Yo - I cringe thinking of the damage I may have done with my "slob" net but I found when trying to land and net a fish (when fishing alone) I just can't handle the big rubber nets "one armed" (with a 9' rod and big 'ol level wind reel in the other). Any suggestions? Reading between the lines, using a the "regular" net for keepers and rubber for small / catch-release fish sounds like a reasonable compromise. Eric H.