How to net a fish

I have to ambush my fish from underneath with the net. I put the net in the water and leave it there for a little while so the fish can get used to the idea of it being there. I leave the handle sticking out so I can grab it easier.... then, when the fish swims above the net, I simply pick it up. Then again, my fish are about as sharp as a bowling ball, because I can repeat the process 30 seconds later with another fish.... by the time it gets down to one or two, I have to chase the ones that got wise to the plan, though.

BTW, invest in a long-handled net. You'll thank yourself for it, and so will your wardrobe. I haven't had wet shirt sleeves in ages....
 
Hi Rocketman,

The Zen art of catching fish

Softly softly catchee monkey !!:) :)
This is my mantra when catching fish - even fast ones

Another trick I always use is the large net and plastic basin (dark plastic) the net is used to "herd" the fish into the plastic basin, they swim into the basin thinking they can hide from the net and hey presto - fish is caught and the transfer is less stressful because the fish never leaves the water. This works even for tiny fish although for really tiny fish like neons or danios I would use a ladle to catch them.

The beauty of this method is that the fish loses none of its mucus layer, and fins remain undamged.
 
Aderynglas - I think I like your method best of all of them. Less stress and physical damage. (The net & bowl method, that is :) )

Joe - Skip the net, use a gaffing hook for safety - JK :p
 
Originally posted by Matak
....Joe - Skip the net, use a gaffing hook for safety - JK :p
Click to expand...
Naaa, these are still too small... EPCOT should take better care of their Snook. They are just too skinny! I have definetly caught healthier Snook then these I saw on Tuesday!

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Ooops !

Sorry about the species in my above post, they are of the saltwater variety.

But, in this pic, a freshwater species...the Largemouth Bass was netted just fine!! Friday's catch appeared healthier than the Theme Park Snook... The 8 pound Bass was released for your info.. :)

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We have had a Gourami that has been terrorizing two otheres in our tank and tried catching him for hours(honestly). We finally caught him Saturday with a little bit of ingenuity.

We took a empty plastic V8 container, probably half a gallon size?, and sprinkled a little food in the bottom of it and filled it with water just enough that it would float but the bottle neck was under water and the food wouldn't float out. Next step is to just be patient. Then rebait the trap and try again because I will gaurentee you won't catch the one you want on the first try. I actually left it floating for an hour and came back down and the little prick was in the bottle loking out at me and as soon as I went to lift the hood he was gone. Just be patient.

I would love to have seen the look on the LFS guys face when the wife walked in with a V8 bottle with a fish inside!
 
ive been using 2 methods for the last couple of weeks for catching my babies. one is a fish trat which is nothing more than a small glass jar with fishing line tied around the top. the fish swim in and cant get out easily. ive left the jar in there for 2 weeks now so the fish are pretty used to it.

my other method has been with the net(a big one and a little one). i leave them both in the tank for the while and the fish get used to it. they swim in and out of it on their own and when the one i want swims in, i snap'em up. both methods take time. one other thing i did with both methods was place food in them and waited til their first feeding of the day so they would be really hungry. good luck.
 
Matak you're right, there is less stress both for you and the fish !

Believe it or not the ladle method can be really quick for the tiny fish. I use a stainless steel ladle and slowly bring it up under the fish I want to catch - they usually swim into it because the reflections confuse them and they feel safer in the ladle :confused: :confused: not sure why they feel safer in there! but they don't try to swim out as I sloowlyy lift the ladle out of the water. I then gently transfer them to a basin of their tankwater for further transport (to the waiting tank)

I always think that for most fish being netted must be the closest thing to being abducted by aliens !! :eek: :eek: after all air is an alien environment for most fish and they can't understand whats happening to them, no wonder they panic when they see a net lol at least if they stay in water in the dark its less traumatic for them. :) :) :)
 
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