ALL IN ALL, IT IS A NET GAIN NEW CATCH-AND-RELEASE PRODUCTS COULD SAVE FISH FOR LATER.

Byline: Randy van Vliet Special to the Daily News

With fishing season for most of the Eastern Sierra ending Oct. 31, you would have thought Joel Cline's business, Sierra Net Company of Bishop, would be slowing down because of what most businesses would call a seasonal adjustment. So it was a surprise to see his shop in full production of an item that can save the lives of trout caught on the fly.

The catch-and-release-style net is not a new development, having been around for as long as Lee Wulff. One of the founders of catch-and-release fishing, Wulff believed a fish was too valuable a resource to be caught only once. As the practice became more popular, netmakers began specializing in manufacturing nets that would allow fish to survive being caught so they could be returned to the waters. Manufacturers began producing nets of beautiful hardwoods such as cherry, oak, walnut, ash, maple and even rosewood.

Cline has made catch-and-release nets for about three years. In the last year, he has gone from cabinet maker to full-time net production.

Traditionally, nets were made of cotton and hemp, materials noted for their strength in heavy-load applications such as towing. However, they could cause rope-like burns on the head and flanks of a struggling trout when lifted out of the water to remove the hook from their mouths.

Enter Sierra Net Company's rubber net, a material that not only flexes under the weight of a big fish but also features a wider web of the mesh, spreading the load of the fish's weight over a larger area. This promotes less potential loss of scales and the protective slime covering a fish's body.

A side benefit is that a fly fishermen, who often fishes two flies at a time, doesn't end up getting the other fly hooked on the net. Hooks don't seem to penetrate rubber as they do the twisted fabrics of conventional catch-and-release netting. Anyone who has fly-fished knows the frustration of having a hook stuck in the fabric of a net, especially if it occurs on waters where catch and release isn't mandatory; consequently, barbs on your hooks are not pinched down. It can be time-consuming to unhook the extra fly from the net without ruining the fly or the net, or both.

Cline makes traditional nets and also full-size, long-handled nets typically seen on boats. For those who fish for trophy-size trout, he manufactures nets with larger-sized openings to accommodate landing and releasing that fish of a lifetime.

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Joel Cline shows off one of his catch-and-release nets, which are handcrafted from hardwoods and finished to make waterproof.

Randy van Vliet/Special to the Daily News