Fishing Net Best Sellers: The Kahawai Nets, Bait Nets, Flounder Nets, Cray Mesh and Lead Core Kiwis Are Buying Now

There are two kinds of netters in our shop. Some want a finished net they can take straight to the beach. Others would rather build or repair their own gear over a few evenings in the shed. With summer close, we went back through our real orders from the last 90 days to see what both groups have been buying.

Below are three ready-made nets and two net-building staples that sold well recently. We haven't featured any of them in our recent best-seller posts. They're all from our Fishing Nets range, made and supplied from Auckland for netters around New Zealand and across the Pacific.

1. NZ Made Kahawai Black Snapper Net, 4.5 inch (114mm)

This is a solid all-round set net, made in Auckland with 114mm (4.5 inch) black mesh, 25 meshes deep. Slung the standard way, it fishes about 2.4m high.

The product page lists it as legal in NZ for a long list of species, including snapper, kahawai, butterfish, grey mullet, trevally, tarakihi, red gurnard and blue cod. It suits people who want one net for most of what swims past their spot. It comes in 20m, 30m, 40m and 60m lengths, priced from $138 up to $399.99.

View the Kahawai Black Snapper Net, or see our NZ-made snapper nets and butterfish nets.

2. Herring Bait Fishing Net, 3 inch 0.35mm Mono

This is our 3 inch bait net, used for yellow-eyed mullet and herring from the beach or the boat. It's custom made in Auckland in 0.35mm mono. You can choose 20, 33 or 50 meshes deep and lengths from 20m to 100m.

Bait nets are popular with Kiwi netters, and they're also a big part of what we make for customers in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Prices run from $124 for a 20m, 20-mesh net up to $749 for the 100m, 50-mesh version. Small-mesh nets have strict rules in NZ, so check the MPI rules for your area before you buy.

View the 3 inch Herring Net, or browse herring and bait nets and our Pacific Islands nets.

3. Flounder Net, Mono Mesh with Floats on Top Rope

This is a classic flounder set net. It's made from commercial-grade mono mesh with a floated 5mm top rope and a braided lead core bottom rope, so it stands up in the water while the bottom holds on the seabed where flounder feed. It's bagged, tied down and slung very loose at a 50% slinging ratio, so for every 2m of mesh you get 1.4m of finished net.

You can choose 4.75, 5 or 5.25 inch mesh in 0.28mm, or 5 inch in 0.35mm, all 25 meshes deep. It's built for sheltered water, not surf beaches, dragging or shelly, oyster-covered ground. Lengths run from 20m to 100m, priced from $110 to $550.

View the Mono Flounder Net, or see all flounder nets.

4. Cray Pot Mesh, 60ply 3 inch 20MD Black (per metre)

This was one of the busiest lines in the whole nets range, with over 60 metres sold in three months. It's 60-ply mesh in a 3 inch size, 20 meshes deep, sold by the metre so you can cut it to suit your pot frame.

Cray fishers buy it to build new pots or reskin tired ones, and the black is less visible underwater. It's $7 a metre, and there's an orange version at the same price.

View the 60ply Black Cray Mesh, or browse all cray pot netting.

5. 5mm Braided Lead Core Rope (per metre)

This is the most popular item in the whole nets range, and it isn't close. Braided lead core is the weighted bottom rope that keeps a net on the seabed, and 5mm is the size that sells most. More than 600 metres went out the door in the last 90 days.

If you're re-roping an old net or building a new one, this is where you start. It's $1.50 a metre. If you need something lighter or heavier, we also have 4mm ($1.05/m) and 6mm ($2/m).

View the 5mm Lead Core Rope, or see all net parts and supplies.

Also popular

A few more that kept turning up in orders: the 1G-5 orange net float (85g of flotation, $1.16 each), the heavy-duty 1-1/2 inch bait drag net (from $124) and the 3.5 inch mullet drag net with extra floats (from $145).

Before you head out

Whether you buy a finished net or build your own, check the rules on mesh size, net length and where you can set before every trip. Rules differ by fishing area, and the MPI website has the latest.

Browse our full range at actionoutdoors.kiwi