How to Make a Trout Landing Net

Trout are hunted for their big fish attitude and their sweet taste.

Trout fishing is often a solitary pursuit. The symphony of the stream and the concentration of the activity can take you to a place of complete relaxation. The problem with being a solitary trout fisherman is that you have to land your catch alone. When you get a trout on a hook, certain chemical reactions take place in the body of the trout in response to the stress of the battle. Whether you want to release or eat your trout, you want to end the fight as soon as possible. A dip net is the quickest way to retrieve your fish. Making your own dip net takes only a bit of time and knowledge.

Things You'll Need

• 12-inch embroidery hoop
• Drill with 3/8-inch drill bit
• Pair of pantyhose
• Scissors
• Rivet gun with 1/4-inch rivets
• Piece of all thread (1/4 inch by 24 inches)
• 2 washers
• 2 nuts
• 2 adjustable wrenches

Instructions

1. Tighten the retaining screw on your embroidery hoop to hold the inner and outer loops firmly in place. Drill through the center of your embroidery hoop, making a hole through both pieces of the wooden frame every two inches around the entire diameter.

2. Cut 24 inches from the bottom of one leg of the pantyhose to create a small mesh bag. Loosen the retaining screw on your embroidery hoop and slide the inner hoop into the mesh opening. Put the outer loop of the embroidery hoop onto the net, twist the two pieces of the hoop to line up the drill holes and tighten the retaining screw to hold the net into place.

3. Load a rivet into the rivet gun and press the head of the rivet into a drill hole in the hoop. Push the rivet through the pantyhose and out the other side of the hoop and squeeze the trigger to lock the rivet into place. Install a rivet through each drill hole in the embroidery hoop, leaving only one hole empty.

4. Push the all thread rod through the remaining hole. Slide a washer onto each side of the rod. Twist a nut onto each side. Twist on the nut on the inside of your net so that it rests against the inside of the hoop, with just enough of the all thread inserted into the nut to make the end of the rod flush with the end of the nut. Twist the outer nut onto the all thread to complete the handle of your net. Tighten the nuts using an adjustable wrench on each nut and twisting both simultaneously.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove the handle with wrenches and drill out the rivets to replace the mesh pocket of the net as needed.

References

• Queensland Water Watch: How to Make Your Own Dip Net