The Upstream
Our original landing net, the Upstream is the perfect all around net for anglers looking for a lightweight & practical piece of fishing gear.
This model is one step up in size from our Blue Line fishing net.
For a more specific handle length, just drop it in the notes section of your order.
The hoop dimensions of this model can be most closely compared to Fishpond's Hand/Mid-Length/Guide net and Orvis' Wide Mouth Guide net.
Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 14 reviews.
This net is awesome, first chance was in boat, 17” walleye. My buddy denis landed his fish by himself. 24” handle on a 19” hoop, UPSTREAM model. Denis thinks it belongs on his wall up north. Color is great. Doug
Wow, what a gorgeous net. I’m impressed with the rubberized nylon basket and how light and beautiful this flamed net is. The customer service was fantastic, as I tried to figure out the handle and basket size, it felt like I was part of the process. I already have my eye on another Hellbender net purchase.
Requested a longer handle on the upstream and got immediate response of we can do. Net was made and shipped in 3 days. I can't tell you how beautiful it is. It is amazingly light weight. Can't wait to get on the stream with it. It will see lots of action in AZ, NM and Colorado. Thanks for the quick response and beautiful craftmanship. This one was ordered as a gift, but will be ordering one for me soon!!!
I bought the upstream, and love it. It is unique and well made. I much prefer supporting small businesses like Hellbender. Such a better way to spend my money for a product handmade by people who use them, and care about the things they make.
Took my new Hellbender net out to the lake after work and caught three small mouth bass on a streamer in the last twenty minutes of daylight. I was looking for trout but the net doesn't care what kind of fish you put in it, it's just there to help you land whatever you happen to hook into, and look amazing the rest of the time. Couldn't be happier with the build quality and finish. It was a little bigger than I imagined (hard to judge size based on pictures) but the generous opening and deep net is growing on me after using it. I like being able to keep the fish in the water without them getting out while I get myself together to take a photo or whatever, and the bigger opening makes getting the fish into it much easier. Fantastic product and well worth the money if you want something that you can be proud to own.
True work of art. No, it’s not carbon fiber, it’s bamboo. I purchased the Upstream 13x19” with the black full rubber deep basket, with the flameburst finish. This will be the perfect net for those 5+ pound trout. After recently struggling with landing some big trout because the net wasn’t deep enough I knew I needed to step up to something better, but after looking around I couldn’t find anything that was practical to carry like a normal net. Then I saw the Hellbender… it was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Extremely happy with my purchase!!!
It is a piece of art. I cannot wait to use it more and more. From the moment I placed the order, they answered every question and guided me to build the net for me! It looks incredible, it is light weight, it is something I will pass down to my kids.
Great product, fast delivery. As soon as I convince myself I need another net, I’ll buy another Hellbender.
I treated myself to this net for Christmas after seeing it highly recommended on FlyFishDan’s YouTube channel, and I couldn’t wait to put it to use. I finally got the chance yesterday (12/29/25) on Virginia’s beautiful Smith River. The attached photos show me landing and holding my first fish of the day, plus a close-up of the Hellbender itself. As someone fairly new to fly fishing, yesterday was also a milestone—I caught my very first trout on a streamer! I ended the day with seven fish total: four on nymph rigs and three on streamers, including six rainbows and one small brown. Now that I’ve properly christened it, I can share a heartfelt review: I absolutely love this net. The build quality is outstanding, and it handled every fish with ease. What really stood out, though, was the thoughtful packaging—a personal card from the husband-and-wife team and a few complimentary hand-tied flies that support another small vendor. It’s clear this is a classy, customer-focused operation that takes genuine pride in their craft. I’m grateful for the chance to support a small business like this, and I’m already looking forward to many more memorable days on the water with my new net. Thank you!
The Upstream is great! Just need to catch some monsters to go with it!
Beautiful net and it works as good as it looks !!!
My new Hellbender Net is absolutely stunning. The strength to weight ratio of this net is second to none. I can hardly wait to get a trout is this net and show it off to my fly fishing buddies. If you are looking for a heirloom quality fly fishing net that makes a statement this is it! Thanks to JD and Bailly for sharing your talent, skill, pride and love you have put into this gorgeous net.
Store owner replied: Thank you, Joe, for the kind words and for being so great to work with! Let us know when you get your new Hellbender out on the water.
Great craftsmanship and superior customer service, perfect example of truly American small business. Thank you
Store owner replied: Thank you so much for your kind words! Keep us posted. We can't wait to see how you use your new Hellbender!
It's not even trout season around here, so I haven't used it. It looks nice and seems well-made, though. I need to figure out the best way to carry it, or see what works best for me, anyway. I may buy a second...not sure. I wanted a biggish net, and for some my fishing it'll be great...but on rivers where the fish are likely to be under a foot long, I don't want to be that guy with the little fish and the big net.
Store owner replied: Thanks for the awesome review! If you decide to grab a second, shoot us an email first. We value repeat business and we'll give you a little discount as a thank you! Can't wait to see what you land in your net come fishing season. It's almost here!
