In the same vein of rod makers handcrafting custom fly rods, those who focus on building wooden landing nets are always interesting to me and when John Cain of Kinni Forge reached out to talk about his recently formed company, I was intrigued. He's keeping things simple with offerings the K1 and K2 landing nets, while leaving a "Kustom" option open to discuss other ideas with clients.
After several deep dives into Kinni Forge website, digging the sharply designed logo, and better understanding the build ethos of John's nets from our conversations, it all checked the boxes of a company worth following along with.
It wasn't until a package arrived the other day with a freshly made Kinni Forge K2 landing net did it put into full perspective the top shelf work that John is doing in his River Falls, Wisconsin shop.
I should have taken photographs on all six sides of the box but the Kinni Forge branding stamped into the packaging on various sides was a very nice touch. You could immediately feel the care that John puts into his work with the stamping on the exterior of the box and even more so once the box was opened to find several layers of foam with a cut out that protected his hard work and ensured that the K2 arrived in flawless condition.
The size of the K2 is a great fit for me since I'm more often in a kayak, boat, or needing a longer handle to stash through a sling pack or belt. The clear rubber netting is deep with a flat floor, which I like a lot since it allows a fish to lay more or less flat across the bottom when held in the water.
And, a larger net means larger fish, right? Right?
John's hardwood choice, build quality, and overall work is impeccable. The Kinni Forge logo burnt into the handle with the brass lash points for the clear rubber netting are a tasteful touch. The Guguluza 3/4 inch sling swivel screw mounting hardware is a great addition for a net release to protect your custom built investment.
This past weekend, I had the chance to get out on the family pond for a couple of afternoon sessions and even though I didn't net anything of size, the extended handle of the K2 was perfect for sliding a few bass and bluegill into the clear rubber netting from my kayak seat. I'm looking forward to a few evenings on the pond this week and the K2 will be along sure sure.
John and I have a few other ideas to highlight the excellent work he's doing in the future but in the meantime, check out the Kinni Forge website and be sure to follow along on Instagram, too.
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