I enjoy trout fishing but, from my location, flying is inevitable. The goal here was to design an affordable, light and compact landing net that can be easily replaced. The spring steel nets like Daiwa or HandiPak nets are smaller and lighter but by the time I'm packing for the return flight, always have some trouble remembering how to fold them just right.

I printed on 3 plates to check each part before continuing though I imagine you could print in less plates. I printed the top hoop and sides “flat” but I think you'd get a more uniform end product by printing all parts vertically.

After printing, lay out the parts with 1mm x 10mm x <50mm carbon fiber flat rod inserts for each intersection and epoxy the inserts and parts together.

It's not necessary to have a plywood form and clamps but it does help to ensure the pieces are in the right place. A template on 11x17 format is included.

After the epoxy cures, the net form should be rigid. I used BL matte PLA but PETG or ASA would probably last longer. On an earlier iteration, I sanded down the joints/rough spots and then sprayed w/ a matte black finish (I haven't yet done so for the print in the pictures).

The net frame was designed to fit the circumference of MeasureNet's small replacement net (their small rubber net replacement shown here). As these nets are designed with a perimeter zipper, there is no need to have holes in the hoop frame to later lace on a net basket. The replica trout in the main picture is 9" long and, while this is a small net, the measurements on the MeasureNet go up to 22".

You can either add a loop of 1.5mm cord thru the provided holes at the base of the handle or heat-set an insert and a screw eye in the bottom.