hey Mike !
just a few thoughts about carrying scoop nets:
imo, the main reason they can be a pia to have is that they swing around, catch things like bushes and stuff and get in the way when moving about.
assuming the net is kept in the back, the above happens a lot more when it's attached by the handle (handle up), plus the net bag hangs below the net further increasing its snaggability and reaching up over the shoulder can be difficult for us old gits !
now, attach it the other way around (handle down) and the net's frame lays flat against the back (as well as the bag) and the whole lot wobbles back and forth a whole lot less, (it basically doesn't unless you do some sort of climbing or James Brown type of gesticulation...
) plus grabbing the handle to scoop a fish becomes more intuitive and much easier !
imo, retractors for nets don't make a lot of sense as it means holding the net down against the retractor's force and quite often this hinders or detracts from last-second landing activities. (the fish wants to take off again or a gazzilion other things that might/can/will happen when we thought the fight was over but wasn't. once the fish landed, the retractor is still pulling etc, etc, etc.
on the other hand, retractors like the orvis are really nice for wading staffs or small cameras
i've tried all scoop net management systems and this is the only that works well all the time. you can of course omit the leash but that means losing a lot of nets both on the ground and in the water...
(but maybe mostly, the leash allows one to let go of the net if needed and continue to properly finish the fight, without having to faff about with the darn net)
cheers,
marc