>1/8" mesh...12'... ( if legal )... i need to find the number for you.
>the walmart seines ive seen are not good... very stiff and bouncy. you
> >need a soft waterproof net that will cuddle your fish!
Seining is an art form... and equipment choice is dependent on what you want
to do with it. For general-purpose collecting, I like a 5'x10' seine with
1/8" mesh, double floats, double leads. I've been really happy with Memphis
N&T seines. I'm about 5'11, 175lbs, and can just barely use a 10 footer by
myself and be semi-efficient. I couldn't use a 12' seine solo. Yeah, I know,
you can roll the excess up on the ends with a longer seine... I feel that's
a poor alternative. You wind up trying to grip loose bags of net, and it
invariably comes unrolled between each set. However, if you always collect
with one or two other people, it becomes less of an issue.There's a grad
student in our lab that is 6'2, 240lbs (ex-football player) who can whip a
10' sene around like it's nothing.
Our collections manager prefers 6'x10' seines, on the grounds that you get
more cyprinids in deeper pools with them, and you have less stuff going over
the top in fast deep riffles. I don't lose any sculpins this way, so aren't
quite as worried about it. If you are really worried about losing cyprinids,
get a 20' bag seine :) The double floats/leads really make a difference.
The green dip option really prolongs the life of your seines, but it also
makes them stiff when dry, and is a bit rougher on fish in the net. A friend
of mine at Frostburg found an old chestnut fence rail (abandoned in WV) and
had 6' x 1.5" oval brails cut from it- they are the most awesome brails I've
ever had the pleasure to use. Almost indestructable, and very comfortable to
hold.
anyway, just my $0.02 worth...
Cheers,
Dave
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