COEUR d'ALENE - Kent Setty said winter can get a little dull for a North Idaho fly fisherman, unless you can find a hobby like his.

"I mean you can ice fish, but it's kind of hard to land a fly in an ice fishing hole," he quipped.

So Setty, a retired Los Angeles police officer, said he joined the North Idaho Flycasters Club, where he would get together with other members and tie flies until the waters warmed up enough to break out the waders again.

That, combined with his passion for woodworking, led him to his latest hobby - making custom fishing nets, and teaching others how to do it too.

"Wood has been good to me," he said.

Setty was captivated by the art, when a former flycaster member showed up to a fly-tying session with a homemade net.

"I asked him if he would describe how he made them, and he was happy to tell me," Setty said, adding he went right home and got busy building his first mold.

Then he had to learn how to steam wood and bend it. Setty said he lucked out watching an episode of This Old House.

"Norm (Abram) had this project where he had to bend some wood, and in the process he showed how to make a steam box."

Setty got busy right away. He built his own steam box out of PVC pipes and brass, and bent his first net.

"I still have the first one I bent," he said, rummaging through his shelves. "I keep it around to remind myself how bad it was."

He has spent years refining his method and securing the right type supplies to ensure the nets will withstand weathering and become keepsakes over the years.

Even his first net made nearly 20 years ago has stood the test of time.

He takes care to hand sew the nets into most of the wooden frames, and he has optional zip-on net with a measuring tape sewn into the bottom of the net.

"Those are nice," Setty said. "You pull the fish out of the water, you can tell what size it is right away."

Soon, as fine art often does, his nets were in high demand. He started offering classes to the members of the North Idaho Flycasters Club, and recently began selling them online through Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/kentsetty).

Now, he is expanding into the craft fair circuit.

As a member of the Kiwanis Club, that puts on Taste of the Coeur d'Alenes, Setty caught the craft fair bug after selling 21 nets at the event.

"They needed more craft vendors, so I did it and sold some nets," he said. "Then I thought: Wow, why not?"

This season, Setty has set his goals on six craft fairs throughout the Pacific Northwest, and is especially excited about one in Whitefish, Mont.

"They don't have anything like this at that one," he added.

The nets range in price depending on the style of net. They start around $60 and go up from there, but if you're willing to wait until winter and join the flycasters club, you can take his class and build one yourself for about $35.