Bluelabel wrote:TBH cash is tight this year, and I would prefer to spend about £150 max.... if that's not going to be enough, then I might have to fall back on trying to make a handle and use a stock (read modern) head
If I may add to this; as with everything else, you get largely what you pay for-unless you get incredibly lucky and find that once-in-a-lifetime-bargain, which not many of us do.
High-end quality nets, built along 'traditional' lines cost a lot; there are no two ways about it. This is largely due to the time is takes to do it, more than the actual cost of materials, although that must come into it. You only have to ask anyone who has made one to know just how long can be spent on seemingly small details and to anyone who does this kind of work professionally cannot-with the best will in the world-work for nothing, or next to it.
Many people out there have their own ideas about how much things
should and ought to cost-but very often that has no basis in economic facts within the real world in which we all live. Sorry if that sounds a bit hard but I have been caught out so many times that one tends to go that way..A case in point; recently, I spent three entire weekends working hard manually, making some fittings for someone, made the best job I could, sent it all off and never so much as had an offer to cover my postage-let alone the cost of the work! One 3-line email to say it had arrived and that was it.. C'est la Vie, eh?
However, what you suggest is actually a very good idea! Why
not make your own net handle and-for the time being-add a ready-made, modern net head? Many others already do and it's something which you can change later on, if you wish.
Making a top-quality handle takes time and experience. A lot of it, but it doesn't
have to be top end to start with. Making a net handle is a lot easier than you might at first think. Essentially, you need a good Burma-or Tonkin pole, about 18-20mm at the thinnest end and you can buy this either from a garden centre or on-line, although doing that is something of a gamble as to the quality!
There is plenty of advice on this forum on how to straighten and treat it afterwards. All you need then is a suitable ferrule with a 3/8" BSF female thread and something to tidy up the other end. Again, I have lost count of the number of those I have made gratis, but they are out there, if you search hard enough.
You can finish and decorate your net handle to your own taste and get immense pleasure from catching a fish with something you have made yourself!
So why not give it a try and see how you get on?
I wish you all the best with it!
Regards,
wm+
so can you chaps give me an idea of how much a traditional net and handle would cost.... I'm looking for something that'll handle up to mid double carp comfortably but not look too huge for smaller species... a single piece handle, no longer than the length of a MkIV carp rod butt section (so it fits into my holdall comfortably)
