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Is this a good Dipnet?

Started by Guest_Florida0Winner_* , Jul 09 2014 12:06 AM

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23 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Florida0Winner_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 12:06 AM

Hello everyone its been awhile

. I was wondering if this would be a good dipnet:
http://www.basspro.c...t/product/1329/

I wanted to ask you guys first cause you have much more experience with this and would spot the flaws...

Keep in mind im fine with only a 36' handle im only 13 and don't think I would be fast enough with a 6'
Posted Image

Edited by Florida0Winner, 09 July 2014 - 12:09 AM.

#2 Guest_Dustin_*

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Posted 09 July 2014 - 10:24 AM

It is not a great design. The fact that the net attaches to the head by wrapping around the rail means that this net will be very short lived. The net will be abraded and essentially fall off of the head after a few uses especially in sandy or gravelly habitats.

The perfect dipnet runs the net through the head so that there is metal around the edges and eliminates the possibility of abrasion. The Cummings net had a metal bar around the end which keeps this from happening as well.

#3 Guest_killier_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 11:06 AM

Ordered the same net. Broke within 15 minutes of use. (Matt K. at the first site with the monster madtoms). Granted I'm hard on my gear but still.

#4 littlen

NANFA Member

Washington, D.C.

Posted 09 July 2014 - 11:50 AM

Another weak point on a lot of dipnets is the neck. Some flimsy aluminum, thin steel, or cheap plastics cannot take the stress of being pulled upstream against strong current. The finer the mesh, the more resistance and pressure on the neck. Some break after the first few pulls. That net in particular looks to have hollow metal tubing used for the rim of the net. In my experience it bends very quickly and eventually snaps.

On nets like one pictured, I take a razor and make a cut through one side of a piece of 1/2" vinyl tubing....effectively making it a "C". Use a piece that can cover the bottom (or top?) and parts of the sides where contact will be made with the substrate. (A couple of feet should be plenty). Then use zip-ties to secure the tubing around frame of the net. It is a cheap and quick way to produce the same concept as is used on "the perfect dipnet". Of course it is not as good, but most of us have access to a spare piece of 1/2" tubing and some zip-ties.

Some folks would rather make one good investment right off the bat. Others enjoy exercising their "MacGyverr" skills on cheap stuff. Didn't someone once say, "dipnetting is half the battle"?

Nick L.

#5 Guest_gerald_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 02:02 PM

Nick's suggestion to use vinyl tubing (or old garden hose) is good for protecting the net edges from abrasion around the frame. This net should be OK for gentle use in non-rocky habitats, like much of Florida. Just dont try to lift 10 lbs of leaves & plants with it, or the neck will bend. Also, if you're going after least killies, bluefin killies, swamp darters, other small/slender fish the mesh might be too coarse.

The "Perfect Dipnet" that Dustin and Nick refer to is from JonahsAquarium.com (Mark Binkley, aka "itsme" on our forum).

#6 mattknepley

NANFA Member

Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 09 July 2014 - 03:13 PM

Ordered the same net. Broke within 15 minutes of use. (Matt K. at the first site with the monster madtoms). Granted I'm hard on my gear but still.

I will confirm Rob's statement. The neck of the thing just collapsed, and he wasn't really being that rough on it. I'm assuming at 13, your finances may not be ready for a perfect dipnet yet. Ask for one for Christmas, birthday, what have you. You will love it! In the mean time, get that cheap one, go aggro on the McGyvering to protect the net edges, and don't put a lot of stress on its neck.

Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#7 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 03:13 PM

Yeah, just spend the extra money, and get one that will last. Mark Binkley can steer you right in choosing a mesh that will suit your needs. http://jonahsaquariu...e/netdipnet.htm

#8 Guest_fundulus_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 04:50 PM

Mark B is The Man.

#9 Guest_Florida0Winner_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 09:56 PM

I'm assuming at 13, your finances may not be ready for a perfect dipnet yet.

Im willing to save up for one that will last me

Thx guys for the help I may have actually bought that thing...

#10 Guest_Doug_Dame_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 10:21 PM

I bought one while at a BassProShop last year, without thinking much about it, the price of $2x was pretty tempting. It's handy to have extra nets, so one can accommodate relatives or friends who want to try as bit of collecting in the wild.

As has been noted above, the way the net wraps around the hoop is a definite design flaw for our kind of collecting. On literally Day One of use, 90% of the net along the front edge was abraded through, and it's just barely hanging together. Granted, I could have put on a bit of protective vinyl tubing, and didn't. With some time & effort, I can repair it for light-duty use. But I am *AWFUL GLAD* I didn't buy two of them.

The Perfect Dipnet from Jonah's Aquarium isn't the only good dipnet, but it's certainly a very substantial piece of gear for the price. And it does make an exceptional item to put on a birthday or Xmas list. If PC games are "fair-valued" at $1 per hour of entertainment, then the Perfect Dipnet is a steal, probably costs 10 cents an hour.

#11 Guest_Florida0Winner_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 10:40 PM

isn't the only good dipnet

Do you have a link to cheaper alternatives?

#12 Guest_Doug_Dame_*

Guests

Posted 09 July 2014 - 11:16 PM

Do you have a link to cheaper alternatives?

I assume you mean "cheaper but decent."

In my youth I used blue plastic pool "skimmer" nets and Do-It-YourSelf contraptions with a wire hoop, some mosquito netting, and a bamboo stick. Those were cheap, but not very effective, and couldn't hold up to much usage. And in Florida you can easily catch some decent fish with a regular 4x6 or 5x8" aquarium net. Bluefin killies, heterandria formosa aka the least killiefish (except it isn't, it's a livebearer), young flagfish, mollies, damnusia aka mosquitofish, Elassoma aka pygmy sunfish, golden-ear killies, etc., simply by sweeping through shallow weeds in wet ditches, creeks and ponds. A regular aquarium net won't handle a lot of that before it rips, but it can catch some fish worth keeping.

I think some people were pretty happy with a wood-handled Cummings dipnet a few years ago, but I don't know where they were getting them, and I'm not really sure they're significantly less expensive. CummingsNet has a website, but with a three minute scan I didn't see anything quite like what I recall people using. Per my recollection, Dustin used to use one, and maybe still does; hopefully he'll chime in.

But the Perfect Dipnet is very popular for a reason, it's a VG net and a VG value.

#13 Guest_Florida0Winner_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 01:39 AM

What would be the best one in this list:
http://cumingsnets.c...&path=79&page=1

#14 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 07:30 AM

None of those are the Cummings dipnet that collectors liked. I think that model may be discontinued.

It looks like if you want a quality net, that Mark Binkley has cornered the market.

#15 Guest_Dustin_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 10:42 AM

I use the 270-12. I have used these for the past 15 years with good success.

#16 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 12:22 PM

Oh good they still make it. I could not see the metal guard in the photos. I have used this net and like it.

#17 Guest_Florida0Winner_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 01:03 PM

Hmm lets see
Bass pro shop = 29$ for 15 minutes of use
Cummings = 35$ for 15 years

Thank you guys I have made my decision!

#18 Guest_Dustin_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 01:19 PM

Whoa, I think I may not have been clear. I have used these nets for the last 15 years but not the same net. I have probably been through 20+ nets in that time frame. I expect to get 1-2 seasons out of a net and I would venture a guess that there are very few people here that are rougher or get more use out of a dipnet than I do. I will say that I have only ever had one Perfect Dipnet and it has also performed very well over the use though it has seen substantially less use.

There are issues with both nets. The Cumings net attaches to the handle by two prongs embedded in the handle. This is surprisingly durable but after extensive use these either snap or come loose from the handle. I have never torn a net on this type.

The Perfect Dipnet is customizable and Mark can make it pretty much any way you like. I have one that I pack in my suitcase for long trips that breaks into three pieces but still makes a very solid net when put together. My issues with this net are the bag depth and the fact that it is metal. I believe he has taken care of the bag depth and it is no longer an issue. I do use my net while electrofishing on occassion and prefer the wooden handle for that.

#19 Guest_Skipjack_*

Guests

Posted 10 July 2014 - 04:00 PM

Still the better deal. The average person should get several years out of the Cummings net versus very little use out of the Bass pro net.

#20 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

Guests

Posted 12 July 2014 - 09:18 AM

Another benefit of the monorail ("Perfect") dipnet is that the netting is replaceable and since the head snaps right off you can carry more than one head with, say, different size mesh, which is what I do. Saves money on the handle,which is the more expensive part. I use a fiberglass painter's pole. I have a Cummins and it is durable, but not modular like the monorail style net.