How to net a fish

What's the best way to net a fish?

''Always net a fish headfirst as your angling partner leads it in your direction. Fish can't swim backward,'' said Lenny Rudow, the Ultimate Angler, in Boating Magazine.

Rudow cautions that you should never put the net in the water before you are ready to scoop. Some people advocate ''swimming'' a fish into the net, but the only fish that will willingly swim into a net is the blind cave gobey. Everything else will see the trap and dart away. Instead, hold the net out of the water until you're sure the fish is within range, then scoop it up in one quick, fluid motion.

If you miss the fish, get the net back out of the water immediately. Otherwise, the hook might brush against the mesh. If it snags, the fish is as good as lost nine times out of 10.