When you’re fishing for more than just another series of “snakes” after the first ice break and you really want to go after the giant northern pike out there, then it’s important to make sure that you’re using absolutely the best equipment that is available to you. This goes without saying for things like the rod and reel, but then what about the net? Finding the best fishing net for northern pike is critical if you want to net in that monster pike. A small net designed for 5 lb bass or walleye is not going to cut it once you hook a 20, 30, or even 40 lb northern pike. And one thing is DEFINITELY for sure – you don’t want to reach your hand down there into a big mouth with treble hooks sticking out of it.
So what is the best fishing net for pike fish? Well you want one made from very strong materials, both in netting and in the metal which must take a lot of weight and pressure when lifting the fish out of the water. If the metal bends, that could let a trophy or even world record northern pike get away after a long fight and after doing all the work to get it there up to the boat. So when trying to track down the ideal net, you might have to go for bigger and more expensive. These aren’t 10 pound and under northern pike we’re talking about: we’re talking about heavily constructed and big time nets like the StowMaster TS94X Tournament Series Precision Landing Net. This is what I use, and it’s never failed me yet, and I’ve had to lift up some 20+ pound pike and some very weird angles. I’m not going to lie – it’s expensive, but it’s worth the money if you’re going after the really seriously sized fish.
Then for those of you who love the handyman aspect of any truly good hobby, let’s talk about:
Making your own pike fishing net
If you’re looking for information on how to make your own fishing net, then you are definitely a hard core angler and it’s important for you to understand that building an excellent fishing net from scratch for pike fish is going to be a far different thing than building just a basic fishing net for pan fish or small trout. These nets must be strong, and one of the hardest parts of creating a good diy fishing net is choosing a strong material that can still be thin and interwoven into a solid net while still managing to cut out the lengths of string you need. While something like kevlar sounds ideal, try cutting it into strands. Disaster city.
The majority of nets are hoop nets, so finding material to secure the hoop is important first, and if you’re into wilderness survival then I advise learning to use small branches which give the strength and flexibility to make a decent hoop fishing net. The best designs I’ve used involve having a long string once every inch, and these are what are tied and knotted together in order to make a fully functioning pike net.
This is not a butterfly net, so having an inch or two gaps between the strings isn’t bad at all, and having a good length with your net is important, so if in doubt keep the gaps between knots slightly larger in order to have a longer total area of nettage. This is much better than the alternative of ending up with a net too small to handle a large fish. If you want some video instruction, here’s a pretty good video I found on YouTube on this topic: