15 Best Commercial Fishing Nets for Heavy-Duty Catching

Replacing a worn-out net mid-season costs more than money—every missed haul, every extra hour splicing on deck, chips away at your bottom line. Whether you’re hauling hoki from Cook Strait, setting flounder nets in quiet estuaries, or chasing kahawai from a trailer boat, the gear has to take a hiding and keep fishing. That’s why commercial skippers look beyond bargain-bin mesh to nets built with high-tenacity twine, reinforced selvedges, and sink/float lines heavy enough to ride out a spring tide.

In the guide below we’ve hand-picked fifteen of the toughest commercial fishing nets available to New Zealand operators right now. Each entry carries the vital stats—mesh size, twine gauge, panel depth, and rigging details—plus straight-up advice on matching the net to your target species, vessel size, and local regulations. You’ll also see rapid-fire buying pointers on durability, ease of repair, and supplier back-up, so you can spend less time comparing spreadsheets and more time landing fish.

Quick regulatory reminder: set-net lengths, mesh limits, and protected-species rules change faster than the weather—always confirm with MPI before wetting a new net.

1. Action Outdoors Heavy-Duty Commercial Gill Net (NZ Made)

If you need a gill net that shrugs off rugged beach launches and repeated dawn hauls, the in-house Action Outdoors model is a no-brainer. Made in Auckland from export-grade materials, it brings the durability of big-boat gear to smaller operators who still want tidy handling and fast repairs. The mono sits soft in the water yet keeps its shape, and every panel ships fully rigged—just shackle on and fish.

Specs at a Glance

• Nylon monofilament: 0.50–0.60 mm
• Panel size: 50 m × 30–50 meshes deep
• Standard mesh sizes: 3″, 4.5″, 6″

Heavy-Duty Features

• Double-selvedge stitching for tear resistance
• UV-protected EVA floats hold lift after a full season
• Lead-core foot-rope (≈ 15 kg/100 m) tuned for local swell

Best For & Pro Tips

Perfect for inshore snapper and kahawai under the ITQ. Steam out pre-dawn, set the net along contour lines, and haul by mid-morning; you’ll beat the rays and slash by-catch. Rinse with fresh water before stowing to extend mono clarity and avoid chalking.

2. Cookes Polyethylene Mid-Water Trawl Netting

Cookes’ PE trawl netting is the workhorse you see stacked on pallets in every South Island yard—pure utility braided into bright-green sheets. Purpose-built for mid-water doors, the netting balances low stretch with serious abrasion resistance, so it keeps fishing after those inevitable brushes with rough gear or a muddy bottom. For skippers chasing volume rather than souvenirs, it’s a reliable, easily spliced base cloth that won’t balloon your fuel bill.

Specs at a Glance

• High-tenacity polyethylene twine: 220 d/48
• Knotless diamond mesh, heat-set for uniformity
• Supplied in 1,050 m bales; cut or sewn to suit your trawl plan
• Standard dye: hi-vis green for deck-side safety checks

Heavy-Duty Features

• PE absorbs minimal water, so haul weight stays consistent shift after shift
• Factory heat-setting locks mesh size—no sneaky stretch past MPI limits
• Twine coating adds UV and diesel-spill protection, extending panel life between yard refits

Best For & Pro Tips

Ideal for 10–25 m mid-water trawlers targeting hoki, mackerel, or juvenile squid columns. Stitch on a smaller-mesh cod-end (70–90 mm) to sharpen selectivity and avoid juvenile by-catch penalties. Keep an off-cut roll onboard; you can patch tears with a double-hitch and be shooting again before the coffee cools.

3. Haverford Knotted Nylon Multipurpose Netting

Mending a torn seine or whipping up a last-minute bait pen is painless when a roll of Haverford’s knotted nylon sits in the lazarette. It’s the duct tape of commercial fishing nets—tough, forgiving, and endlessly adaptable to deck-side improvisation.

Specs at a Glance

• Twine: 210/9–210/18 knotted nylon
• Mesh sizes: 50–150 mm (stretched)
• Panel depth: 1.8–10 m
• Supplied per kilo, by cut length, or as pre-hung rolls

Heavy-Duty Features

• Knotted construction locks mesh shape even if a strand parts
• UV treatment to AS1389 keeps strength after months of splash and sun
• Controlled stretch absorbs shock loads, preventing seam blow-outs during rough lifts

Best For & Pro Tips

Keep a two-kilo coil on board to fashion flake nets, seine wings, or temporary predator covers before the next tide. When patching existing gear, over-stitch the new cloth by two meshes each side to stop creep and keep your net fishing instead of fraying.

4. Lakefish Custom Mono Gill Net

When the standard panel sizes in most commercial fishing nets don’t quite line up with your local quota ground, Lakefish steps in with a made-to-measure service. A quick phone call or form upload gets you a spec sheet back within hours, and the stitched-to-order mono shows up on your dock two days later—ready to shoot.

Specs at a Glance

• Monofilament diameter: 0.35–0.55 mm
• Mesh and depth: fully custom; popular flounder options 4½″ mesh, 28–40 meshes deep
• Panel length: to 100 m; double-selvedged edges throughout

Heavy-Duty Features

• 48-hour local build keeps you fishing, not waiting on imports
• Reinforced EVA floats resist petrol spills and UV chalking
• Spare panels couriered overnight; colour-coded leads speed mesh ID on deck

Best For & Pro Tips

Tailor-made for South Island flounder crews or anyone chasing mixed flatfish. Mark every tenth float with reflective tape so night sets line up perfectly on the sounder grid.

5. Johnston Net & Twine Multifilament Gill Net

When finicky fish bump stiff mono and bolt, a supple multifilament panel can be the difference between a dry bin and a full quota tote. Johnston Net & Twine’s long-running giller delivers that stealth while still standing up to commercial punishment, which is why you’ll see it stacked alongside bait boxes on South Island wharves.

Specs at a Glance

• Multifilament nylon 210/3 × 4 twine
• Mesh range: 70 – 140 mm (stretched)
• Panel length: up to 100 m; 25 – 45 meshes deep
• Supplied pre-hung with cork floats and chrome-plated brass end rings

Heavy-Duty Features

• Soft fibres increase gilling rate instead of bouncing fish off the wall
• Brass rings resist corrosion and make quick gang-hook tie-offs simple
• Natural cork keeps lift even after a diesel spill or full Kiwi summer of UV

Best For & Pro Tips

Perfect for lake and river crews chasing salmon, trout, or mullet on set-net permits. Soak from dusk, haul pre-dawn, and drop captured fish straight into a slush bin of river water to preserve slime and premium grade.

6. Dyneema® Ultra-Light Purse Seine Net

Dyneema® has become the go-to fibre for skippers who want a net that lifts like kite string yet handles bump and abrasion better than chunky polyethylene. Shedding as much as a third of the weight off the cork line means faster pursing, shorter winch times, and a noticeable drop in fuel burn—costs that add up over a long skipjack season. The initial outlay is steeper, but most operators claw it back well before the second refit.

In New Zealand waters the net shines on bait-ball surface work where quick set-and-haul cycles chase constantly moving schools. The fibre’s near-zero stretch keeps the bunt tight, stopping fish from bulldozing a gap while you purse the rings.

Specs at a Glance

• Fibre: SK78 Dyneema® braided twine, 1.8 mm
• Mesh: 45 mm knotless, heat-set for size stability
• Delivered as complete bunt, wings, and lead-line sections, ready to rig
• Typical circumference: 600 m; depth: 70 m (customisable)

Heavy-Duty Features

• 35 % lighter than equivalent PE, reducing deck strain and crane hours
• Exceptional cut- and chafe-resistance around rings and lead-weights
• Minimal water uptake (<1 %) means predictable haul loads shift after shift
• Service life commonly two seasons longer than standard commercial fishing nets

Best For & Pro Tips

Built for pelagic purse-seiners targeting skipjack or albacore from 20–40 m vessels. Lighter gear lets crews haul at higher RPM without overloading hydraulics—ideal when fish sound suddenly. Run a polyurethane chafe sleeve on the first 50 m of bunt to stop hull rub, and fresh-water rinse after every trip to keep the Dyneema® coating slick.

7. Advanced Netting Commercial Bass & Mullet Net

Skippers working the harbours of Northland and the muddy Thames coast swear by this pre-rigged tangle-net. The mesh hangs slack enough to bag fish without bruising them, yet the reinforced chords keep the wall upright when the tide stands on its tail. Built around slim 0.45 mm mono, it soaks fast, shoots cleanly, and—most importantly for quota holders—meets current MPI mesh-size rules for both mullet and harbour bass.

Specs at a Glance

• Monofilament diameter: 0.45 mm
• Mesh sizes: 90 mm (bass) | 60 mm (mullet)
• Panel: 91 m long × 22 meshes deep
• Rigged ready to fish, colour-coded float line

Heavy-Duty Features

• Tangle-net styling cushions scales, preserving Grade-A fillets
• Weighted PVC bottom chord resists rolling in wind-against-tide chop
• Heat-sealed selvedges minimise fray during deck pulls

Best For & Pro Tips

Ideal for dusk-to-dawn set-netting along mangrove channels where schools bunch tightly. Stake one wing to the bank, pay out on the ebb, and haul before first light to beat scavenging rays and maximise net life.

8. NZ-Style Flounder Drag Seine Net

When you’re combing ankle-deep sand flats on a dropping tide, few pieces of commercial fishing gear earn their keep like a well-rigged drag seine. This NZ-style flounder net spreads wide, sweeps clean, and packs the fish neatly into a tapered bag you can scoop straight into the chiller.

Specs at a Glance

• Wing panels: 25 m each, tapering to a 10 m bag
• Mesh size: 50 mm (stretched)
• Foot-rope ballast: 1 kg lead per metre
• Head-line lift: 6 corks per metre for even spread

Heavy-Duty Features

• Double-stitched bunt absorbs the hammering of repeated beach hauls
• Stainless quick-connect bridles let two deckies reset in minutes
• Hard-lay ropes resist sand abrasion and UV fade

Best For & Pro Tips

Designed for shallow sand or mud banks where flounder lie buried. Stake the net at one end, arc the wings with a skiff or quad-bike, then winch in steadily—sharp, even pressure keeps the lead-line down and stops fish surfing over the corks. Rinse seams free of grit after every session to prevent premature chafe.

9. Heavy-Duty Beach Drag Net (International)

Surf zones punish cheap seine cloth; this international beach drag net survives repeated hauls thanks to beefy twine, long wings, and conspicuous floats that keep lifeguards happy during holiday months.

Specs at a Glance

• Length: 100 m, depth 3 m, high-density PE body
• Mesh: 45 mm stretched
• Cod-end: detachable pocket for fast brail emptying
• Ships in 3 sections for easier transport and repairs

Heavy-Duty Features

• Reinforced double knots shrug off coral rubble and timber snags
• Bright-orange EVA floats boost swimmer visibility and night retrieval
• Lead-core footline digs in, stopping roll when surf dumps

Best For & Pro Tips

Built for surf-seiners working exposed beaches or harbour bars. Stake one wing, arc with a dinghy, then haul steadily so the lead-line rakes sand and corrals fleeing fish.

10. Deep-Sea 4-Panel Bottom Trawl Net

When you spend nights towing over mixed reef and mud at 300 m, gear failure is not an option. This four-panel net borrows from Scandinavian designs but is built to New Zealand specifications, giving southern fleet skippers a rugged option that tows straight, breathes well, and stands up to rough contact with shell hash and basalt. While heavier than pelagic cloth, the streamlined mouth and graduated mesh keep drag manageable, so fuel burn stays under control on long steams.

Specs at a Glance

• Body cloth: 3 mm high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
• Mesh profile: 400 mm at wings tapering to 120 mm in the cod-end
• Construction: Colour-zoned four-panel layout for easy night checks
• Footgear: Rock-hopper compatible, 19 mm rubber discs on 24 mm wire
• Headline span: 32–38 m (size selectable)

Heavy-Duty Features

• Stiffened steel-cable mouth keeps opening square during hard turns
• Extra selvedge rows along panel joins resist ripping if the net pinches a boulder
• Oversized chafers at belly and cod-end reduce wear from door flips
• High-vis orange tracers woven every 20 meshes to speed up tear spotting under deck lights

Best For & Pro Tips

Ideal for 25–40 m stern trawlers targeting mixed-ground snapper, tarakihi, or orange roughy. Fit a turtle-excluder or sea-lion exclusion device if landing export-grade product—many markets now demand it. Keep a spare 10 m cod-end section lashed to the winch rail; swapping an abraded tail takes under 15 minutes and keeps your commercial fishing nets compliant with MPI minimum mesh rules.

11. Reinforced 12-Foot Radius Commercial Cast Net

When bait schools skitter under the bow you’ve only seconds to blanket them. This extra-wide, commercial-grade cast net spreads dead-flat, drops like a stone, and hauls aboard bucket-loads of fresh livies—all without fraying on oyster rocks or piling itself into tangles.

Specs at a Glance

• Diameter: 24 ft (12 ft radius)
• Weight: 1 lb of lead per foot
• Mesh: ¼″ clear mono
• Horn: triple-selvage for tear resistance

Heavy-Duty Features

• 100-braid hand-line with moulded 500 lb ball-bearing swivel
• Lead encapsulated inside braid cord, reducing snag-ups during throw and retrieval
• Double-stitched panels to survive repeated gunnel bounces

Best For & Pro Tips

Perfect for dawn raids on pilchard or jack mackerel before the main set-net shot. Practise a one-hand pancake throw from the skiff gunwale; a clean sail and fast sink rate keep bait pristine and your commercial fishing nets quota-ready.

12. Double-Wall Monofilament Trammel Net

Few commercial fishing nets tame mixed-species grounds as neatly as a double-wall trammel. Fish slip through the slack 300 mm outer web, meet the 70 mm inner wall, and instantly pouch themselves with minimal scale loss. The net fishes quietly, tows light, and folds into tidy 60 m bundles that stow under any hatch.

Specs at a Glance

• Inner mesh: 70 mm
• Outer mesh: 300 mm
• Twine: 210/4 mono nylon
• Panel size: 60 m × 50 meshes deep

Heavy-Duty Features

• Triple-layer build snares multiple size classes without gill rash
• Heat-sealed selvedges resist fray; colour-coded float and lead lines speed night sets
• Packs small and mends fast with a standard mono needle

Best For & Pro Tips

• Demersal snapper, gurnard, butterfish over clean sand or light foul
• Haul every 4 h to keep flesh grade-A and release undersized fish alive
• Stash a spare coil of 70 mm inner mesh for rapid on-deck patching between shots

13. Multi-Chamber Eel Fyke Net (Commercial Series)

Eel quotas pay well if the gear survives snag-ridden drains and acidic creeks. Part of today’s commercial fishing nets toolkit, this fyke’s multi-chamber design guides eels forward and stops escape, delivering kilos of export product while you sleep.

Specs at a Glance

• Five PVC-coated steel hoops, 40 cm diameter
• Dual 5 m detachable wings with ground stakes
• Knotless 10 mm nylon mesh throughout
• Stainless entry throats plus keeper chamber

Heavy-Duty Features

• Juvenile escape panels sewn mid-body to meet MPI rules
• Heat-sealed seams shrug off brackish acidity and UV fade
• Reinforced tail rope rated 250 kg for quad-bike retrieval

Best For & Pro Tips

Night sets in drains, canals, or backwater creeks. Bait with offal or tuna frames, stake one wing to the bank, and keep floats half-submerged to deter curious pūkeko and opportunistic shag raids.

14. Commercial Steel Hoop Crab Net

Boaties chasing paddle crabs or big paddle-claw Jasus know a flimsy drop net won’t last a week around rusty piles and swirling sand. This steel-hoop model trades weight for stamina, giving you a rugged, quick-soak option that stacks flat and fishes hard season after season.

Specs at a Glance

• Frame: galvanised 32″ (810 mm) round steel ring
• Mesh: 42-ply high-density PE, 30 mm stretch
• Bait station: clip-in centre pouch with zip closure
• Haul rope: 10 m, 8-mm sink-line with locking carabiner

Heavy-Duty Features

• Weighted rim flips upright fast, reducing escape losses
• Vinyl-dipped frame resists salt corrosion and concrete abrasion
• Knot-guarded mesh junctions stop fray from crab spines

Best For & Pro Tips

Perfect for wharf drops, mussel farm moorings, or killing downtime on a trawler lay-by. Pin a half-mullet into the pouch, lower for 10–15 minutes, then haul briskly; short soaks keep bait fresh and minimise octopus raids. Rinse in fresh water and store dry to curb galvanic rust and keep your commercial fishing nets arsenal ready.

15. Aquaculture Predator Exclusion Net (HDPE 70 mm)

Seals, sharks, and rogue stingrays can do more damage to a sea-cage than a month of spring nor’westers. This predator-exclusion curtain is purpose-built for New Zealand salmon and mussel farms that need to keep stock safe without strangling water flow or bursting the servicing budget. The 70 mm mesh lets tides wash waste away while stopping anything with teeth from squeezing through, and the robust HDPE yarn takes a hammering year after year.

Specs at a Glance

• Twine: 380 d/60 knotted HDPE
• Mesh: 70 mm stretched, square hung
• Depth: up to 8 m (modular panels join with lacing rope)
• Finish: black UV-stable coating, < 2 % shrink after 24 months submerged

Heavy-Duty Features

• Hard-lay HDPE resists seal bites and dorsal scuff better than soft PE cloth
• Heat-sealed knots prevent capillary fray and make hose-down cleaning faster
• Integral selvedge rope accepts stainless clips—no more stitching hanging lines on deck
• Abrasion patches pre-fitted at corner eyelets for winch hook-ups

Best For & Pro Tips

• Ideal for salmon cages, mussel long-lines, and spat nurseries exposed to resident seals
• Hang 2 kg chain or lead weights every 3 m to keep the curtain vertical and stop billow in heavy tide
• Weekly diver sweeps cut back bio-fouling; a quick freshwater dip between crops extends service life and keeps your commercial fishing nets budget in check

Quick Recap & Next Steps

Choosing commercial fishing nets isn’t about ticking a single box; it’s about lining up mesh size, twine strength, vessel horsepower, and the rules printed in the latest MPI circular. Go too light and you’ll chase repairs; go too heavy and you’ll burn diesel for nothing. The sweet spot lies in matching net design to target species, working depth, and crew workflow—then buying from suppliers who back you with fast spares and clear compliance paperwork.

A 30-second pairing cheat-sheet:

• Trailer boats on quota: mono gill nets in 3–6″ mesh with lead-core foot-ropes keep snapper and kahawai tidy.
• Harbour or estuary sets: tangle or trammel nets cushion mullet, bass, and flounder while meeting set-net length limits.
• Mid-water or bottom trawlers: heat-set PE or HDPE cloth plus chafers and excluder devices keep doors open and auditors happy.
• Aquaculture sites: heavy-denier predator screens stop seals without choking water flow—look for < 2 % annual shrink specs.

Before you sign the purchase order, cross-check mesh and panel lengths against your permit conditions, and budget an extra roll of matching twine for inevitable deckside mends.

Ready to gear up? Browse the full commercial range online or pop into our Auckland store for hands-on advice—either way, the kettle’s on at Action Outdoors.