I just received a new seine as a gift and the dimensions are 4 eet by 20 feet by 1/4in.. I was hoping to use this to catch more darters but do yall think they would get out of 1/4in. holes? The holes are about the size of this Z. Z

That's a pretty large net. I hope you have friends to help you pull that or kick rocks for you. Not sure what darters are down your way but 1/4" is ideal for kicking rocks or darters in a flowing river. You won't get juvenile ones or any of the tiny darter species but overall, it is fine.

That's a pretty large net. I hope you have friends to help you pull that or kick rocks for you. Not sure what darters are down your way but 1/4" is ideal for kicking rocks or darters in a flowing river. You won't get juvenile ones or any of the tiny darter species but overall, it is fine.

Yep I got friends to help, if they cant come every time i'll just roll the sides up.
Thanks,
James

You should also check Louisiana law, since many states limit freshwater seines to 10 feet (or even 4 feet in Pennsylvania).

You should also check Louisiana law, since many states limit freshwater seines to 10 feet (or even 4 feet in Pennsylvania).

As of now I beleive that you can have 20' seines if you have a fishing liscense. I'll have to check again though.

As Bruce correctly pointed out, we are limited to 4 feet here in PA. So that's one answer to your question: what does your law allow? Other considerations include: the number of people in your group, and the size of the stream. For example, in a narrow headwaters stream, a 4 foot net might work, but an 8 foot net might be too long. Also, if you are working alone, an 8 foot net may be hard to work, but a 4 foot net will be perfect. But if you are in a large enough stream, and you have enough people to work the net, a larger net will be more efficient. Really, with time and experience, you will be able to judge the right net to use in each circumstance. And that ultimately is the key: each circumstance is different, requiring some experience to judge the best equipment to use (of that which you have available). I will say one thing, a 20 foot net will be nearly impossible to work alone: I hope you have a couple of buddies!

As Bruce correctly pointed out, we are limited to 4 feet here in PA. So that's one answer to your question: what does your law allow? Other considerations include: the number of people in your group, and the size of the stream. For example, in a narrow headwaters stream, a 4 foot net might work, but an 8 foot net might be too long. Also, if you are working alone, an 8 foot net may be hard to work, but a 4 foot net will be perfect. But if you are in a large enough stream, and you have enough people to work the net, a larger net will be more efficient. Really, with time and experience, you will be able to judge the right net to use in each circumstance. And that ultimately is the key: each circumstance is different, requiring some experience to judge the best equipment to use (of that which you have available). I will say one thing, a 20 foot net will be nearly impossible to work alone: I hope you have a couple of buddies!

I have two good friends that go with me everywhere to help me with the seine. I guess 2 will pull it and 1 will kick.
Anyway this is right off the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries.-A person may have in possession or in use for the sole and only purpose of taking minnows, shrimp and other baits permitted by law, seines of one-fourth inch mesh or less and measuring 30 feet or less in length.

Hmmm.... now that I think about it the darters I want are juveniles so I guess ill just trade it in for maybe 1/8in. mesh.

The best net for juvenile darters is usually some kind of hand-held net with a fine mesh. You usually find them in shallower waters so you can see them, or pretty much guess where they'll be. Even so they're probably not easily found and netted until at least mid-summer.