The bottom of Cecils pond is clay, with organic matter that turned into muck over the years since it was dug. For Cecil - How old is that pond? How much muck would you say is on the bottom of it?

Pulling it through what weeds that were there was doubly hard, and I think with it riding up off the bottom to go over the weeds allowed fish to escape.

Also, I believe that a bottom that has contours allows a number of fish to escape just like Bill said, depending on how sharp the bottom contours are, and how fast the net is pulled. Pulling slower allows the mud line to keep in contact with the pond bottom and there is less chance for the fish to escape under it.

If the bottom of the net is in front of the top, I believe that forces the fish up to "escape" the net, and they get trapped in the bag that is formed by the extra netting. I beleive that's why it's so important to have a net that is taller than the deepest part of the pond. I have no question that a net that is 50% taller (or more) than a pond is deep will work better than a net that is only 2' taller than a pond is deep. It's a balancing act, as the more net that is in the water = harder to pull.

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