• Fishing nets are handy tools for anglers.An angler fishing image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Fishing nets can be used to scoop up a fish once it's already on an angler's hook or used on their own to bring in the catch. These handy tools are used by recreational anglers and commercial fishermen alike, and come in many shapes and sizes. Fishing nets can be small enough to be used by one person, or several feet long and heavy enough to require many pairs of hands.
  
  

Landing Nets

• Landing fishing nets are used to capture a fish once the angler has reeled it to the surface using a pole, hook and line. These typically have a long handle and a flattened cone-shaped net on one end. Landing nets used for salmon and other large fish have metal frames and handles. Short handled varieties are available for netting trout. These are easier to carry and maneuver when fly fishing in the middle of a river. A landing net also keeps the fish contained while you remove the hook safely from its mouth.
  
  

Casting Nets

• Casting nets sometimes are used to catch smaller fish to be used as bait. This is a common occurrence at fishing tournaments. Participating boats will anchor in a spot known for finding bait fish and throw, or hand cast, the nets over the side. A typical casting net is circular, ten feet wide, has 5/8-inch mesh and is ringed with lead sinkers to help it drop rapidly over the school of bait fish. Casting nets may be tossed out by one person, but pulling the filled nets in is another matter. The net may weigh about 15 pounds going out, but once filled with water and fish, the weight can easily exceed 100 pounds.
  
  

Stationary Lift Nets

• Stationary lift nets are devices installed along the shoreline of a river, lake or ocean, and eliminate the need for a boat. The net has a frame of metal or wood bars that keep the netting mesh horizontal. A winch, attached to a platform and operated either manually or by some sort of motor, lowers the net into the water. Sometimes bait is used to attract fish. At night, strong lights also bring fish closer to the surface. After an interval, the net is quickly winched up, scooping up whatever fish happen to be within the net's mesh.