hi fellas,

 

can anyone please recommend a good landing net for canoe use? i guess mainly to target bass and walleye, but really for anything i may catch in small to medium sized lakes in the midwest. perhaps even pike, who knows.

 

it's a three-seat, 15-16 ft canoe that usually has two guys in it (occasionally three), so there's a bit more room onboard than many kayaks.

 

however, it's not a huge boat, so i was thinking maybe some kind of folding net would be good.

 

what would be a good compromise?

 

i'm considering a frabill powerstow 8510, but i'm wondering if the 27" net depth is not enough.

 

the norseman stowmaster series also looks decent, but again, i'm not sure which size would be the best compromise.

 

thanks

I use a Ranger Trout and Bass net - landed bass and pike with it. Not a top-end net by any stretch, but it does the job for me.

 

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/ranger-nets-trout-and-bass-2200-series-landing-net-16rneuprmtrtntxxxfac/16rneuprmtrtntxxxfac

I've got a Frabill Tru-Trax net, probably the larger 23x26. It's a bit small if you're planning on catching big pike/muskie/lakers/cats but in general it seems about right for most fish. The handle disconnects and stores backwards in the basket so it maintains a small form factor for transportation. I've used it on canoe trips and have enjoyed the way it travels.

Pretty hard to beat the quality you're getting with a Frabill. You figure a fish folding down into a net 27" deep will give you almost double that depth, so a 40" fish should fit easily in a net that deep. I guess it depends how big the pike you're planning on catching are.