Anglers targeting speckled trout fishing often tell tales of losing as many fish as they put in the boat, and the most-dreadful tales seem to include a gator trout that shook loose right at boatside.
The last link of the retrieve should not be a problem if the final battle ends with the aid of an effective landing net.
No doubt, trout have soft mouths, and few trout will give up during late fall conditions, with their vigorous struggles often causing a single or treble hook to tear through their tender mouths or become dislodged at the last minute. The last few feet will quickly determine the fate for both trout and angler.
Two years ago, Capt. Jot Owens tried out an EGO S2 Slider landing net (www.egos2slider.com), which is equipped with a retractable handle that allows anglers to reach out and net fish as soon as they get in range. Owens never leaves the dock without one of these nets.
“(This) net is the best thing since sliced bread for scooping up trout that would be normally out of range,” he said. “I can easily say that I land more trout since I started using this net.”
The EGO extends with the touch of a button and the pull on the handle. EGO makes several models; the 48-inch handled model extends to nine feet and has a very large basket — perfect for gator trout.
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