About Our Nets

"There is no better landing net made...ANYWHERE! After a full season of fishing in New Zealand, I can tell you that I have NEVER used a better net for landing the huge trout we catch here. The shape is perfect. The net bag is deep enough to land double digit fish with ease. The quality and beauty are superb."

That's a quote from one of our customers, a guy who's fished all over the world for decades. It deserves to be the intro to our nets because it sums up what we've been striving for.

Our net designs were created not according to accepted style but according to what really works in a given situation. Thus, you'll see that our Teardrop and Elliptical net shapes are narrower, longer and more tapered than most nets available today (engineers call this a "high aspect ratio" design -- we call it "cool").

Why this shape? First of all, nets don't need to be wide. Most nets are much wider than necessary, making them more difficult to handle, carry, and store. Our longer, narrower designs let you "aim" your fish easily into the net. Each hoop then tapers rapidly towards the throat, working like a cradle to keep the fish safely wrapped lengthwise in the soft, fish-friendly nylon. And a longer net makes it easier to get the net under your fish, particularly if it's a big fish. That being said, it's going to be your net, so we also offer wider net options if that's what you like.

Each Big Blackfoot net is designed by its owner. We offer you a wide variety of choices in nine general categories of net construction to come up with your own shape, size and look. Select your hoop shape, handle length, exotic and domestic wood combinations, stylistic elements such as a hand-carved handle butt, plus your choice of words to be inscribed on the handle shaft or hoop. That's just a few of the options.

We build every net with a 5-ply hoop (most nets use 2 or 3) which is blended into a handle made with many separate pieces of wood -- in some cases in excess of 30! Each hoop is cut from only the best sections of the finest boards we can find. Some hoops use vibrant, richly colored exotics, like the one in this photo using bucote and chakte kok for the inner and outer faces. Others use lighter colored woods with subtle grain patterns. Still others use some of each. No matter which you select, your hoop will absolutely glow.

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Handles can be made with either parallel strips of woods running lenghthwise, or with distinct sections sequentially arranged down the handle. We offer a variety of style options, each of which uses woods and shapes of your choice. And most handles get an inset containing either a hand-tied fly or wood carving "floating" in epoxy.

The many parts are joined using waterproof glues, then carved, sanded, sealed with fresh shellac made right here in our shop, and finished with a minimum of five coats of marine grade spar varnish and/or spar polyurethane.

We've also developed a unique "hidden thread" net mounting technique that eliminates that ugly groove around the net's hoop (shown below on a stunning lacewood hoop). It gives the net a much cleaner look as well as a stronger, more reliable net attachment.


The resulting blend of woods with their varied colors and grain patterns creates not only a beautiful net, it makes a strong, light-weight, and perfectly balanced net as well.

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Every net we make comes with a classic Rose Creek Net Release. For our shorter nets, this allows it to comfortably hang between your shoulders in the preferred handle-down position. For boat-based nets, it provides a safety line attachment point. Lighter and stronger than magnetic or velcro releases, this leather and brass accessory blends nicely with the character of our nets.

Our master net builder, Jerry O'Connell, won't put his name on your net until it passes his personal inspection. It's our symbol of quality, and is backed by our lifetime warranty for any defects that may show up over the years.

The final result is a unique work of art built to take the rigors of fishing but beautiful enough to hang on your den wall.

Check out our Gallery of Nets to see some other fishermen's designs. Review the Detailed Net Specifications page for the various design options. Look through our many wood selections on the Create-A-Net page. Then let your imagination run free and design your own net!

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See our Detailed Net Specifications