I had a requirement for a landing net for general course fishing which would sit somewhere in between my 36” carp nets and the smaller Efgeeco alloy triangular folding one I had. As you can see ,any photos I had taken were let down by the modern plastic coated pan type net of this size, so I decided to look at an alternative.
Modern style pan net with vintage rod and reel
I have every intention of making a “Crabtree” type net, more specifically having a go at producing one based on Watemole+’s fantastic net he posted on here, but that is some time off at present due to other commitments and intended projects.
What I decided on was a very cheap and cheerful method where little time, effort or even skill was required.
For the first net I had a leftover modern spreader block which I decided to use. I selected a piece of ordinary garden cane of about 70”, being careful to ensure that it wasn’t too tapered but fairly even diameter throughout.
With a heatgun I then heated the cane and started to bend it. Once heated, only a little pressure is needed to bend the cane and once it is ready to bend you can feel it start to “give” so no great pressure is needed. I used an old MDF table top as a guide for the radius of the circle but any form of circle drawn out on hard board or even paper would do as it isn’t used in the bending process, this is done by feel and”eye”, and the circle is just for checking the radius of the bend is correct. Starting in the dead centre and moving along the length of the cane it soon takes shape. As can be seen from the accompanying picture a pair of gloves is required as the cane gets quite hot. Also unless you are blessed with 3 hands you will need to hold the heatgun in something or have someone to hold it. I placed it in a portable workbench to leave my hands free to bend the cane.
Once the circle had been formed the two ends were held together to judge the cross over point correctly and these were then marked. Once you are happy that the shape of the radius is correct and the straight part of both arms is correct, cut off the excess. I did clamp the cane to the wooden board at this stage for ease but it really isn’t necessary if you just have a paper template. My net had a length of 63 inches all round. The two ends are then inserted into the spreader block. Once in, you can then check the true shape and by pushing gently against the cane and heating up in any flat spots you find and can easily take out any flats, kinks and twists. The nodes were flattened and dressed (not absolutely required) and that’s it. The actual net head is done and took about 20 minutes all in. All it requires now is a couple of coats of varnish and any decorative whipping you see fit to do. A net was fitted and all good to go.
Time taken for basic net 20 minutes
Cost =
Spreader block on ebay (I already had one) £3.60(posted)
Garden cane ( I already had one from the garden) £1.50 for bundle of 5
Mesh ( I already had one) (Depends on your requirements.)
So there we are. The finished net, which took 20 minutes to make, an evening to decorate and varnish for a total price of £5.10 plus cost for a mesh.
Ok so it’s not as beautiful an item as an artisan produced net of laminated ash or oak, but it’s very strong, extremely light and looks a damn site better than a modern pan type net.
While I was at it I also made a circular one in exactly the same manner. I made the metal work myself, but this could come from an old landing net or even rod rest head from the bay for pennies. Everything else is the same as the spoon net to produce. This isn’t yet decorated or varnished but would only take an evening to finish. I’ve actually fished with it as it is, whilst the varnish was drying on the spoon net.
Thanks for looking and hopefully happy building
Rgds
Neil
