Adventure Products ECL Net
The EGO Net performs its job on a topwater red drum caught by one of Capt. Jot Owens’ clients.
With hot fall inshore fishing ramping up, there’s never been a better time to examine a critical piece of fishing gear—your landing net. Often an afterthought, nets step to the forefront when they fail to deliver on a trophy catch.
“I was using a nylon mesh net,” Wrightsville Beach’s Capt. Jot Owens explained, “and it had some holes in it from cutting tangled hooks out. I went to net a trout earlier this year, and it just shot through one of the holes and got off. I said, ‘This has gotta stop’.”
Owens found a solution while at the ICAST convention earlier this year—the EGO EDGI net from Adventure Products.
“I went by their booth, and the net caught my eye,” Owens explained. “I’d been using a rubber mesh net after the trout episode, but it was so heavy I couldn’t use it with one hand. I didn’t want clients to have to net my fish on charters, so I was having to put the rod in a holder, crank the fish to me, and then net it.”
The EGO nets wear a clear or black rubber mesh bag, meaning even a triple-treble hooked MirrOlure won’t be able to tangle in the mesh. However, unlike standard rubber mesh nets, the large size EGO that Owens prefers for inshore saltwater duty weighs only 1.5 lbs. The nets are also available with nylon mesh bags that are even lighter, but at 1.5 lbs., even the slightest angler should have little trouble netting a fish singlehanded (literally).
The light weight doesn’t mean the net won’t last, however. The nets feature black extruded and reinforced aluminum handles and hoops, and an ergonomic grip design where handle meets hoop. This construction replaces a yoke assembly that can cut or fray fishing lines, and it also aids in controlling the net.
A 2-year warranty provides peace of mind for anglers worried about the net’s durability.
“That’s what attracted me to these nets,” Owens said. “They’re lightweight but well built. Mine gets banged around, beat up, and dropped overboard, and I expect it to last a number of seasons of charter use.”
The hoop has a scoop design to aid in easily getting a doormat flounder or trophy trout into the bag where it belongs. And should anglers drop their net overboard, they needn’t worry—the EGO nets float as well.
The nets are available in a variety of other sizes, including an Extra Large model that anglers chasing doormat flounder day in and day out may prefer, but Owens finds the Large size ideal for his everyday flounder, trout, and drum fishing.
The nets have yet to reach local retailers, but anglers can get more information and buy online at Adventure Products’ website at www.adventureproducts.com.
