Fishing Keep nets – Beginners guide to Keepnets

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Fishing Keep nets – Beginners guide to Keepnets

So what is a keepnet ? Well it is basically a place you keep your fish till you have weighed them (match fishing) or till you have time to take a picture of your days catch



Keepnets are made of fabric and have come on leaps and bounds from the horribly ones we were forced to use 15 or so years ago. Keepnets cost from £20 to £50 and range from 8 foot to 14 foot long. I always recommend getting at least a 10foot long keepnet

Using a keepnet
When you first reach your page I find the best and first thing to do is to set up your keepnet. The reason for this is because you get the disturbance of throwing out your keepnet over with in the beginning. I have often seen people wait till they have caught a fish before put out their keepnet. This to me makes no sense as why waste hours building up your swim only to spoil it by lobbing in your keepnet, thus disturbing your swim

When using a keepnet you must think of the safety and health of the fish that you are going to store in it . Always have it stretched out to its full length and completely covered by water ( fish do not live in fresh air ). This can be done by ever putting a lead weight at the end of your keepnet, which will help secure it straight . Or by using a bank stick and pining the end out. The reason why it is vital to have your keepnet out stretched is because it creates a better environment to keep the fish in




Little tips
1. I find that by putting out my keepnet at a 20 degree angle to the bank it does not interfere with my swim or when Iam playing a fish .




2. Have your keepnet mouth at your feet , that way when you are unhooking a fish you can do this directly over the mouth of the keepnet thus if the fish slips from your hands it will end up in the keepnet not back in the swim

Keepnet maintenance
After a days fishing always give it a good wash under the garden hose. This will remove all the fish slim and the river/lakes water out of the keepnet, and then leave it out stretched in the garden to dry off. This will help prevent the spread of disease from fishery to fishery and the smell .

Check your keepnet after every trip for wholes as there is nothing worse than spending the day fishing only to find that your fish have found the whole and swam out ( it does happen ) .

Myself I never use a keepnet unless Im match fishing or going to take a picture of the days catch . I just unhook and release my fish

SO any tips questions on keepnets please post below

[kiwimarty]

Another great post. I need this drawing software!!

Kiwi.

[A fluff chucker]

Good post Richard,

My only added comment would be about returning the fish from the net.

Try not to lift the whole of the keepnet out of the water from just the top; this squashes and damages the fish. Presuming you've caught loads !

I had a light string is attached to the bottom of my keepnet and attached to the top (outside the net) this enabled me to pull the string up (and the bottom of the net) whilst dropping the top opening of the net into the water. Returning all the fish with the least damage possible. If a competition and both ends of the net have to be lifted out of the water ; spread the fish out along the net.

My explanation sounds as clear as the Bristol Channel; hope you know what I mean

[Norfolkboy]

Great post Richard

Matchmen these days use 2 keepenets.

1 for carp and heavy fish, the other for small carp/tench and silver fish.

The reason for this is if you have 6 big carp bouncing around on 6 silver fish, it won't do the silvers any good, so they use 2 these days.

[Old Smoothound]

Eexcellent Post Richard...good helpful info for newbies to our great sport

When I was a matchmen i used a Square type keepnet that had a very soft mesh in the last 6 rings. Minimum for me was 14 feet long. It also had a zip out bottom, so no need to squash the fish up..just unzip and place them on the scales and put them back safely.

When I fished regularly in Ireland for Bream and Roach with weights of 100lbs plus we would take 3 nets each and stake them out in the water so the fish had room to swim up and down.

Ahhh those were the days.....