This Trout Fishing Net Holds a Child!

Say What? This is one large fishing net!

Elyse, willing to show off her Dad's new fishing net

Recently I was given a new fishing net as a gift. The JTA Measure Net, Guide size. This is a large fly fishing net, I would say primarily for catch and release fishing, which is typical of fly fishing. Living in California and fishing for big trout, a big landing net has become a must. For years I have used a smaller JTA measure fishing net but over time I have seen the need for a bigger net. For yearly fishing trips up to Pyramid Lake chasing monster Lohantan Cutthroat Trout or big Brown Trout at Crowley Lake you will learn fast that a large net makes landing some of these monster trout a much more effective and enjoyable experience. Don't worry, you can also use this net for tournament bass fishing or striper fishing and many other species! It is a very universal net.

I will be honest. I ordered this net blind and was quite blown away when I received it. It was MUCH LARGER than I was expecting. This was a GOOD THING!

Quality, Fit & Finish

The quality on this net is great. The netting is without knots, which is great for catch and release fishing. The stout aluminum frame and handle pole is finished nicely with a dark blue finish. A padded handle also acts like a float. A small ring on the end of the net allows it to be secured to a boat or ladder (at Pyramid Lake). The rubber netting can be replaced once you have caught hundreds of 10lb trout... I hope it make it there!

Size

This is a large fishing net! This is not recommended for stream fishing or areas where 12" trout are common. This is to be used on bodies of water where MONSTER trout grow, such as Pyramid Lake in Nevada or Crowley Lake in California. Why not even Jurassic Lake in Argentina?

My 15 month old child fits in this net and she weighs over 25lbs! 

This net is great for having on a boat where you can have it ready at any time for landing a fish. Or on the shore at a lake and your buddy can bring it out to you to land the big one. The net is not heavy, but it's sheer size will eliminate it from being a backcountry hiking net.

The opening is 16" x 23". The tape measure in the above photo is brought out to 6ft along the sofa. The handle extends out to create a full extended length of 67" for reaching the bigs. Having this reach is going to be the difference between landing the trophy and possibly not... The net will measure a fish up to 40".  For most fish in California, this is plenty sufficient!

Cost

This is a strong point of this net in my opinion. The cost is roughly around $80 dollars which isn't much more than some of the smaller fishing nets. A lot of other guide nets used in fly fishing are in the hundreds of dollars. I have been seeing quite a few out there lately. Take for instance the Orvis Bodin Landing Net, $189. Some of the other fine wooden nets are $300+. These other nets may warrant the higher price, but if you are like me and need a budget friendly net, $80 is much more palatable.

Wrap Up

This is one awesome net! Large in size, a great quality and a bargain price, it's hard to find a comparable one on the market. Yes, there are fancy wood nets out there and some of them are bigger, but if you're like me, this net is plenty big enough for California trout! A lot of the fancy wood nets carry a hefty price tag, perhaps they are a luxury. I'm not saying there aren't other alternative or even better nets out there, but if you want a solid, strong and large landing net, I recommend this JTA Fishing Net! Please leave a comment below!

* Please note, I am no way affiliated or sponsored by JTA. This is purely a product review for my own use. 

Pros

• Sturdy construction
• Catch and Release material
• Provies a pretty accurate measurement of fish
• Great value, bang for your buck

Cons

• If you are realistically catching 40" trout, this net may still not be big enough
• Some guys move up to large salmon nets
• May not look as classy or suave as a finished wooden net

Pyramid Lake - April 27-29, 2012

Another Pyramid trip in the books.  We read the reports, it sounded slow.  Quoted from some other people, 'the slowest fishing we've seen in 20 years.'  I guess we should have known what to expect, but I was optimistic anyways!

Friday:
After about a 4.5 hour drive from San Jose, we rolled in around 11am to the South Nets.  Tom already had a few fish, so things were looking good.  After unpacking the amazing amount of gear, we were on the water.  It wasn't too long before we had our first fish from the boat.  We had to fish the boat to be able to be right on the ledge that drops from 5 to 10 ft of water.
(above) Tom with a standard slot female with the Pyramid in the back


(above) My first fish of the trip


(above) My Dad with his first and perhaps only fish of the trip


(above) Chunky fatty on the midging rig... Look at that tail!

Saturday:
Woke up with high hopes, but boy was this to be a SLOW day.  We have a group of at least 6 guys, and NO ONE got bit until after 730PM.  We fished ALL day and it was SLOW.


(above) WINDY in the morning


(above) The wind died down which didn't help the already non existent bite. At least we could enjoy the Pyramid?


(above) FINALLY a fish caught on a beetle around 730pm

There was one or two other fish caught before dark by the rest of our group, but BOY was it slow.

Sunday:
Woke up a bit discouraged, but thought we would give it a try anyways. I never caught a fish and had to pull out around 11am to drive back to San Jose.  Tom ended up with 2 fish and the rest of the group got another 3 more I think for the rest of the day.  Slightly better bite than Saturday?    
(above) Sunrise Sunday


(above) Tom bendo!


(above) Just a fiesty little scrapper!


(above) This is about what we did all day, but it was great hanging out with everyone and getting a couple fish!

I won't be back till next spring, but lets hope it's better than this year!
-Ryan

Pyramid Lake, March 3, 2012

Friday, March 2, 2012
I made the drive up to Pyramid Lake outside of Reno, Nevada.  After a few stops, I arrived around 12pm right behind Tom, Billy, Alby and Brett.  We got camp setup and started to try to fish.
The water level seemed pretty high, and after taking out my ladder at South Nets, I was still casting in around 3-5ft of water, which is too shallow.  So I figured I would get the boat out.  I found the drop from 5-10 ft and started fishing around the ledge in 10-12ft of water.  A few other guys got their float tubes out and fished.  By the end of the night, I think I had 2 fish.  Fishing was SLOW.  Water was right around 44 - 45 degrees.  We figure the fish are out deeper feeding on the tui chub and haven't made the move to the shallow water.  We were a bit 'early'.


Saturday, March 3, 2012
Woke up, no one was fishing at South Nets.  I took the boat out and was able to get a fish.  I moved out into a ledge at 23 to 28ft of water and landed another one.  If the fish were going to bite, they always bit right when I got to a spot, but then the bite tailed off.  Finally later in the afternoon I had an indicator fish.

Sunday, March 4, 2012
Same story, so we started fishing.  I had a fish early on then took a break for breakfast.  Upon going back out, I was able to get 2 more fish, and watched Billy catch 3 from his tube as well.  Alby finally got a fish, and Tom never was able to get one the whole trip.
I left pyramid at 130 and made it back to Danville by 545.  Decent amount of traffic on the 80.

Hopefully we can get back up there when the fishing turns on in the next month or two!


Below are some picture from the trip: