What's New?

Fly Fish America picks BBN as one of its "Top 10 Landing Nets"!
The nation's largest fly fishing magazine, Fly Fish America, has selected Big Blackfoot Nets to be one of their Top 10 Catch and Release Nets in their annual Gear Guide issue. We've always known our nets are light and nicely balanced, but it was still gratifying to see that our teardrop Trout net, weighing in at a mere 5.35 ounces, was the lightest of the group by a wide margin. If you get the chance to see the magazine, we think you'll also agree it's the prettiest of the bunch by far. The magazine is available free of charge at most fly shops throughout the country.

BBN Nets Found In Norman McLean's Outhouse!
Strange but true. Actually, the Little Bird Gallery in Seeley Lake, Montana has incorporated the outhouse from McLean's nearby residence into its displays. Since Norman was a lifelong flyfisherman as well as the author of "A River Runs Through It", the gallery felt it appropriate to dedicate his throne room to the display of an array of Big Blackfoot Nets. Next time you're in Seeley Lake, stop by and have Vicky make you the best sandwich and mug of coffee for miles around, relax and check out some of our creations.

Introducing The Lady Angler
Women are taking to flyfishing in ever increasing numbers. To fit their specific needs, BBN has created the The Lady Angler model. A slightly shorter hoop and handle keep the net in proportion to a woman's size, yet it's still capable of landing big fish. The handle's cross section is also smaller to provide a comfortable grip. The initial Lady Angler, pictured here, is for the editor of a woman's outdoor adventure magazine in the Pacific Northwest.

For the equipment minimalist -- The HipPocket Model
A friend asked me to make him a net that could fit in the hip pocket of his jeans for fishing small creeks. The challenge was on! After carefully measuring the pocket of his 36/32 Wranglers, we went to work. Here's the result, laying alongside a regular sized net. It has an overall length of 14 1/2", a 10 1/2" x 5" hoop and a 4" handle.

This design, now known as the "HipPocket", seems to fit all adult size jeans, and it appears to fit most adult trout as well. We asked our engineering team (myself and my three dogs) to calculate the maximum trout length it could handle. This net successfully has already landed a 20" cutthroat on the North Fork of the Blackfoot just up the road a piece. About 5" of its tail was sticking out of the top, but it worked fine nonetheless. So let's call 20" the feasible max fish size for this very cool-looking net.

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For big fish -- The Steelhead Model
The Steelhead hoop size allows big fish -- steelhead, sockeyes, and silvers -- to be easily scooped up without damage. The picture shows it alongside a Teardrop model for comparison. The hoop is 24" long, 14" wide, and comes with your choice of a deep fish-friendly knotless nylon netting or rubber-coated netting (editor's note: we HATE rubber-coated netting -- it weighs too much and it's ugly, but if you want it, you get it). Steelhead hoops are always coupled with our 28" boat handle.

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Longitudinal Wood Handles
This new style can be used on any length handle. You can make it bold and flashy, or subtle and understated, simply by how you arrange contrasting woods. We can put any number of wood laminations in your handle. In this example, there are eleven laminations using four different wood species. We suggest calling us to discuss your wood selection and arrangement to get the exact look you want.

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NEW WOOD OPTIONS! We're always adding new woods, so check this area regularly. Here are some of our most recent additions:


Afzelia Burl -- A beautiful tan/amber burl wood, loaded with figuring. This is an easily worked wood that makes great handle and butt carvings.


Tasmanian Rose Myrtle -- I found this in a small wood shop in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where they use it for cabin trim on high-end yachts. Its rose-tinted wood is completely covered in luminescent tiger stripes. It has a stunning look that will complement virtually any other wood.


Jarrah Burl -- An agressive burl pattern in a vivid orange-brown. Makes gorgeous handle shafts.


Spalted Birch -- A creamy wood with grey and black 'spalt' patterns. Spalt, formed by bacteria in dying trees, makes for cool looking carvings.


Pink Ivory -- One of the hardest to find and most costly of the exotics, pink ivory lives up to its name. This vivid, nicely figured pink wood only comes in small pieces, thus it can only be used in handles, but oh, what handles it makes!



Bucote -- is a rich dark brown African wood with great grain patterns. If you're looking for a bold look for your hoop, this is one of the boldest.
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Pyinma -- Light to creamy tan, this wood is loaded with vertical mackeral highlights. We've now made over a dozen nets with this on the outer hoop (plus one awesome looking net with this on the inside offsetting kingwood on the outer hoop) and they rival any hoop we've done yet. Check out the Gallery for how it looks in its finished state.


Thuya Burl -- Burls make for some weird looking wood, and thuya is right up there. It's expensive and only comes in small chunks, but it makes great handle sections. Forget about it for hoops -- it's way too small and gnarly for that role.


Chakte Kok -- This wood has a vivid red color that takes on burgundy overtones once the varnish is applied. The finished product looks like sunlight through a fine cabernet -- specifically, a 1985 Chateau Montelena. Excellent choice for net handles (the wood, not the wine).


Chakte Viga -- A beautiful light orange wood that carves nicely. Excellent choice for net handle shafts and butts. It also bends well, making a great hoop when contrasted with a dark wood (e.g., chakte kok, bloodwood, bucote, padauk) on the other side of the hoop.



Macawood -- A wide variety of subtle colors, from rose red to orangy tan to rich purple brown with darker streaks. Lots of subtle contrasts throughout the grain.
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Pau Amarello -- our new stock contains beautiful pure yellow flame patterns in the grain. Perfect for a handle shaft!


Wenge -- Our latest wenge boards have very clear grain patterns. The grain lines are the color of chocolate pudding with jet black wood between them. It looks incredible under a gloss varnish. Place this next to a light wood on your handle and you'll have one stunning net!


Coyotewood -- Our first board of this just came in. It's a tan-to-brown hardwood with crisp, lighter grain lines and a pretty flame shimmer to it.


South American Tulipwood -- A beautiful pink and white striped wood. The coloration is so vivid it could pass for candy. This picture just doesn't do it justice -- it's much more beautiful in person. It makes a great change of shade and texture between two dark woods.


Kingwood -- also known as Brazilian rosewood. Beautiful, rich maroon and black grain. By far the prettiest rosewood in existence, but it's in very short supply. Brazil has stopped all kingwood exports, which is good for the dwindling kingwood forest. However, that means when the supplies are gone, they're gone for a few hundred years. We have enough for about 8 hoops and maybe 20 net handles. Order a half dozen today!
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