Wayward Landing Nets

Those who have fished with me know just how much I enjoy landing a trout into a vintage Brodin landing net. While I do have a high-tech graphite net, there is something different about pushing into the water a wooden hoop to land a beauty of a trout. It just seems right. Maybe because water and fish are more in concert with wood than graphite? I don't know. Maybe it's the craftsmanship that's required with handmade wood nets, and I appreciate the work that goes into that. For sure.

About the time Brodin Net Company was closing its business, a new company was launching a net business in Philadelphia. The owner had escaped all the trappings of working in a corporate job, and started a custom landing net business. I want to say quality craftsmanship, but can't, because the owner and maker of these fine nets isn't a man, but a smart business woman who can make beautiful wooden nets with her own two hands. Craftspersonship? Craftswomanship? I'll just structure my sentences using the word handcrafted. It's easy to say Tina Lewis makes some gorgeous, wooden, handcrafted landing nets!

A member of a fly fishing site was selling a brand new, unused, Wayward Landing Net last year. It was a great size for my small streams with a handle a bit longer than my old Brodin nets. I thought it was worth trying out on some of my streams. When it arrived I was impressed with the handcrafted quality of the net (see what I did there?). It's an impressive net, and should fit right into my world of fly fishing.