Net connection system

[dainw]

Ok this might be a little bit of a strange question, but what sort of setup is everyone using to connect their nets to their vests/packs/belts etc? I've been going through a few nets lately (thankfully I've never been one to drop a lot of cash on a net). I had always just been using a magnetic connector that I had gotten at Bass Pro, but this usually ends up failing and I'll look down and notice that my net is gone. Either the elastic breaks, or the aluminum ring that connects to the net ends up breaking. Anyone have anything that's been working for them?

[dannys]

I use the magnetic holder and have had no problems with it. I do believe, as with anything else, some e better then others. The tether on my net is connected to the ring that also holds the stationary part of the magnet, so if I do accidentally tug or get a branch hung and the magnets are pulled apart, the net is still tethered.

I too as averse to spending decent duckets on a net, but finally got me a Brodin Ghost net. Yes, it cost me about $90, but I normally would have bought 3-4 cheaper nets in the time frame I have owned the Brodin. Just something to consider.

[golferjeff]

I have an orvis retractor cord attached to either my fly jacket, my coat, or my sling pack. Then I attach the net to it. Never lost it due to failure, although I did forget to latch it once and a fellow downstream retrieved my net for me! I have the magnets as well, and I often use them as a backup system and it also extends further than the cord.

[mirvc17]

I'm using a set up similar/identical to Danny's. The magnet holder I'm using takes a 12 lb pull to detach. I've seen some advertised as 8 lbs which I think would suffice unless you were constantly snagging your net on brush or trees.

I too have Brodin net--the Phantom Cutthroat. It's a good net--though wood quality is not as high as the Ghost series. If I was doing it all over again, I think I would have liked to try a Fishpond Nomad with a longer handle...but anyway. Frabill also makes some good nets. I just bought their 3763 Trout net for $28 bucks for my trip to Alaska. 17x22" teardrop, 9" deep--that's a lot of net. At first I went with their salmon/steelhead net but it was just too large. Anyway, if you want a cheap quality net, I think Frabill is a good choice. I'll report back on how mine performs.

[Evan Vanek]

I use the orvis retractor holder. Works great for me

[underhillsbill]

I use the Orvis Magnet holder (has the coiled lanyard too). Connects on the back of my vest or sling, easy to use with no issues.

[jonbo]

I'm using a fanny pack, which I hate, wish I'd bought either a sling pack or a vest. I'm always getting it soaked. WHAT was I thinking? BUT my stretchy net lanyard which is long enough to allow me to scoop a fish clips to a loop on the side. Near to that I have mounted a magnet. To the non-handle end of the net I have mounted the companion magnet. I hang the net by the magnet. Should it pull loose the lanyard will keep it from floating away.

Anyone know of a sling pack that works just as well for lefties as for righties? I'll probably get another vest when I get fed up enough with the fanny pack.

[dannys]

William and Joseph make a sling pack--link is below. I nearly bought one a few years ago, but decided to make one from an old pair of breathable waders. Check out the below link--they are sold out but might get more in the future.

My neighbor is a seamstress and she offered to make me mine, patterned after several slings I have seen. My magnetic net keeper is also attached to the sling so nothing hangs off of my clothing. A sling pack is a real handy piece of equipment to replace a vest or chest pack (which I tried but could not stand).

www.williamjoseph.net/gear.php?userChoice=Satchel

www.recycledwaders.com/products

[dainw]

I'm using the patagonia stealth atom sling. I have mixed feelings about it. There's really a lot of room in there for everything that I need to carry. Plus it comes with a waterproof pouch for your phone, keys, wallet whatever, it's out of the way and I don't have to worry about stuff falling out of my vest. Bad part is, any time I want to change a fly or get to anything in my vest, I have to sling it around. To Patagonia's credit they've added a foam piece to hold flies while you're rigging up, but man it gets annoying having to swing that thing around all day. The other issue is, if the net is attached to the pack and you net a nice fish, if you want to get your phone out to take a pic, you have to pretty much take the thing off. There's not really a good way to get to your phone otherwise. If I had it to do over again, I might do a chest or hip pack.

[jonbo]

dannys: Thanks for the link. Those look like nice ones. Next year I might make some kind of change. Are you happy with your home-designed sling-pack? I'm actually thinking of returning to the old fashioned vest.
@dain: Drawbacks of fanny pack:
-If you go in pretty deep everything in your pack gets wet. Every time I'm done fishing at LMF or any larger stream, my stuff's wet. This bugs me most.
-It doesn't hold much stuff, just the minimum.
-I have to sling mine around a lot, but that doesn't annoy me much.
- I should have thought of this especially. I've popped my back a couple of times so it's sensitive, but the FP bothers my back a little.
Advantages:
-Because it doesn't hold a lot you don't overload with crap you're not gonna need. Helps me travel real light.
-When it's behind me, my stuff's really out of my way. Lots of freedom walking and casting. This is its main advantage.
-Net hangs pretty well, way I have it rigged. Sounds like with slings there's no good place for the net.

[dannys]

Jonbo: I have no plans to ever return to a vest. I really like the sling may sling bag/pack/satchel. One advantage is the ease of removal, no worry if summer or winter (with regard to layering under a vest, the sling itself is adjustable so I can wear it low for shallows if I want or higher for deeper water. I've been in water a bit deeper than I prefer and the bottom of the pack got wet, but dried quickly (after all, it is made from old breathable waders).

I have tried fanny packs and just don't care for them and a chest pack which now hangs on a hook on a wall in the "fishing" room. I just did not care for the bulkiness on my chest.

[Fenwick]

My net magnets are the kind set within the saw toothed black metal balls. A very strong connection. I put a carabiner on one magnets brass ring and attach the carabiner to my sling bag. The other magnets brass ring is on the loop eyelet on the grip of my net. A stretchy spiral lanyard is also on each magnets brass ring to serve as the leash between the two. I'm not losing the net that way and the stretchy spiral leash is plenty long to reach out to a reluctant trout. I too admire the carbon fiber frame ghost nets but I'm on a budget so I bought a Frabill model #3407, the traditional laminate wood frame with a clear rubber net that measures 11 inches wide, 15 inches long and 12 inches deep, not to be confused with the more shallow clear rubber net on other types. I found it online from a big box sporting goods store website for $24.99 everyday price, way cheaper than ordering from the actual Frabill website. I ding up the edges of the wood frame while traipsing around, dropping it down on rocks, fending off low flying dirigibles and such but that's to be expected. The 12 inch deep clear rubber net does its job just fine and is strong enough that I was able to relocate a hefty snapping turtle that found its way onto a sidewalk somewhat distant from the local tank in my neighborhood. The Frabill 3407 is a great economical clear rubber net alternative for those who can't swing for the nice pro gear.
I have the first edition of the Orvis sling bag series which came out years ago. Wearing it off to the side it isn't right in front of me until I need it and is certainly way cooler than wearing a vest in the warmer months. Like Jonbo I too have had the occasion where the bag got wet while I was wading in water over waist deep or in a raining downpour but I don't carry stuff that would suffer from water damage. Adequate space in the sling bag isn't so much the problem as are my bulky fly boxes. I carry way too many flies of every kind in thick boxes. Just this past Fall I got my hands on the slim Tacky Boxes. Tacky Boxes are NOT economical at all but sure do the job when it comes to space consideration and the newer shirt pocket sized Tacky Boxes are very appealing to those who hike around with the least amount of gear possible.

[mirvc17]

Fen...ditto the on the Tacky fly boxes. They are really great. I have 3 of the normal size ones and one of the new shirt pocket ones (my 'working box')--all worth it. Big flies in other big boxes. Another small working box is an 8-cube pill box. It measures 3 X 2.25 X .75" and you can put a ton of small flies in it--you just have to be careful getting a fly out so you don't dump a whole cubes worth of flies out. I hold it over my open chest pack and pay attention.

I've been using the William Joseph Confluence chest pack. It was awkward at first but I've gotten used to it. It's so convenient having everything right at your finger tips and the magnetic closure is awesome--no zippers. I don't use/like the built-in zingers because they interfered with the closing of the main chest compartment, so I hang my own off the tabs higher up. Wading fairly deep is possible without getting everything wet.

[mirvc17]

Oh yeah, the yellow loop works perfect with a GoPro too!  Hook file and thermometer tucked away near the hemostats.

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[bradbessett]

I have the confluence as well - It's awesome.

I do use the built in zinger for my nippers but tuck them in the top of the zippers right next to them - No loose things flopping around any more!

Awesome idea for the GoPro mount! I'm definitely trying that.

[mirvc17]

I thought about that and tried it, but in the end I wanted to put some other things (like indicators, tape measure, etc) in the zipper pockets. My nippers can get a little annoying when it flops...sometimes I close the main lid on it.

Credit for the GoPro mount idea goes to one of the Tim Flagler (Tightline productions) videos where he mentioned it made an awesome mount. You can honestly put the mount in from the top OR the bottom depending on where you want the camera to point. It will NOT come out as it takes a bit of effort squeezing the prongs to get it out. Give it a try, I think you'll like it.

[mirvc17]

Hey Brad, I don't know if you've tried this or not...but I just discovered that the magnetic closure system of the main front compartment and/or the tippet compartment makes a great way to store a couple of double fly rigs. The flies stick to the lip and you just wrap the tippet around it in the crease and put the other fly on the magnetic material. Try it out. Works great for 12-18" dropper rigs. Beats having to rotate my vest around to access my dropper rig fly box!

[mirvc17]

Brad,

I saw this tip/method for attaching a GoPro on a WJ Confluence pack review video. They didn't get into specifics other than them mentioning they cut down the display base and drilled holes so here is what I figured out. Mine is mounted on left shoulder strap. 

1) Take the display base that is attached to the box your GoPro came in and detach it from the box. 

2) Use a hacksaw or a Dremel tool to cut down the size of the square to just about a quarter of an inch outside the shaped part where it mounts. I used a Dremel and then shaped and smoothened the edges a bit and cleared all the melted plastic. 

3) Drill small holes just big enough for small zip ties to fit thru. The holes should be about 1" apart. Use a 5/64 bit or as required for your zip tie. I wouldn't go much bigger than this though (find smaller zip ties if you must)

4) Loop the zip tie thru the outside hole and route it behind the grey strap, thru the other hole and back. Cinch tight, cut remainder close. 

5) Attach mount as depicted. I added some extra tape on top just to stabilize it a little but it is quite secure. I may try adding some tape at the bottom to secure further, as when the camera is on, it isn't completely level (not a huge deal since I normall shoot with a wide FOV anyway). 

I haven't fished with it yet but it seems much more stable and out of the way compared to the yellow loop. And it's less dorky than wearing one on your head!

(NOTE: The extra holes drilled on the bottom were too wide for my zip tie to fit through and then zip together)

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[okieman71]

Dain, I have the stealth atom and also have the Patagonia vest front sling. I just got the vest front and haven't fished it yet. It does allow one to keep quite a bit in the vest front portion thus eliminated the need to sling every time you need something. In the front I have a regular size tacky and a cliff days worth, with room to spare. There are also spots for nippers and hemostats as well as an upper zipper pocket that I use for split shot and indicators. Fly patch as well. The pack operation is ample for extra fly boxes, food water etc and also has waterproof storage as well. Retails for 89.99 which is cheaper than stealth atom.