Nets. Sometimes they are needed.

 I often don't carry a net with me when I fish. I think this stems from two reasons, first, I don't like the added bulk, and second, the fish I usually catch are  small enough to handle without a net. But every once in a while I fish waters where I get into larger trout and a net would be really nice. 

This happened the other day. I fished a tailwater that I haven't fished in over five years. I've fished that tailwater two before, and both times I was skunked. So, on this outing, I wasn't optimistic that I'd hook anything. 

Well, after I arrived and geared up, I started fishing. Soon I was into my first fish, a 12 inch rainbow. Not too long after, I hooked another rainbow, but this one was at least 16 inches, maybe bigger. The size of the trout, combined with the speed of the current made bringing the heavy fish to hand difficult. I should have brought a net!