Thanks everyone. I’ll see what Academy has. If I don’t find a good one there I’ll order the Ego from a Tackle Warehouse.

I have an Ego S2 Slider and really like it but they do have a load capacity and it varies on how far the handle it extended. The handle part of the net hoop is plastic and a big red will break it. That's how mine broke but Ego does sell replacement parts.

I've been using one of the basic no frills aluminum frame nets I found on the side of the highway. It does the job.

Big with a long handle. You might cram the handle full of styrofoam in case it ever ends up in the water. I like to mount a bike handle grip on mine. Might seem like overkill but one day you may need it.

Hiber Net by affability from Tackle Warehouse.
I’v had several and love them.
You can stow it and stick it in the rod box and it won’t gather all your rods together

I've had a big Stowmaster for years, like ten years or better. That thing has been through hell and back and still works great.

What are you netting that is breaking the EGO S2? I've had several 9s and a DD in mine in the last year and a half with no problems at all. Oh and a 20 lb red fish!

I like the folding nets for the simple fact that I'm 100% convinced that the harder it is to get the net out, the bigger the fish will be, so I like to store it in a compartment while fishing. Thats why I never leave the net out while fishing and I always make sure I have a bunch of [censored] on top of it when I put it back in the box.

What's a net?

I ordered the Ego from Amazon. Great net and a good price.

When I said "I" it was actually my daughter's boyfriend at the time. *blink* It was a bull red, maybe 35-40lb range. I guess some folks have heebie-jeebies landing a fish that size by hand. I later found out on Ego's website they list the load capacity. Lesson learned.

By looking at the assembly you think the frame runs through the entire length of the plastic handle but it does not. The part that screws onto the handle is actually just an insert and it's all held together by the plastic handle. One of these days I'll get around to actually ordering it.


Anyways, I still think Ego is a good net, the extending handle is awesome.

LOL What are your feelings about bananas or prefilling the livewells?

No bananas on my boat, and I only prefill the livewell during the summer when I need to get the coolest water possible in the well.

I just bought a foldable one from academy that fits in a rod locker. I don't see it on the website yet but it was like $39 bucks or something. Blue collapsible handle and the round net folds in two.

I stumbled across this looking up how to replace the foam on the handle for my Ego. Low and behold Sure-Line makes an extending pole for paint roller handles that looks just like the Ego. Who knew? The 4 to 9 foot Sure-Line pole is about $32 and the 2.5 to 5 foot for about $24 on Amazon. Ego sells the net heads separately, medium nylon for $33 for example, to potentially save 40% on a good landing net.



No disrespect to Ego, just thought I'd share a $$$ saving tip.

EGO. Stay away from the slider. It’s nice but can’t hold up. I have the standard handle with the rubber net which is a must if you fish baits with treble hooks. Have netted big bull reds without an issue.