When targeting largemouth and smallmouth bass via kayak, I use to hoist fish up and over into my kayak; until one day a hefty largemouth bass snapped my rod! I then started bringing the fish along the side of my kayak, lip-grip them with my free hand and pull them into my kayak. Last season I hook a monst’ah! The fish was not only pulling drag, it was towing my kayak! When I got the fish to the side of my kayak, I decided to preserve my digits and hoist the lengthy pickerel into my kayak. Thankfully, my St. Croix rod did not break like my previous brand-x rod. While I was trying to negotiate a secure grip on the slippery fish as it was twerking, it unhooked itself and jumped back into the water!
After a broken rod and a lost fish, I decided to investment in a fishing net. After searching to the last page of the Internet, I purchased the Frabill Bear Claw fishing net. I like the large hoop (14″ W x 18″ L x 11″ D) and the integrated LED lights. I LOVE the one-handed design. The fish slid right into the net with ease, thanks to asymmetrical flat-bottom design.
I still wake up in the middle of night with the image of that 3+ pound monst’ah pickerel jumping out of my kayak before I could take a picture. If you kayak fish, then get the Frabill Bear Claw fishing net to save your rods, land fish, and sleep without haunting images of lost fish. 😉
