Landing a fish is a wonderful thing, seared into memory. It’s a moment to admire the creature we pursue, the impetus behind so many wonderfully varied and beautiful adventures. I recently built my first net as a thank you from River’s Edge Properties to a Bay Area client-friend that purchased a waterfront home from me on Hat Creek. What better way to show my gratitude for using my services than to build something designed for the recreational lifestyle and the memories a waterfront home purchase can create? While not new to woodworking, building a net was something I hadn’t done before. It’s actually a fairly simple and straightforward process, and, similar to fly tying, is a task done with an eye on the future, envisioning how it might be used and what memories it might help create. A fun process! Net specifics: Made from padauk wood with a silver-wire trout inlay on the handle; the eye of the trout is a mosaic pin marking 19” from the top of the net. On the opposite side, brass pins and silver inlay denote inches from 18” to 26”, to be used as a measuring stick. The net was then finished with two coats of epoxy followed by three successive coats of a marine spar varnish with (way too much) sanding between coats. FYI, there are much easier ways to finish a net.