The performance of 3 seines was evaluated in 6 state-owned public fishing lakes in Alabama. The catch of bluegill fry (Lepomis macrochirus) and young of year (YOY) largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in a 4.6-m (short) seine and an experimental 9.1-m (medium) seine was compared. The catch of intermediate bluegills (8-13 cm TL) in the medium seine was subsequently compared to their catch in a 15.2-m (long) seine. The medium seine was similar to the short seine for collecting bluegill fry. The medium seine generally required fewer hauls but more work to achieve the same level of precision when collecting YOY bass. The long seine was more effective at collecting intermediate bluegills than the medium seine. The experimental medium seine would provide no advantage over the short and long seines if used to conduct routine balance checks. However, it would be useful for determining the presence of YOY bass in lakes with low bass abundance, provided the sampling agency is able to allocate more time toward sampling these type impoundments. Management agencies should consider the low precision of seining when choosing a small impoundment sampling program. Alternate sampling methods might be more appropriate.
