Why is it that when you trash a net on the first use it hurts so much more? I spent $80 on a new one yesterday and trashed it tonite on its first use. I am having just horrible luck with this particular betts net with the braille lines slipping thru the crimped collar. You can't fix that....I spoke to Betts and they collected a few nets from me, sent me some more and said they had this crimp issue fixed. Then I buy a new one and trash-er-rino first time out. Anybody else having trouble with the 1oz 10ft net crimp collars? I do not have this trouble on the 8ft 1oz nor the 10ft 1.5oz....jfo

The last time i went out i lost a 8ft and then a 6ft on only 2 throws,thats over a hundred dollars....

JFO, I have had the same problem. I have went through a couple already this year.The next one I'm going with is the Calusa cracker. I have some friends that fish SML alot and they really brag off them. For some reason my nets have turned in to brush magnets this year. But you know there is no substitute for good bait!!!! Good Luck....Bluejay

beat this i lost two eights an one seven foot net the day of the first show down now that hurt.

BlueJay, I throw a cracker and there is no doubt in my opinion they are the best throwing fastest sinking net available. However if you are throwing in brush you are screwed!

All you guys I am sorry for your loss and right there with you! I hope you got that biggun to make it worth it!

I agree with where Big Jon may be going. The Cracker is "the" best net made IMHO. But it costs sometimes more than double. I have a few Calusa's (not cracker) and they are wonderful as well but cost slightly less. Slightly less for the Calusa is still way more than the "disposable" nets so again for me cost is prohibitive. I do regret to say that when I do finally lose the ones I have, they won't be replaced just because every time I throw it I see $$. Both Cracker and Calusa are just great!.

Bluejay, can you please let your dealer know to feed this crimp slipping thingie back to Betts so maybe they'll hear two of us? That 10ft 1oz is in a spot I need with a lighter weight and a bit less cost. thanks.

Everybody...I have a specific question: What's the least expensive 10ft radius, 1oz/foot, 3/8 or 1/2 mesh net you know of? Where do you get them and what are the good&bad things about them? Anybody use sterling Net&Twine nets? How about experience on the 10ft 1oz Fitec? Thanks a ton in advance...jfo

I know before I post this......I am providing proof that I am new at this.. and should not be allowed the prevlidge of conversing the The Striper Fishing Elite...I lost several nets at Ocean Isle. I stopped paying a hundred bucks for nets and started buying the Wal-mart ones, about 20 some bucks... I got one 8ft, that sinks pretty quick some of the smaller shad get caught in the mesh, we cast it around the pillings for 20mins Saturday morning and had a 33 Gal tank jammed with bait.....Hey I caught my only Striper this year with that cast net in a cove off Bluestone.
It's a tuff joker, a couple of logs and a steel belted radial. Well that's my cast net story and I'm stickin to it!
The Bucket

I use the fitec net you mentioned. I get them from cabelas. the 10 ft net W/ 1/2 inch mesh is about $60. It is pretty nice, but is not a calusa. The mono is stiff even though I have soaked it several times in fabric softener.

all of this talk of 10ft. nets has me wondering if Va.changed their no bigger than 8ft.rule.got a ticket in '97 when the limit was 6ft.

I'm using a 8 ft ego 1 1/2 oz and it's a good net. With the exception of a few tears we've had to repair I have not had any problems with it. We also have several Bett's five and six foot 1 oz nets on the boat that my sons generally throw. I have had quite a few problems with the braille lines slipping through the crimp at the top with these Bett's nets. But, I have not had much trouble fixing them after they slip. To repair the slippage, I definitly need another adult to help me (Him down at the leadline and me up at the crimp). Just use a little patience and concentration and it's really not all that hard to fix (Or at least that's the experience I've had with the six footers).

JFO, I'D be glad to meet you at BIB&T or somewhere one Saturday and see if the two of us can slip those lines back to a workable spot. Mail me or sumthin'!

I've been buying the Super Spreader net in 8ft 1lb of lead per radius foot for $34.99 at The Sports Authority. They also have 3/4lb per radius foot for $24. It's the best deal I've found. I do keep a Super Pro 5/8 mesh on board but don't use it unless I have to. Cause yea it hurts when you hang a tree top in 20ft of water and have to tie your net to a cleat and pull it loose with the boat! It's like high stakes gambling every time you throw it $100.00 a hand.

jfo, bryans right on with the ego nets. circle hook and i found these nets late last year and id put it against the calusa and cracker anyday. this is a soft flex net and we throw the 10 footers and it sinks quick. as for wanting a lighter net they have those also. email shannon and he may have some good news for you on price and availability as we buy them buy the case, believe me when i say if there was a tourney for losing nets we may be grand champs, lol good luck with ya new net Todd

If you don't mind me asking how do you get in touch with ego net co. ?

Thanks everyone. Bryan, Sometimes you can spread the nets out on the yard and repull the braille lines thru the collar but on these guys generally I cannot. Also, On the net I was complaining about and then its replacement (yes I bought another one) the braille lines pop at the crimp...so it seems to me Betts is working on this issue....I just don't have the patience at $80 per crack anymore.

EGO - Thanks MrW. On ebay I see a 10ft, 1/2inch, 1.2oz at $119 buy-it-now and running around $83 with shipping on a bid. I see EGO go across ebay all the time so I'll start bottomfishing them based on your recommendation that they're good nets. I emailed shannon but like quint I need more info, mainly prices and the 10ft, 1/2in, 1.2oz. If How many in a case? thx

But, at the end, I want a good value net that's tough and CHEAP b'cause I know I'm gonna total it eventually. Bottom line is that to get the bait I want I lose 2-3 nets a month when I'm fishing hard. Really I'd like to pay around $60 for a 1oz 10ft net. I ordered a Fitec 10ft, 1oz, 1/2 for $85 inc shipping and two SN&T 10ft, 1oz, 5/8 for $56 each inc shipping. The 5/8 is one click too big but for $24 savings per net I am gonna try it.

MrW may be onto something buying a case at a whack. Anybody got any deals by buying more than one at a time? Thanks for the help, I'm determined both to find a new net until Mr Bett gets the crimp issue fixed...jfo

We've been fixing them by standing the six footers up by the horn, in the six foot tall position. Then slowly pulling one line at a time,up and out of the crimp, until we figure out which one needs to move. When we see that we have the right one I pull "way to much of it" up above the swivel causing two places on the leadline to "climb" on opposite sides of the net. Then the other person grabs the leadline at both line attachment points and pulls down to make it even, while I'm holding the crimp. I can see how this could be a problem if the crimp was too tight, especially by breaking the lines at the crimp. Just hav'nt had that problem yet with the six footers.(sorry, but some things are just hard to explain with words and no pictures) We are new to the net throwing business and have very little experience with them. Just trying to relay what little info I have!

Seeing how we only get, maybe five to ten throws (when lucky) without major damage, it seems that any workable repair is saving one new net. I would even try replacing the entire braille line after it broke at the crimp. Just hav'nt run into this problem yet.

I bought the EGO on EBAY also. Think I paid bout $70 for it including shipping (8 ft, 1.2 lb. per ft). I bought it just to try one, after Mr. Whiskers told me about them. They're much softer and "thinner in the hand" than the Bett's and also don't seem to tear as easily. Also, the braille lines don't seem to slip no matter how hard I pull to get it off the stump.

To look at the EGOs, go to this link (manufacturer) and click on "find a dealer"

http://www.adventureproducts.com/ego_cast_net.htm

thx bryan. I am definately gonna try an EGO when I catch a 10footer on ebay for under $70 inc shipping. I have had zero problems with Betts 10ft 1.5oz (they have different crimp & its a great performer) nor have I ever had any problem with Betts 8ft 1oz (I don't throw that one so much)...jfo

joe, the ego nets come 4 to a case and i may be wrong but i was thinking $70 to $80 each saves on shipping also. the only drawback i have with ego nets are, they only come in 1/2" but was told by the ego rep that theyre working on starting making bigger mesh. shannons email may have more info when he replies to you then maybe u could let quint know. Todd

Yea that would be nice, thanks fellows.

Hi Quint,
Send me an email address...thanks
jfo

Well an update. I recieved my Fitec 10ft, 1lb/foot net and I'm ashamed to say it was left in the trashcan at Longwood on its first outing. No fault on the net, I absolutely wrapped it three ways from Sunday around a stump. Using the Betts 10ft, 1lb/ft as a baseline the fitec does not have the crimp problems the betts does, the braille lines do not slip. The fitec braille lines are much more elastic than Betts so they don't "pop" on that first tug...they stretch giving you a chance to work the snag and get the net unhung. Bad thing on the Fitec is that for some reason the shape of the weights and placement cause more tangling in your hand...you spend time untangling braille lines crossed up with weights. I bought the 10ft Fitec for for $70 so with shipping it's the same price as the Betts. Overall, I'd rank them equal. The Fitec tangles more but does not have the leadline issues. I figure that untangling a net is les frustrating than continually tossing an $80 bill in the fire.

BTW, I bought another 10ft Betts and the very first time I snagged it up, two braille lines snapped in the crimp. I want to stress, Its only the 10ft 1lb net having this issue, I have 10ft 1.5lb and 8ft 1lb and both those nets just do not have this crimp issue.

I get my EGO on Saturday and my Sterling Net & Twines havn't arrived yet. I'll report back when we get those since this has turned into a real net-quest. The EGO costs similar to the Betts and the SN&T is less expensive....jfo

JFO and others: Try looking at the nets available at Memphis Net. They have all sizes and mesh and about any kind of net you can think of at affordable prices! Here's the URL:

http://www.memphisnet.net/

I got 4 foot gar in a new net Fri night had to cut his bill off to get him out of the net, and that's hard to do, laid a cutting board down and beat the knife through his bill with a sharpener. Got a brush pile with another net. Was happy with the super spreader net also made by the fitec group, Would rate it equal or better than Betts old salt net.

An update to this thread. I'm not buying Betts anymore because I just can't afford to risk tossing $80 seemingly everytime I go fishing. I spoke to Betts personally and they said it must have just been a bad batch. Well, how do I know the $80 bill I spend is a net from a good or bad batch?

I tried an EGO. Sweet net, price in line with Betts, much lower than Calusa. Quality far better than Betts, approaching Calusa for much better price. This is a really soft net that spreads like a calusa/cracker. A great net in the $75-80 range...better than Betts for around same money. btw, to get this net at this low price you have to be patient...the list price is quite higher.

I moved up to a 5/8 fitec, 1lb/ft and the price lowered a good bit. $50-55 range in bulk, this is the 10ft net of choice for me right now. It tangles a bit more than Betts but the braille lines do not slip. The EGO is much better quality. I'm throwing onto riprap and structure here so tearing nets up is a sure thing and all these nets are "consumables". I was surprized at how small shad are that did not got thru the 5/8. Sometimes the 4-5 inchers will gill in this net.

I found a guy on ebay that makes 1 inch 8ft nets for $33 each including shipping when you buy 4. I got these nets, they had to be soaked in fab softener and I replaced the smaller throwline with a larger one from a net that already went to net-heaven. After that, for $33 each....this is the net I'll be throwing when I'm throwing riprap, and structure. These nets are 1 inch stretch but I was pleasantly surprized that even the 8inchers don't go thru. On smaller baits I have to push them forward thru the mesh. Unless you are looking for big-bait, the mesh will be too big. The only issue with this net for me (at $33) is that its not 10ft. With this guy, I just don't feel so bad when I trash-can it on the first time out....which was my original problem...jfo
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=015&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=250141224640&rd=1&rd=1

Well, I thought I'd post an update in a continuing saga...jfo

Go to Bobcats and purchase yourself an OL' Salt...I get fairly good use out of them.

I have used the Memphis Nets for the past several years without any problems until the last one I bought. It would tear almost like it was made from a lesser quality material than previous nets. After repairing and tearing it many times I just gave up and replaced it with another higher quality brand. I'm not sure if this was just a bad batch or if they have lowered their standards but like JFO said, I'm not willing to risk money on another.

Riverrunner, its the Betts Old Salt that several of us are having the braille line slippage issue on. I got great service from that net for years but IMHO they lost the recipe on the braille crimps....jfo