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Rustic Angler Forge
Handbuilt in the San Luis Valley

Landing Nets

Eight signature designs, each named for the Colorado water or the people behind it — plus big-basket boat nets built on request. Triple-laminated hardwood frames, steamed and hand-bent, finished in tung oil and spar varnish and hung with fish-safe rubber. Every net is made to order, and no two are exactly alike.

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The Goodwin handmade landing net on a streamside rock

The Goodwin

Small-stream · Sangre de Cristo

Named for Goodwin Stream in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Southern Colorado — the waters where my father first introduced me to fishing and the outdoors. Built for small-stream anglers chasing wild fish in intimate waters.

  • Triangular frame, rounded corners (≈ 11–12 in per side)
  • Triple-laminated ⅛-in hardwood, steamed & hand-bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Triple-stitched, fish-safe rubber net
  • Aged brass D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 12" length
The Veteran handmade landing net with long walnut handle

The Veteran

Tribute · Project Healing Waters

A tribute to those who have served, grown from Rustic Angler Forge's early collaboration with Project Healing Waters. Both a practical fishing tool and a quiet symbol of gratitude.

  • Net area 8 in wide × 16 in deep, large rounded top
  • Triple-laminated ⅛-in hardwood, hand-bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Triple-stitched, fish-friendly rubber net
  • Aged brass D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 6", 9", or 12"
The Gunnison handmade landing net with two-tone wood frame

The Gunnison

Wade & stream · Gunnison River

Named for the Gunnison River that runs through my college town — the rhythm of high-country days spent between classes and currents. Designed for wade and stream fishing, with reach and balance.

  • Slightly pointed top for moving water
  • Net area 8 in wide × 16 in deep
  • Triple-layer ⅛-in hardwood, steamed & bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Triple-stitched, fish-safe rubber net
  • Aged brass D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 6", 9", or 12"
The Ramble House handmade flat-top guide landing net

The Ramble House

Guide-tested · Creede, CO

A collaboration with Ramble House, the iconic fly shop in Creede, Colorado — designed from conversations with local guides who know what works. Clean lines, reliable function, guide-tested durability.

  • Rectangular net area, rounded corners, flat top
  • 8 in wide × 16 in deep
  • Three-ply ⅛-in hardwood, hand-bonded
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Triple-stitched, fish-safe rubber net
  • Aged brass D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 12" or 16"
The Cutthroat handmade oval landing net

The Cutthroat

Conservation · Running Rivers

Celebrates the restoration of the native Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout, designed in partnership with Running Rivers. Compact and elegant — for anglers who value conservation as much as the catch.

  • Oval net, 15 in long × 7 in wide
  • Triple-laminated ⅛-in hardwood, hand-bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Triple-stitched, fish-friendly rubber net
  • Aged brass D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 6", 9", or 12"
The Arkansas handmade deep landing net with black rubber bag

The Arkansas

Big water · SLV TU collaboration

Born of collaboration with the San Luis Valley TU President, honoring the river that shaped my childhood and a lifelong passion for Colorado trout. Built for larger streams and deeper runs.

  • Deep triangular net, 11 in wide × 20 in deep
  • 18-in handle for greater reach
  • Three-layer ⅛-in hardwood, hand-bent
  • Two coats tung oil + six coats spar varnish
  • Triple-stitched, fish-safe rubber net
  • Aged brass D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 18"
The Legacy handmade ultralight teardrop landing net

The Legacy

Backcountry · Flyathlon

A revival of a design inherited from my wife's uncle George — older than Rustic Angler Forge itself. After my first Flyathlon I needed a nimble, lightweight net for the high country, a pack, or horseback trips into small tributaries.

  • Narrow teardrop head, 14 in long × 8 in wide
  • ≈ 22 in overall with a 6-in handle
  • Ultra-light — under 12 oz
  • Triple-laminated ⅛-in hardwood, hand-bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Fish-friendly rubber net
  • Minimalist paracord loop — no D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 6"
The Heirloom handmade compact landing net on a river rock

The Heirloom

Ultralight · Flyathlon

The compact companion to the Legacy, built for small high-country streams reached on foot or horseback. Born from the Flyathlon — truly lightweight, easy to carry and simple to stow.

  • Compact teardrop design
  • 8 in wide × 12 in long × 7.5 in deep
  • Ultra-light — only 9 oz
  • Triple-laminated ⅛-in hardwood, hand-bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Fish-friendly rubber net
  • Minimalist — no D-ring
Handle: oak or black walnut · 6"
The Rio Grande and Creede boat nets with engraved handles
Boat & drift nets

For the boat.

Big-basket nets built for drift boats and rafts — deep baskets, long handles on request, and the model name engraved right into the handle. Built to order in two sizes.

  • The Rio Grande — 62" basket circumference
  • The Creede — 53" basket circumference
  • 4–5 ft handle on request
  • Triple-laminated hardwood, hand-bent
  • Tung oil + spar varnish finish
  • Fish-safe rubber net
Handle: oak or black walnut · 4–5 ft on request · name engraved

Built to last — and backed

Every Rustic Angler Forge net is guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. If one ever fails, we repair or replace it and cover shipping on verified claims. Excludes misuse, neglect, modification, and normal wear. Every net is handmade — no two are exactly alike.

Fly-Fish neck lanyard — your photo
From the same bench

Fly-Fish Neck Lanyard

Handmade in Colorado from genuine 550 military-grade paracord — braided and finished by hand. Tough, lightweight, and comfortable for all-day wear, it keeps your essentials organized streamside so you can focus on the fishing.

  • 36 in circumference, hand-braided 550 paracord
  • Quick-connect buckle for easy on/off
  • Five steel rings for tools, tippet, and accessories
  • Includes the Indestructible Tippet Holder
  • Dry-fly floatant bottle & holder (floatant not included)
  • Squeeze-bottle holder for gel floatants
  • Steel spring clips throughout · Made in Colorado, USA
Make it yours

Custom & branded nets.

Every net can carry a mark — a shop logo, an event or sponsor brand, a personalized water and date, or a club’s own emblem, laser-engraved into oak or walnut. It’s how a shop puts its name on a net line, and how events hand out something nobody throws away.

Dan's Fly Shop logo engraved on a net blade
A shop’s own logo — Dan’s Fly Shop, Lake City CO.
Flyathlon and LAWS Whiskey House branded nets
Sponsor & event nets — LAWS Whiskey House × Flyathlon.
Net handles engraved with water names and the year
Personalized by water and year.
Close-up of a Flyathlon logo laser-engraved on a figured handle
Laser-crisp on figured handles.
Watershed Ambassador logo engraved on a walnut handle
Program & nonprofit marks.
Bone Maniacs club logo engraved on a net handle
Custom club & personal logos.
Wholesale

Stocking your shop?

Nets and lanyards are available wholesale to fly shops, with consistent quality and fair shop margins. Request the line sheet for current models, options, and pricing.

Request the line sheet
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