Mika Vornanen’s Tips for Netting a Pike

Catching a record fish is every angler's longstanding dream. The most likely time for the record to escape is during netting. A several-kilo pike struggling on a short line can make sudden lunges, the line can wear thin, or in the worst case, the rod can break. It's a subject with many parts and variables, using the net and netting the fish.

We asked Mika "Haukikoira" (Pike Dog) Vornanen, chosen by the Finnish Fishing Tourism Promotion Association (Suomalaisen kalastusmatkailun edistämisseura) as Fishing Guide of the Year 2016, for tips on how to finish it all without failure.

Step-by-step instructions – how you can also succeed in netting:

1. I always keep my boat floors free from unnecessary items. So, there is space to move in these situations.
2. No rod should hang over the railing. So, there is space to move in these situations.
3. I never put the net in the water before netting, only once the fish is ready to be netted.
4. I don't use the net like a fly net, but I hold the bottom of the net in my fingers. The net is easier to handle and quicker to remove from the water if needed.
5. It is very important that communication works; someone must say when the fish is ready to be netted.
6. When netting occurs, the fish should not feel any extra resistance or pressure that would make it turn or make a lunge.
7. I prefer to lift the fish from behind, from below, and all around. Experience has taught me that this works better than letting the fish swim into the net.
8. Once the fish is in the net, do not immediately lift it into the boat. It's not going anywhere.
9. A large net accommodates bigger fish, but also smaller fish, such as 60–90 cm zanders and 40–50 cm perches, among others.
10. Don't struggle with the fish, but if the situation requires, let it "walk" with the rod, and sometimes the other way around.
11. Trust me, just a touch of the fore or aft motor's propeller or a rough boat bottom is enough to cut the braided line.
12. Trust me, if you rest the rod against the railing when the fish goes under the boat, even a good rod can break. A rod is not a pole or a crane.
13. The friction from the rod rings increases when the rod bends, so when the fish makes a lunge or dives, follow the direction of the line with the rod, not the other way around.
14. The angle of the rod and line should not, especially at close range, exceed 90 degrees at any time, as the brake will not smoothly release the line without adjustment.
15. Last but perhaps most importantly: the distance between the lure and the fish to the rod should be at least a meter, or even a bit more, depending on the flexibility of the rod.

Good luck fishing to those who need it.

Mika "Pike Dog" Vornanen
Haukikoira.fi

Image: Mika Vornanen

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