To Net or Not to Net That is My Question?
I was a serious muskie angler spending many weekends traveling Minnesota and Wisconsin and occasionally Ontario in search of and landing muskies and I never netted a muskie. To be fair I fish muskies mostly with jigs and smaller baits making it easier to hand land them. I understand netting them. It’s generally a safer way to handle them. I get it. But for me part of the thrill of muskie fishing was fighting the fish and hand landing it. Same could be said for the guys fishing with me. In many instances this did lead to releasing the fish in the water thus no photo of a muskie in my arms or my angling partner and I’m ok with that.
Hand landing a muskie takes skill and care and it can be done with no accidents or damage to the muskie. Tools of the trade as we called them, bolt cutters, long nose pliers and jaw spreaders were on the ready. It’s true that hand landing muskie takes longer to land the fish. And I know some think this leads to stressing out the fish but does it really stress them out more than trashing in a net seconds after being hooked? I don’t know the answer but I have my opinion. In my experience…guessing over 100 muskies hand landed that all of them swam away basically unharmed and healthy. I’ve seen a zillion muskie videos on social media and it’s hard for an old angler like me to understand hooking a muskie and netting it as quickly as possible. Much of the tussle is done in the net. I’ve seen a muskie netted literally within 5 seconds of being hooked. I get it.
Now back in the day…the 80’s, 90’s muskie anglers as I remember fought the fish and either hand landed it (not many but some) or netted the fish after it had tired a bit during a battle that lasted 30 seconds, a minute. Some muskie anglers had muskie cradles in there boat and they would guide the fish into the cradle and in most cases would unhook the fish in the cradle while it was in the water. To me this is a very safe method for both the angler and the muskie. Plus if an angler needed a photo the muskie could be lifted into the boat in the cradle to get a quick photo then carefully release it.
Times Change or do they?
I’m not here to hammer netting fish immediately. I get it. Muskie anglers value these fish immensely. But I am here to ask; is this tactic best for the fish? I am aware it’s probably best for the angler. Maybe I’m cynical but I think I see in todays world of social media many folks want the muskie in the boat fast. Videos and photos are highlights captured and I understand that when it comes down to it many anglers like to have their muskies acknowledged. I have hours of videos and many photos. I get it. I’m under the belief and maybe I’m wrong but back in the day fighting muskies was the fun part. Along with successfully and carefully landing the fish and releasing it as unharmed as possible. Have times changed when it comes to landing muskies? Did we always get them in the net as fast as possible?
Netting muskies is ok and smart. It’s safer for the angler. And since I don’t really have experience with it I’m assuming that in most instances the fish is basically unharmed. What still baffles me though is how fast I see muskies go in the net.
I’ll be muskie fishing this fall. I’ll be fishing a jig. Most likely with a big plastic trailer…a 7 inch black reaper or a lizard. I’ll get bit. I’ll lose a fish and I’ll land some…without a net. But for me that’s part of the game.