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Quick answer: The best all-round landing net is a rubber-mesh scoop with a 50 to 60 cm hoop and a mid-length handle — kind to the fish, tangle-free with trebles, and quick to work one-handed. Go telescopic if you fish high banks, jetties or a boat with real freeboard, drop to a compact folding net for the kayak, and keep a knotted nylon net only as a spare you hope never to need.
The net is the last thing between a hooked fish and a good story, and it’s the bit of gear anglers think about least. People will argue about reels for an hour, then scoop a hard-won fish with a rotten net that grabs every treble and strips the slime off it. A good net does three jobs at once: it holds the fish, it protects the fish, and it does both fast — before a head-shake at the surface throws the hooks.
The trouble is that “landing net” covers a folding kayak net you could lose in a pocket right through to a two-metre telescopic boat net with a bag deep enough to hide a spaniel. Buy the wrong shape and you either can’t reach the water or can’t fit the fish. This guide sorts the field into five honest types and the mistakes that cost people fish.
Quick Picks
- Best overall: a rubber-mesh scoop net with a 50 to 60 cm hoop, from brands like EGO or Environet.
- Best for high banks and jetties: a telescopic long-handle net that reaches down to the waterline.
- Best for kayaks and wading: a compact folding net that floats and stows out of the way.
- Best for big fish from a boat: a large, deep rubber bag on a reinforced yoke.
- Best budget backup: a knotless mesh net kept as a spare, not as your main one.
How to Choose a Landing Net
Start with the mesh, because it matters more than the price tag. Soft rubber or rubber-coated mesh is the one to buy: trebles slide out instead of burying, and it doesn’t strip the slime coat that keeps a released fish alive. Knotless nylon is a fair second; the old knotted nylon net is the one to retire, because it splits fins and grabs every hook point. Here’s the myth worth busting: a fish isn’t “fine” just because it kicked off hard. Net damage shows up days later as infection, so the mesh you pick is a fish-care decision, not just a convenience.
Then size the hoop and handle to your actual fishing, not to the fish of your dreams. A 45 to 60 cm hoop swallows the bread-and-butter species — bream, whiting, flathead, bass, trout — while a deeper, wider hoop makes sense if you chase mulloway, snapper or barramundi. Reach is the other half of it. From a kayak or wading a shallow creek, a 40 to 60 cm handle is plenty and anything longer just fouls the paddle; from a high bank, a jetty or a boat with real sides, a telescopic handle that extends past two metres turns an impossible lift into an easy one.
Last, look at the parts that break. The yoke — where the hoop joins the handle — is the usual failure point, so a reinforced alloy or composite yoke earns its money the first time a heavy fish loads it up mid-lift. If you travel with the gear crammed in beside the camping kit, a collapsible hoop or telescopic handle packs flat and stops the net snagging everything. And a net that floats isn’t a gimmick the first time you fumble it over the side.
One habit lands more fish than any net upgrade: sink the hoop and lead the fish over it headfirst, rather than stabbing down at it from above. A green fish chased with the rim bolts, and that last-second lunge is exactly when a treble catches the mesh and the hooks tear free. Draw it in over a submerged net, then lift. It is also worth loading a telescopic handle in the shop before you buy: cheap sections flex alarmingly and the twist-locks can slip under a heavy fish at full reach, which is the one moment you need them not to. A net that feels solid extended and loaded beats one that only impresses you folded up small.
The Nets
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The rubber-mesh scoop net
This is the net I’d hand almost anyone. A fixed 50 to 60 cm hoop, a soft rubber bag and a mid-length handle cover lake, flats and light boat work without drama — trebles shake straight out, the fish stays slimed and calm, and you can work it one-handed. Brands like EGO and Environet build the pattern well. It’s not for a tall jetty or a metre-long fish, but for day-to-day fishing nothing is more useful. see what a good rubber-mesh scoop costs now
The telescopic long-handle net
Reach saves the landing you’d otherwise lose. From a high bank, a jetty or a boat with real freeboard, a telescopic handle out past two metres lets you lead a tired fish over the rim instead of swinging it up on the line and pulling hooks. Check the locking collar — a cheap twist-lock that slips under load drops the fish just as the net takes the weight, so pay for a positive lock and a thicker-walled tube. compare the long-handle telescopic nets
The folding kayak and wading net
Fishing from a kayak or on foot rewards a net that’s small, light and always to hand. A folding-hoop net clips to the crate or a belt loop, opens one-handed, and disappears again when you paddle. Look for one that floats and carries a coiled leash, because sooner or later you’ll drop it, with a short handle so it doesn’t foul the paddle. look at the compact folding nets for the kayak
The large deep-bag boat net
Chasing bigger fish from a boat changes the maths. You want a wide hoop and a genuinely deep rubber bag, so a thrashing fish stays in the mesh instead of bouncing back out over the rim. Brands like Frabill build the heavy, deep-netted versions that suit snapper and mulloway. It’s bulky and it isn’t cheap, but the day you scoop a fish that would’ve folded a smaller net’s yoke, it pays for itself. size up a deep-bag net for bigger fish
The knotless budget net
A plain knotless mesh net has its place, as long as you’re honest about it. As a cheap spare in the boot or a first net while you work out what you chase, it does the job without stripping slime the way old knotted nylon does. Don’t make it your only net if you release fish often — the shallow bag and thin frame let big fish flip out and flex the hoop. price up a knotless net to keep as a spare
Comparison
| Net type | Reach | Mesh | Best for | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubber-mesh scoop | Short-medium | Soft rubber | All-round land and light boat | Not for high jetties |
| Telescopic long-handle | Long (2 m+) | Rubber or knotless | High banks, jetties, boats | Cheap locks slip |
| Folding kayak/wading | Short | Rubber, floats | Kayak and on-foot | Small bag for big fish |
| Deep-bag boat net | Medium | Deep rubber | Bigger fish from a boat | Bulky, pricier |
| Knotless budget | Short | Knotless nylon | Spare and backup | Shallow bag, flexy frame |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are rubber nets really better, or is that just marketing?
Better, and it’s easy to feel the difference. Rubber mesh sheds trebles in seconds where knotted nylon buries every point, and it slides over the fish without scraping off the slime coat. If you release fish, that slime protection genuinely lifts survival rates.
What hoop size do I actually need?
Match it to your target, then go one size up. A 45 to 60 cm hoop covers bream, whiting, flathead, bass and trout, while a deeper hoop suits mulloway, snapper or barramundi. Scooping a small fish with a big net is easy; forcing a big fish into a small one loses it.
How do I net a fish without knocking it off?
Hold the net still and half-submerged, then lead the tired fish headfirst into it with the rod — never stab or chase, which spooks a green fish into one last run at the boat. Draw the fish over the rim, then lift once its head is inside.
How do I stop the net stinking and lasting one season?
Rinse it in fresh water after every trip, especially the telescopic joints and folding pins where salt and sand jam things up. Dry it out of direct sun, since UV eventually hardens and cracks rubber mesh, and a shot of silicone spray keeps the handle sliding.
Do landing nets float if I drop one?
The Bottom Line
The best net is the one that fits your fishing and that you’ve used enough to trust when a fish is thrashing at the surface. In practice that’s a rubber-mesh scoop with a 50 to 60 cm hoop — kind to fish, tangle-free, quick in the hand. Add a telescopic net if you fish high off the water, a folding one for the kayak, and a deep boat net for bigger fish. Whatever you buy, skip the knotted nylon and lead the fish in headfirst — that alone lands you more of them.
For more on setting up your kit, see our guides to the fishing gear checklist and the fishing pliers and tool kits, and a set of fish grips for the handling.