Wild Trout Landing Nets
Barry Jacobson admires a range of
hand-crafted timber landing nets.
Most fly fishers have an expectation that their equipment should not only be functional but it should also have aesthetic appeal. Wild Trout landing nets fall into this category: extremely functional, and very attractive to look at. They are fabricated from Huon pine, blackwood, King William pine, myrtle and celery top pine. These wonderful Tasmanian timbers are among the finest craftwood timbers in the world.
The particular net that I use is the Guide Net – Large. This net is striking in appearance, so much so that I seriously considered framing it to hang on the wall in my fly-tying room. The handle is Huon pine, and the bow is four-ply, layered with Huon pine on the outside, then contrasting blackwood, more Huon pine and finishing with blackwood on the inside of the bow. All the Boat Nets (small, regular, and large) and the Guide Nets (regular, and large) in the range utilise the same timber sequence in their construction.
My net has a large tear-drop opening (535 x 330 mm) and an extra long handle (total length 1310 mm) for boat use. It is fitted with a large knotless nylon mesh and is recommended for fish up to 10 kg.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t landed a fish of this weight but it has certainly handled fish around the 2 kg mark—the soft, knotless mesh is very gentle on any fish that is to be released. The net is a pleasure to use. There is some ergonomic shaping at the end of the handle to make it easy to grip. The opening is more than adequate for the usual run of fish from Tasmania’s highland lakes but I hope at some stage to fully test its limits!
The smaller Wading Nets only have a three-ply bow but also offer King William pine as one of the laminates. These all-timber nets are only rated for use on fish up to 2.5 kg, however there is a model fitted with an aluminium insert in the handle for added strength and this is rated to 3.5 kg.
Timber for use in the bows is specially selected for straightness of grain and is steam bent to maintain its strength, then laminated with a modern waterproof adhesive. All nets are finished with two-pack epoxy timber preservative (for marine use) and are fitted with marine grade stainless steel hardware (screw eye, and split ring with a snap hook) in the end of the handle to maintain the overall quality construction.
Wild Trout landing nets are available from select fishing, design and craft retail stores in Tasmania, or can be ordered direct from Wild Trout Angling Outfitters (www.wildtroutangling.com.au).
Prices range from $99 for the small Wading Net to $195 for the large Guide Net.
Wild Trout Angling Outfitters won the 2007 Tasmanian Design Award for its entry ‘Wading Net – Alloy'.