Handy Pak Net Company Net

by Jay Cohen
(Boyce, Virginia)

Yesterday in the mail I received a new folding net from the Handy Pak Net Company. I loved that the net is made in the U.S., in fact about an hour south of my hometown in northeastern PA. You have several options with the nets and the holders. I got a plastic holder and a leather holder, but will probably use the plastic one since I'm in waist deep water frequently. I also got the shallow, catch and release net, which I really like. The trick is folding it. I looked at the picture of the folding Shimano net and it looks like it folds similarly to the Handy Pak net. It's not a piece of cake folding it. It did take me awhile to get the hang of it. My problem was that when holding the handle and turning, while pushing the rim with the other, you have to keep rotating the handle. Once I got it right, it worked easily 4 out 5 times. But it's that one time it doesn't go right when I'm on the stream that bothers me. I never carried a net before, so I'm curious to see how it goes using it on the water.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.