Gardner GTN+ Plus 42in Carbon Landing Net

Gardner Tackle have been making carp and specialist gear from their Surrey base for decades, and landing nets have long been a core part of that range, from simple folding pan nets through to dedicated river nets for barbel and chub. The GTN+ Plus 42in Carbon Landing Net sits towards the top of that spread, built around a 2-piece 3K carbon handle that's designed to be genuinely light in the hand without sacrificing the strength you need when you're drawing a big, powerful carp over the cord.

Carbon fibre has become the material of choice for serious landing net handles for good reason: it offers a far better strength-to-weight ratio than alloy, which matters a great deal when you're holding a loaded handle at full stretch trying to reach a fish that's still got some fight left in it. Gardner specifically describe the 3K carbon construction here as premium, and the 2-piece design keeps the whole net compact enough to transport easily while still assembling into a full-length handle in seconds on the bank.

The mesh itself runs to 42 inches in a lightweight olive finish, a size that covers the overwhelming majority of UK carp fishing without tipping over into the oversized specimen net territory that can become genuinely awkward to handle alone. Olive is a sensible, understated colour choice too, blending in against typical lakeside vegetation and bankside cover rather than standing out starkly against the water.

Where the GTN+ really shows its design thinking is the spreader block. Gardner fit a Black CNC-machined block that's specifically built to make assembly and collapsing the net straightforward, a detail that matters more than it might seem when you're setting up in failing light or trying to get everything ready in the brief window between hooking a fish and needing the net in the water. Built into that same block is a net float, designed to stop the mesh dragging along the bottom and snagging on debris as you bring a hooked fish back towards you, which can otherwise turn a routine netting job into an unnecessarily tense moment.

Shrink-grip handles are fitted to both sections of the 2-piece carbon pole, giving a secure, confident hold regardless of whether your hands are cold, wet, or covered in bait and slime from the session so far. It's a small, unglamorous detail, but anyone who has ever had a handle slip at exactly the wrong moment will appreciate why Gardner have bothered to specify proper grips rather than leaving the carbon itself bare at the hold points.

Practical touches extend to how the net is packed away, too. A carry bag is supplied as standard, letting you transport the GTN+ without the mesh getting tangled or snagged against other gear in your barrow, holdall or car boot. And because Gardner clearly expect this net to see years of use, they sell both a replacement arms kit (GTNPA) and a replacement top section (GTNPTS) separately, meaning a damaged or worn component doesn't necessarily mean binning the whole net and starting again.

It's worth being clear about where the GTN+ sits within Gardner's own range, since the brand's landing net lineup is genuinely broad. Below it sits the GTNC Carbon Compact, a 3-piece telescopic design aimed more specifically at roving anglers who want the smallest possible pack-down size. There's also a standard GTN Carbon Landing Net without the Plus branding and spreader float, simple Folding Pan Nets in 22 and 26-inch sizes built for space-saving river and mobile work, and a dedicated teardrop-shaped Barbel/Specialist Pan Landing Net built specifically for flowing water rather than still carp lakes. The GTN+ reviewed here is the mainstream, general-purpose option in that spread: a 2-piece, full-size 42-inch net rather than a telescopic travel net or a specialist river pan.

For anglers who want a dependable, well-specified landing net that assembles quickly, feels genuinely light in use, and comes from a brand with a long track record in UK carp and specialist tackle, the GTN+ Plus is a sensible choice to put on the shortlist. It's not the cheapest net Gardner sell, and it's not the most compact travel option either, but as an everyday, general-purpose carp landing net built around a quality carbon handle and a thoughtfully designed spreader block, it covers the fundamentals that matter properly.