The Best Landing Nets

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

In England, a landing net with knotted or metallic mesh is banned under the national rod fishing byelaws, and Natural Resources Wales applies the same rule in Wales. So the first filter on any fishing landing net is knotless mesh. Size and handle come second.

The short answer: for carp, a 42in triangle net with knotless mesh on a handle of about 6ft is the common standard. For general coarse fishing, a 36in round or pan net. For match fishing, something in the 16 to 22in range. For pike, a big knotless net with a deep bag.

The picks below are sorted by job, each with the spec to look for, followed by a FAQ on sizes, handles, fishery rules and how to net a fish without losing it.

We pick nets by type and spec rather than by brand. Tackle prices and stock change often, so check the current price at the retailer before you buy, and see our affiliate disclosure for how the site is funded.

1. Best Carp Landing Net: 42in Triangle With Knotless Mesh

A carp that only half fits the net is the one that bumps the cord, kicks and drops the hook at the last second. Buy the right size first time and that stops happening.

A 42in triangle is the default carp landing net. The arms are long enough to draw a double-figure carp over the cord without lifting early, and 42in is the usual size in carp net ranges. Some clubs write it into the rules: Goldsworth Park Angling Club in Surrey requires carp anglers to use a landing net of at least 42in on Goldsworth Park Lake, alongside a large, well-padded mat. That is one club’s rule on one lake, so check your own fishery’s rules before you buy.

What to look for in the best landing net for carp:

Arms: 42in.
Mesh: knotless, ideally rubber or rubber-coated. Knotted and metallic mesh are banned in England and Wales, and knotless mesh is gentler on slime, scales and fins.
Spreader block: solid aluminium or tough composite, with an isotope slot if you fish into dark.
Handle: about 6ft (1.8m) for most carp swims.
Bag depth: deep enough to hold the fish in the water while you get the mat ready.

Before the net leaves the water, have one of the unhooking mats we rate wetted and ready. If you’re still building the rest of your setup, see our pick of the best carp rods.

Best for: day-ticket and club carp waters. Skip if: you mainly fish small commercials for silvers (see item 6).

2. Best Landing Net Handle: Length, Locking and Stiffness

Measure the drop from where you stand to the water once, and you know the handle length you need for that swim. That single measurement prevents most handle-buying mistakes.

The handle decides whether you can reach the fish at all. Too short on a high bank and you end up kneeling at the edge, stretching. Too long on a low peg and it’s a clumsy pole to swing around. As common practice:

Situation	Typical handle length	Why
Low banks, commercial pegs	About 1.5 to 2m	Easy to control, quick to ship out
High banks, rivers, wide reed margins	About 2.5 to 3m	Reaches past weed and down to the water

Next, the build. A one-piece landing net handle is the stiffest and simplest option, with nothing to slip. Telescopic handles pack down and reach further, but check the locking collar or twist lock holds solid under load. A two-piece sits in between.

Stiffness is the spec most often overlooked. A long handle with a wet 42in net and a fish in it will flex and twist. Carbon is lighter and stiffer. Aluminium and fibreglass are cheaper and heavier.

Whatever the handle, never lever a fish up on it. Slide your hands down to the spreader block and lift from there (the FAQ covers netting technique step by step).

Heads and handles usually share a standard landing net thread, but check the product listing before mixing brands.

The verdict: if you fish one venue, buy for its highest peg. If you roam, buy a telescopic handle that locks solid at full length.

3. Best Net for Big Carp and Big Waters: 46in to 50in

If 42in is the standard, why do some carp net ranges go up to 46 and 50in? Because on some waters the fish, the weed or the range make 42in feel small.

A bigger net helps in three situations:

Very large carp and catfish that fill a 42in net.
Weedy lakes, where a fish comes in wrapped in a ball of weed that doubles its bulk.
Long-range or snaggy fishing, where a tired fish is hard to steer precisely to the cord.

Bigger arms are heavier and more awkward on a long handle, they need more room in a tight swim, and the bag holds more water when you lift. That makes the “hands to the spreader block” rule from item 2 even more important. Check the arms fit in your car when broken down, too.

What to look for:

Arms: 46 to 50in.
Spreader block: strong, with no flex at the arm sockets.
Handle: stiff, ideally carbon.
Mesh: deep and knotless, or a shallow mesh where a deep bag snags. Some big-net ranges offer a shallow-mesh version.

Weigh the fish in a sling, never in the net. Our guide to the best fishing scales covers what to pair with a big-fish net.

Compared with item 1: the 42in is easier to use day to day. Size up only when your fish or your weed justify it.

4. Best Pike Landing Net: Big, Knotless and Deep

Two sets of trebles in a soft knotted mesh can turn a two-minute unhooking into ten. For pike, the net is fish care and hook management in one.

General UK advice is a large knotless net, roughly a 30in round or a 40 to 42in triangle, with a deep bag. Some clubs write a “large” net into their rules: Goldsworth Park Angling Club’s pike code asks for a large net and an unhooking mat. Mesh matters as much as size. Rubber or rubber-coated knotless mesh sheds trebles and lures more easily than soft nylon, and knotted mesh is banned in England and Wales anyway.

How to use a pike landing net well:

Sink the net well before the fish arrives.
Draw the pike over the cord with the rod and lift only when it’s fully in.
Keep the fish in the net, in the water, while you get forceps and the mat ready.
Move it to a mat for unhooking, especially if it’s deep-hooked.

On Windermere I fish for pike with lures, trolled baits and deadbaits, and I’ve found a deep rubber-mesh net makes unhooking calmer. The fish rests in the bag and the hooks rarely tangle in the mesh. Our guide on how to unhook a pike covers the next step.

If you’re putting together a predator kit from scratch, see the best pike rods and reels and a mat from our unhooking mat picks.

The verdict: a big knotless rubber-mesh net plus a mat is the minimum kit for pike. Don’t fish for them without both.

5. Best All-Round Coarse Net: 36in Round or Pan for Tench, Bream and Barbel

If you own only one landing net and fish for a bit of everything, buy a 36in. It covers most mixed coarse fishing in the UK without the bulk of a carp triangle.

A 36in round or pan net handles tench, bream, chub, barbel and the odd carp, and it’s easier to control on a long handle than a triangle, especially from high river banks. Round and pan nets give you a wide target. Spoon-shaped nets are shallower and easier to slide under a fish in the margins.

For river barbel and chub, choose a deeper bag.

On mesh, you have two good options:

Knotless rubber: resists hook snags and is easy to clean, but heavier.
Fine knotless nylon: lighter, but drains more slowly in current and catches hooks more often.

Bream are where I notice the net most. Feeder or float fishing for bream on Windermere, a roomy round net on a long handle lets me reach past marginal weed rather than dragging the fish through it. Pair it with a suitable rod from our best coarse fishing rods guide.

Best for: mixed coarse sessions on lakes and rivers. Skip if: you target big carp only (see item 1).

6. Best Match and Silverfish Net: 16in to 22in Fine Mesh

The smallest nets on the market are some of the most specialised. They are built around speed, not size.

Match nets are commonly 16 to 22in across. When you’re netting dozens of roach, rudd and skimmers in a match, a small, light head that ships out and back in one movement saves seconds on every fish, and those seconds add up over a full match.

Mesh is where match nets differ most:

Fine knotless mesh: the usual choice for roach, rudd and small skimmers.
Shallow rubber or “F1” style mesh: drains quickly and sheds hooks, good for F1s and small carp on commercials.
Hair mesh: very fine, for very small fish.

The handle needs to be long and light. A telescopic match handle should reach your pole line and still let you net one-handed while the other hand holds the pole.

Commercial fisheries often set their own net and keepnet rules. The keepnet byelaws are in the FAQ below, and our match fishing rules page covers the rest.

Compared with item 5: a 36in net is too slow and heavy for a fast silverfish session. A match net is too small for anything over a few pounds.

7. Best Compact Net for Stalking and Lure Roving

The net you left at the car is the one you needed when a good fish turned up at the bottom of a steep bank. A compact net solves that.

If you walk the bank all day, a small or folding net on a short handle you can sling on your back beats a 42in triangle that never leaves the boot. The main types:

Folding or collapsible frames that pack flat.
Small round heads with rubber mesh.
Short one-piece or telescopic handles with a clip, sling or magnetic holder.

Compromise on frame size, not mesh. A smaller frame is fine for perch and chub, but keep knotless rubber mesh so hooks and lures come out cleanly. If you’re stalking carp, check the venue’s minimum net size first, as the Goldsworth Park example in item 1 shows.

When I’m roving with lures or drop-shotting for perch on Windermere, I prefer a light rubber-mesh net clipped to my bag. It’s there when I need it and I forget it’s there when I don’t. See our guide to drop-shot fishing and our pick of the best perch lures for the rest of a roving kit.

The verdict: if you roam with lures, start with a small rubber-mesh net on a telescopic handle.

8. Best Game Fishing Net for Trout and Grayling

One change of net, to rubber mesh, ends most of the fiddly business of picking flies out of the mesh.

Game nets come in two main types:

Wading nets: short wooden or aluminium frames, often with a magnetic release so the net hangs on your back and pulls free one-handed.
Boat nets: longer, usually telescopic, for reservoir and stillwater boat fishing where you net over the gunwale.

Mesh should be rubber or rubber-coated knotless. Landing nets with knotted or metallic mesh are banned for freshwater rod fishing under the byelaws in England and Wales, and that includes trout and grayling waters. Game fisheries and salmon rivers may add their own rules on nets and handling, so check with the fishery before you travel.

Fish care is simple: wet your hands before touching the fish, and keep it in the net, in the water, while you remove the fly. Trout and grayling don’t take kindly to time on the bank.

For more on the species and methods, see our trout fishing guide and the best trout rods.

Best for: wading rivers and boat fishing. Skip if: you mainly coarse fish.

9. Best Spares and Upgrades: Replacement Mesh and Spreader Blocks

Is that old knotted net in the shed still legal to use? In England and Wales, no. You may not need a new net, though.

Replacement meshes let you swap a knotted mesh for knotless or rubber on the frame you already own. Check that the arm length and fixing method match before you order.

Spreader blocks are the usual failure point. A cracked block lets the arms wobble or pop out under load. Metal blocks are generally tougher, composite blocks lighter. If you fish into dark, choose one with an isotope slot.

A spare mesh earns its place twice over. You can swap to a dry one between sessions instead of packing a wet, smelly net, and it gives you time to rinse and fully dry a net between venues, which is good practice for fish health.

Check current prices with the retailer, as spares vary by brand and fit.

The verdict: if your frame and handle are sound, replace the mesh before you replace the net.

Frequently asked questions

What size landing net do I need for carp?

A 42in triangle net is the usual standard for carp. Some clubs make it a rule: Goldsworth Park Angling Club requires a landing net of at least 42in for carp on Goldsworth Park Lake. Go to 46 or 50in for very large fish or weedy water. See item 1 above for the full spec, and check your fishery's rules.

Are knotted landing nets illegal in the UK?

In England, landing nets with knotted or metallic mesh are banned under the Environment Agency's national rod fishing byelaws. Wales has the same ban under Natural Resources Wales byelaws, and gaffs and tailers are banned in both. For Scotland, check with the Scottish Government or the fishery. For Northern Ireland, check with DAERA or the Loughs Agency, depending on the water. Our fishing licence guide covers the licence you need.

How long should a landing net handle be?

As common practice, about 1.5 to 2m suits low banks and commercial pegs, and about 2.5 to 3m suits high banks, rivers and wide reed margins. Measure the drop from your standing spot to the water, and allow extra reach where reeds or a shelf stop you netting at your feet. See item 2 above for locking and stiffness.

Do fisheries set a minimum landing net size?

Some do, and the rules are venue-specific. Goldsworth Park Angling Club, for example, sets a 42in minimum for carp on one lake. Club rules can also cover unhooking mats and weigh slings, and can differ between lakes run by the same club. Read the club or fishery rules, or ask the bailiff, before you buy, and check with the fishery before you travel.

How do you net a fish properly?

Sink the net before the fish arrives. Keep the net still and draw the fish over it with the rod, and lift only when the fish is fully in. Slide your hands to the spreader block and lift from there rather than levering on the handle, then carry the fish to an unhooking mat, never onto grass or concrete. The most common mistake is chasing the fish with the net.

What are the keepnet rules in England?

Under the national rod fishing byelaws on GOV.UK, a keepnet is banned if it has knotted or metallic mesh, is under 2m long, has holes over 25mm in circumference, rings more than 40cm apart (not counting the opening to the first ring) or rings under 120cm in circumference. Keepsacks must be soft, dark, non-abrasive and water-permeable, at least 120cm x 90cm (or 150cm x 30cm x 40cm with a frame), with one fish per sack. Wales sets matching keepnet limits through Natural Resources Wales. Some fisheries add their own keepnet rules or ban keepnets for some species, so check the venue rules.