Why is rubber the best kind of landing net?
Plain and simple, landing nets are fantastic.
For conservative-minded anglers, you can catch-and-release a fish
much quicker and cause less harm. From another perspective, it means that dinner doesn’t get away.
No offense “other perspective,” but we are going to tailor this article to the conservative-minded anglers.
KNOTS ARE NOT GOOD
Knots are terrible for fish.
Think of knotted nets as
chainsaws for gills. Fish thrash around like a raging bull in a net. Now add some knotted net into the gills, and (with a few thrashes) that gill is torn to shreds. (Not good.)
SIZE MATTERS
Does the size of the netting holes matter?
Of course, size always matters! Not only do smaller fish have a tendency to squeak through the netting, but they risk getting their sensitive gills caught in the netting. That being said, netting with 'fishing-line-thin' diameter strands will
easy tear gills apart if you're not careful.
Fishing line can easily cut through soft surfaces like skin and gills. With enough pressure and tension, a simple 4x piece of tippet can
slice through layers of gills like butter.
RUBBER, RUBBER, RUBBER
As opposed to knotted and mesh netting, rubber provides
less friction which helps keep a fish's protective slime on protectin'. Not to mention, they make for a
better photo.
The protective slime helps reduce drag by creating a
smooth surface over the scales, thus allowing fish to dart away from predators with ease. Slime also has another function. It
prevents fungi, bacteria, and ectoparasites from attacking their skin.
Unfortunately, abrasive surfaces like your hand, a rough net, and grass can easily remove delicate layers of slime. Once removed, a fish’s skin is open to invasion by fungi, bacteria, and ectoparasites.
If you don’t want to harm a fish, use the proper netting.
Use rubber.
