specific things needed in the equation to have it go smooth & successful.

It has been said many times that most fish that are lost are within 10' of the boat. From personal observation, it appears that this may be divided about equally between the rod handler's & the netter's responsibility. The percentage of lost fish goes up dramatically in direct relationship to the decline in fishing/netting experience. Then occasionally the fish gods happen to smile on some of us, no matter what we do wrong.

NUMBER ONE would be to try to net the HEAD of the fish, not the body. Fish do not have reverse, but can turn on a dime & give you 9 cents back. Do not try to net the whole fish, concentrate on getting the head in the net & usually the rest will follow if you do your part. You normally will want the fish to tire out before you try to net it.

By watching, after a while you will get the hang of how each different specie of fish will react when being fought & landed. This is important in the fact that you will after a while be able to anticipate what the fish will do, & be ready to intercept it.

Lead him in a little closer	Turn him around, I can't net his tail

The other thing is DO NOT put the net in the water & hope the rod handler can lead the fish into the bag. Hold the net at ready just above the water & with your leading hand hold the bottom of the bag lightly with a finger, this keeps the bag out of the water preventing scaring the fish. When you make the pass to get the fish, the net will pull out of the finger's light grasp.

Under most conditions, the fish will have to get tired out enough to be able to be led into the net. As shown here the netter will have to wait for the right moment. Then he can quickly jab the net into the water in front of the fish, when the fish is in the bag, jerk it back up, closing the bag. For most salmon, do not try to lift the net plus the fish horizontally out of the water & into the boat. You can bring the net close to & against the side of the boat with the handle pointing up, this will trap the fish against the side of the boat, somewhat immobilizing it. Then if the fish is large & or legal, you can get ahold of the upper net hoops & lift it in that way.

If you are fishing in an area where you have to release a fish, because of selective harvest regulations, it is best to be able to identify the specie while it is still in the water way before the netting time. Here it takes studying the characteristics, markings & just how the fish reacts. If it is a non targeted fish, (like a non clipped adipose finned Coho) there are other less stressful methods of releasing a fish without netting them. Under this non targeted fish situation, some state's regulations say that you are not allowed to raise a fish above the gunwale of the boat.

Here is the place to use a dehooker instead of the net, & not take the fish out of the water. CLICK HERE FOR LINK

If you have to net the fish & then release it, you can hold the the netted fish against the side of the boat. Here it has been found that if you roll the fish over onto it's back while still in the net & just at water level, it will usually calm down enough to unhook it without taking it out of the water & then you can release it.

If the fish is a keeper & still in the net at the side of the boat & thrashing around, you may want to "Bonk" it on the head, with your "Welcome Aboard" billy club. Otherwise bring it aboard & then bonk it while still in the net. Remove the hooks, take your pictures etc. To make for better eating of any fish, it is best to bleed them as soon as possible. This is done by cutting or pulling some of the gills out. Some fisherpersons then may tie a rope thru the gills, out the mouth & drag it over the side of the boat for 10 min or so, allowing it to bleed out & keep the blood out of the fishbox. This however can be a good way to loose the hard earned fish to a seal or shark.

Most persons will instead put them in a chest cooler that has ice in it. Sure you will get blood accumulate in the bottom, but there is usually a drain plug in these coolers. Many fishermen make a slightly raised slatted false bottom in the cooler, so the blood & water will drain down, allowing the fish to still be in the non contaminated ice.

In the net, with the bag closed, note the downrigger swung rearward	A nice Coho in the boat

These pictures were taken at Sitka Alaska in May of 2005 fishing with L&M Charters. The raingear was standard even during a nice day as the skipper could hose down the deck along with any bloody pants of the crew to keep the boat clean.

One thing you will see in these pictures is that the skipper is wearing Polaroid glasses. This helps him see into the water better, cutting out the surface glare. This allows him to see the fish better & to help anticipate the fish's moves.

After being hooked, some fish will want to stay on one side of the boat, or go one certain direction. This could be caused by just were the lure's hook is located in the fish's mouth. If they want to go to one side of the boat, take them on that side, not because you are right handed & prefer one corner to do the netting your way. Trying to make a fish go to the other side of the boat if it does not want to, can create problems in itself & can very well contribute to loosing the fish.

If the fish heads under the boat, have the fisherman place the rod tip or the whole top section even to the reel if need be in the water deep enough to clear the hull & prop. You do not want the line dragging across the bottom of the boat or to get snagged in the prop or rudder. If the fish wants to stay under or go to the other side, have the fisherman keep the rod in the water deep enough to clear things & then have him move around to the other side & resume fighting the fish. Some fish (especially ocean Chum) may even want to hide right under the boat.

Most times if I am trolling with downriggers & get a fish on, I do not shut off the trolling motor, I may slow it down some, but never off or out of gear, UNLESS it is a BIG fish & is putting up a fight or taking out line. If this is the case then QUICKLY pull the other gear up, clear the downrigger balls & take it as it may come. If the fish is really taking out line in the opposite direction, you may have to make a decision very quickly (to give yourself enough time to get your gear in) & possibly have to chase one to be able to recover some line.

I prefer to have the netter standing in one of the rear corners of the boat. This gives him a better chance to take the fish on the side or slightly at the rear. This also means if you are downrigger trolling & have the downrigger mounted on the rear corner, you will have to pull the cable & ball in & swing the downrigger around out of the way. You can net from the center of the boat with the downrigger wire still out, BUT the netter has to be GOOD, the rod person be experienced & the fish small enough that it will cooperate. This will probably only present itself if there are more than one fish on at a time. In any case it is best to pull the downrigger wire up as soon after the fish is hooked as you do not want the fishing line tangled around the downrigger wire. All the more reason for electric downriggers with an automatic retrieve button.

Initially the fish may make a run or two. If it is a Chinook, usually it will make a couple of deep runs. Then it may show on the surface & you can get a chance to see it. Chinook will not usually jump during the fight. If it is a Coho, it will usually stay near the surface, & will normally jump repeatedly, even right up to the time of netting. I was once in a guide's boat on the Keni River that a hooked Coho from another client aboard, even jumped right in the boat & landed at my feet before the guide had a chance to get the net out.

During this initial fighting time, the rod person needs to keep the rod at about a 45 degree angle to use the backbone of the rod to subdue the fish. With the reel's drag set properly, if the fish decides to dive, run or move suddenly, between this reel's drag & the whippy tip section of the rod act like a bungie cord & allow the fish to do it's thing without breaking off the leader, line or rod. If a large fish is not making long runs anymore, but is being stubborn & diving that you can not control, DO NOT THINK THAT YOU NEED TO TIGHTEN THE DRAG. In many cases, just the opposite, loosen the reel's drag slightly. Sure this may extend the fight somewhat, but will also possibly ensure you a better chance to finally net the fish by not having it break off by a sudden move that you can not react fast enough to, right next to the boat.

During the final stages of the fight & at net time, the rod needs to be slightly more upright, to get enough height for the sinker & or leader length along with putting more pressure on the fish & allowing the netter to better see what is happening. But at this point, the rod handler also needs to be very conscious as to what the fish may do, like make possibly another run, if so drop the rod & let the rod take up the pressure. If the rod is still held high & straight up when the fish decides to dive, the rod will be broken as it can not flex. It is about impossible to bring a fish to net with a 7' rod & 10' of gear/leader to the fish unless the fisherman is a very tall person.

On the final stages with the fish at the side of the boat, the fisherperson should not pull hard enough as to lift the fish's head out of the water. Fish seem to get very excited when this happens & could pull the hook out. Again, the fish needs to be at the surface but not out of the water for the netter to do best. A NO -NO for the rod person if they can not control the fish & raise it to the surface during the last phase just before netting is DO NOT reach ahead of the rod's cork front handle & hold onto the rod's lower section to gain leverage. This puts a lot of strain on the rod & IF the fish decides to make one last run, can very well break even the best rod.

As soon as the fish is in the net, the fisherperson needs to drop the rod tip down & pull some line off the reel, giving slack so that after the netting, & getting the fish aboard that the rod tip does not get broken or the hooks pull out & impregnate someone.

With all the above said, there will be exceptions. This could be if you can see the hooks are not well hooked & may tear out at any time. In this case you will have to make some quick decisions. This could be IF the fish gets close enough & IF you are a good netter, then within safety limits possibly try to net a little farther away from the boat if the fish will not come near enough. Or for the netter to make a quick jab in front of the fish if the timing seems perfect, but before the fish is tired out & ready to net.

Another situation is when you happen to be fishing alone & have to land a large fish. This complicates matters immensely, as you have to handle the rod, reel & fish, plus the net & maybe even the boat also. Here is where preparedness pays off, as you will have to have the net close enough to get to, the deck clear of clutter & be able to operate the motor if necessary. You need to tire the fish out to the point that it can be led into a net that is in the water this time. In tiring out the fish, when they lay over on their side as you bring them to the boat is a sign that they have given up.

This fish is not ready yet	Not even