(You may have already read this review in the latest issue of Southern Culture On The Fly but if not check out No. 2 for a heavy dose of the "Dirty South" angling lifestyle.)
A few years ago I was fly fishing out west with a friend of mine and after a tough morning of seeing fish and somehow not connecting with very many of them, Mike finally put a hook in a good sized trout. In the few rushed moments of netting, unhooking, holding, photographing, and releasing this fish, Mike had somehow stepped down with his oversize wader boot on the wooden hoop of his landing net which had been laid on the river floor and it all but exploded. There was a loud crack and when he stepped back we found the layers of teak were terribly splintered and broken. Though Mike tried in earnest to put the net back together again, first with duct tape and then with wood glue, in the end the net was a lost cause. Since then I’ve been quite a bit more critical about the $150 that hangs from my gear bag or bangs around in the kayak.
For the past six months I have been using a couple of the nets from Nomad Fly Fishing, namely the Guide Net and Mid-Length Net, and overall I have been very impressed. All of the Nomad Fly Fishing nets are constructed from a lightweight composite which is covered with Rivercoat, a green rubberized paint, which aids in grip when wet and these nets feature a heavy duty black rubber netting as well. Nomad nets are completely waterproof and float when in the water. Since these nets are made from a mix of graphite and fiberglass there is no worry about delamination, swelling, or the separating of layers that may occur with a wood net. This composite construction results in a net that is extremely durable yet weighs a single pound or less depending on the model.
There is a lot being said about all the different types of netting used in landing nets these days and the black rubber netting in the Nomad nets is both strong and lightweight at the same time. I also like that these nets have a flat round bottom so that once you’ve netted a fish, and it’s still in the water, that the fish is not cradled on it’s side but can stay upright while you get the fly out of it’s jaw before release. The fish is in a natural position this way and I find the workspace inside the net more usable than other nets that I have used. Less splashing and flopping around means that the fish is back in the drink a lot quicker as well.
Nomad Fly Fishing currently offers three nets in their line up with the Guide Net, the Mid-Length Net, and the Hand Net. All three nets feature the same 13 inch by 18 inch head which really means that one interested in a Nomad net just needs to figure out what handle length they like best. I personally recommend the Mid-Length Net since it is the perfect mix of an extended handle net that I can jam in the wading belt while on the river but is also handy while in a kayak, canoe, or driftboat for scooping a fish from the water with the extended reach. The Guide Net is almost four foot in length and features 27 inches of measuring marks on the side of the handle while the Hand Net is just 26 inches long, of which most of it’s length is net hoop, and is perfect for large fish waters.
If you are looking for a new net seriously consider the offerings from Nomad Fly Fishing. Their nets are lightweight, strong, and have a durability factor that wood just can’t match.
For more information check out the Nomad Fly Fishing website. Follow the latest shop news on the Facebook page too.
A few years ago I was fly fishing out west with a friend of mine and after a tough morning of seeing fish and somehow not connecting with very many of them, Mike finally put a hook in a good sized trout. In the few rushed moments of netting, unhooking, holding, photographing, and releasing this fish, Mike had somehow stepped down with his oversize wader boot on the wooden hoop of his landing net which had been laid on the river floor and it all but exploded. There was a loud crack and when he stepped back we found the layers of teak were terribly splintered and broken. Though Mike tried in earnest to put the net back together again, first with duct tape and then with wood glue, in the end the net was a lost cause. Since then I’ve been quite a bit more critical about the $150 that hangs from my gear bag or bangs around in the kayak.
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| Photo By Steven Seinberg |
For the past six months I have been using a couple of the nets from Nomad Fly Fishing, namely the Guide Net and Mid-Length Net, and overall I have been very impressed. All of the Nomad Fly Fishing nets are constructed from a lightweight composite which is covered with Rivercoat, a green rubberized paint, which aids in grip when wet and these nets feature a heavy duty black rubber netting as well. Nomad nets are completely waterproof and float when in the water. Since these nets are made from a mix of graphite and fiberglass there is no worry about delamination, swelling, or the separating of layers that may occur with a wood net. This composite construction results in a net that is extremely durable yet weighs a single pound or less depending on the model.
There is a lot being said about all the different types of netting used in landing nets these days and the black rubber netting in the Nomad nets is both strong and lightweight at the same time. I also like that these nets have a flat round bottom so that once you’ve netted a fish, and it’s still in the water, that the fish is not cradled on it’s side but can stay upright while you get the fly out of it’s jaw before release. The fish is in a natural position this way and I find the workspace inside the net more usable than other nets that I have used. Less splashing and flopping around means that the fish is back in the drink a lot quicker as well.
Nomad Fly Fishing currently offers three nets in their line up with the Guide Net, the Mid-Length Net, and the Hand Net. All three nets feature the same 13 inch by 18 inch head which really means that one interested in a Nomad net just needs to figure out what handle length they like best. I personally recommend the Mid-Length Net since it is the perfect mix of an extended handle net that I can jam in the wading belt while on the river but is also handy while in a kayak, canoe, or driftboat for scooping a fish from the water with the extended reach. The Guide Net is almost four foot in length and features 27 inches of measuring marks on the side of the handle while the Hand Net is just 26 inches long, of which most of it’s length is net hoop, and is perfect for large fish waters.
If you are looking for a new net seriously consider the offerings from Nomad Fly Fishing. Their nets are lightweight, strong, and have a durability factor that wood just can’t match.
For more information check out the Nomad Fly Fishing website. Follow the latest shop news on the Facebook page too.
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