Caldwell, ID (September 27, 2023) – Idaho, USA-based fishing accessories designer and manufacturer, EGO Fishing, offers several netting material options to provide anglers with exactly the right net for every fishing application.

Honestly, there’s a lot of confusion among anglers with what type of landing net to buy. All they know is they don’t want to spend time pulling out tangled trebles, yet want something strong and streamlined, and also something that’s easy on a fish for hearty and healthy trophy releases.

“Over the last six or seven years there’s been a growing trend toward anglers choosing rubber mesh landing net material, especially clear rubber mesh,” says Grant Corbett, EGO Fishing Founder.

“We have two options: clear rubber mesh and black rubber mesh. Steelhead anglers and other clear-water anglers believe that the clear rubber mesh doesn’t spook fish,” volunteers Corbett.

“For years, bass and walleye anglers have gravitated to our black rubber mesh because—like our clear rubber mesh—hooks don’t get snagged in it. And if you fish catch & release, it’s very soft on the fish. It doesn’t remove the protective slime coating on many fish species and fins don’t get damaged. It also resists knotting up like some inferior mesh-based landing net materials,” says Corbett.

The downside to rubber mesh—clear or black—says Corbett, is it’s more expensive than other netting material options. It also has the most water drag and isn’t as durable as PVC options.

Rubber mesh works exceptionally for fish without fangs, like largemouth and smallmouth bass, and panfish. Releasing healthy fish is major tenet in bass fishing. Rubber mesh is gentle on their fins and doesn’t wipe away the slime.

“If you’re fishing for walleyes and you tie into a giant pike or muskie, it’s possible that the pike might slip through the bottom of a rubber mesh net because their teeth are so sharp. Pike can literally cut through rubber. If you’re fishing pike, rubber mesh is not the best option. However, we do have the right net for the job,” continues Corbett.

For pike, muskies, and toothy saltwater species, Corbett recommends EGO Fishing’s PVC net material options. EGO’s PVC material is a woven fabric that’s completely encased in another coating of PVC rubber. Like rubber mesh, PVC nets do not knot up.

“Another bonus is that PVC net material is pretty easy on fish health for catch & release fishing. Plus, the woven fabric is a very difficult thing for pike, muskies, and saltwater fish to cut through. So, PVC is one of the most durable landing net material options out there,” notes Corbett.

Other pluses to PVC net material? First, less water drag than rubber and it’s slightly less expensive. So, if you’re dealing with pike or other fish species with sharp teetch, PVC is your best option.

If there’s a downside, it’s that PVC net material somewhat less “hook friendly” as EGO Fishing’s clear or black rubber mesh options.

“With our PVC net material, panels are put together with seams, and if your hook gets into one of the seams, there’s a possibility of getting snagged. But the seams don’t run throughout the entire net mesh, and the PVC coating tends to keep hookpoints away,” offers Corbett.

“In terms of sales, we sell more PVC netting than any other mesh type. It is the most common and popular landing net materiaol out there,” concludes Corbett.

EGO Fishing Net Material Types

Clear Rubber

• Pro: Doesn’t spook fish
• Pro: Excellent hook-snag resistance
• Pro: Easy on fish for catch & release
• Pro: Doesn’t knot up
• Con: Some water drag
• Con: Most expensive option

Black Rubber

• Pro: Excellent hook-snag resistance
• Pro: Easy on fish for catch & release
• Pro: Doesn’t knot up
• Con: Some water drag
• Con: Most expensive option

PVC

• Pro: PVC woven netting material with additional PVC coating
• Pro: Easy on fish for catch & release
• Pro: Most durable netting material option available
• Pro: Most popular net material option on-the-water
• Con: Possibility of hooking a seam

Traditional Nylon

• Pro: Thinner nylon string construction
• Pro: Super lightweight
• Pro: Very minimal water drag
• Con: Prone to knots
• Con: Hard on fish for catch & release fishing
• Con: Snag-prone, especially with treble hooks

Coated Nylon

• Pro: Thinner nylon string construction
• Pro: Super lightweight
• Pro: Very minimal water drag
• Pro: Coating prevents most hook snags
• Pro: Easier on fish than traditional nylon for catch & release
• Con: Harder on fish than rubber or PVC options
• Con: Snag-prone, especially with treble hooks

Black Rubber Mesh

Proper Landing Net Use

“Our nets were designed so you could reach out in real-time, net the fish, and then retract the handle before you ever put full lifting loads on the product. That does two things: First, it brings the weight way back closer to your body, so it’s way easier to lift. Second, the handle is retracted and in its strongest position and the angler can lift the weight more vertically rather than perpendicular to the body or shoulder,” instructs Corbett.

Corbett says if you use a landing net as explained above, you can land really big fish with no error or equipment failure.

“Bill Dance landed a catfish that was close to 70-pound using an EGO S2 Slider net as described above. That’s a pretty big fish! So, they are designed to land big fish, but you can’t abuse your landing net. You have to use it right.”

“One of the biggest problems involves anglers extending their landing net all the way out and then lifting the fish and net perpendicular to their body. Some anglers will also try to use a landing net like a shovel. Used in these two manners, the tip thread can break or cause another failure. Of course, then the angler thinks the net is defective, when it’s actually been misused,” observes Corbett.

Bigger Fish Call For Bigger EGO Landing Nets

Corbett says there’s also been a trend of anglers looking for nets with bigger hoops than 24-27 inches. Many are looking for 33-inch, 36-inch, and even bigger hoops.

“We’re at a place right now where we’re designing nets with extendable handles but hoops and netting material options in these requested, gigantuan sizes. It’s a smaller market, but we like to cater to all angers, so we are working on them. In the meantime, we do have the EGO Big Game Series with hoop frames up to 36 inches. They’re very popular with your big fish crowd,” says Corbett.

Wade Net with Clear Rubber Mesh

Best of the Best: EGO Fishing Netting Construction Materials

“In terms of the construction materials, what we’ve strived to do from day one is find the best balance between strength, lightness, durability, and cost, because you have to kind of juggle all those factors. We could go all out and design an all-carbon fiber landing net, but its cost would be approximately $300. And then how big is your market? And then how big is your market? So we’ve focused on delivering durability, strength, and quality without our customers having to break the bank to buy a reliable landing net,” offers Corbett.

In terms of actual construction materials, EGO fishing utilizes aluminum, corrosion-resistant stainless steel parts, and polypropylene-injected molded parts, besides the obvious netting materials composed of clear and black rubber, PVC, nylon, and coated nylon.