Here is my 2 cents worth... This is a no contest question! Nets hurt fish. Any fish and all fish. I personally think that if you can't or don't want to land a fish with your own hand, you should be limiting your fishing to perhaps sunnies or shiners, bluegills or brown bullheads maybe, where even you then would/could realize that you really don't need a net every time. There are exceptions of course to this basic rule though. Walleyes, for instance, are very tricky fish to play with at boatside using your naked hand. Many a finger has been scraped or cut by the sharp gill covers of 'ol marble eyes, so you perhaps should be using a net for them, all the time. Also,Pike and Muskies over ten or so pounds present a totally challenging test to the hand landing fraternity and most of us, will indeed use a net IF there is even one handy when you hook these wild and very powerful beasts unexpectantly.
If you normally just keep all your fish to eat anyway, then I take back all of the above and say, "Get the Net!"
later,
