i was told that there is a 4 ft. limit on cast nets behind leesville dam. i cant find any regs on cnets . anyone know? i been using 6 and 7 footers but never been checked so i asked a game warden behind leesville friday and he said 4 ft limit. need to find out whats legal. any help appreciated...bcat ..had a good morn. sat fishinf for blues. nothing over 20 but numbers were good.fish were caught at mouth of grassy

bcat, I'm not sure but I have been getting shad behind leesvile dam for many years usually with a 6 ft. net and have never had a problem. I have been checked and even had them check my tank in the boat while I was up there but they never paid any attention to the net at all. Good Luck!

i have been searching vdgif regs all evening. cant find anything about net size limit.

If its illegal its in the rules and regulations book.

No its not in the Regs book it says (Seasons and local restrictions governing the use of nets and seines are complex. Persons deciding to try this type of fishing should consult with the game warden stationed in the area to be fished.) It does state that seines most be no bigger than 4x10.

With the greatest respect to the DIF officer I think that there is a miscommunication. Look closely at the regulation below and the commas. You see that a seine net cannot exceed 4ft but that the comma's set "cast net" and "hook and line" apart. To put the 4ft limit on cst nets would be the same as limiting your line to 4ft. 15-20-130 speaks about endangered species. 29.1-416 speaks of fees. If its possible to ask the officer what code section (it will have a number like "12-20-130") this 4ft limit is in. To my knowledge and having searched just now terms "leesville dam" and "cast net" in the Va regulations database, there is no limit on diameter of a cast net. My comment applies to recreational licenses and non-game fish....Let us know if possibly your officer has some inside track on some new reg or if there is some exemption below leesville dam. thx...jfo

From the Regulations Digest:
Except as provided for under “Other Methods” and except inany waters where the use of nets is prohibited, the species listed in the previous section (Native and Naturalized Species–Possession
Limits) may only be taken by hand, hook and line, with a seine not exceeding 4 feet in depth by 10 feet in length, an umbrella type net not exceeding 5 by 5 feet square, small minnow traps with throat
openings no larger than 1 inch in diameter, cast nets, and handheld bow nets with diameter not to exceed 20 inches and handle length not to exceed 8 feet.

From the Virginia Code:
B. Methods of taking species in subsection A. Except as otherwise provided for in the Code of Virginia, 4 VAC 15-20-130, and other regulations of the board, and except in any waters where the use of nets is prohibited, the species listed in subsection A may only be taken by hand, hook and line, with a seine not exceeding four feet in depth by 10 feet in length, an umbrella type net not exceeding five by five feet square, small minnow traps with throat openings no larger than one inch in diameter, cast nets, and hand-held bow nets with diameter not to exceed 20 inches and handle length not to exceed eight feet (such cast net and hand-held bow nets when so used shall not be deemed dip nets under the provisions of § 29.1-416 of the Code of Virginia).

This has come up many, many times before. Unfortunately, some Fish and Game Laws are very vague at best. And they are rife for interpretation and taking excerpts from context. And this is not just in VA, but personally I have seen gaping discrepencies in Laws in VA, NC and TN. At one time on SML, I asked 3 different Game Wardens within 2 weeks what the legal maximum size castnet was on SML. I got 3 different answers. This was before they changed it to "no maximum size" To this day there is still a question as to whether or not a seperate License is required for harvesting Non-Gamefish species in a castnet for bait. I believe it is a Special Device permit or something like that. I really don't pay much attention to all that. I need bait to fish, so I throw the mesh size, radius and lead/radius foot needed to fill the tank with what I need to have for bait. Shouldn't be difficult to determine what is legal or what's not........... but it is.

Another thing about leesville dam. Your best option is to dip net the shad when there letting out water. A metal mesh net with an extending handle, I find are best. When there releasing water, lean over the rail and start scooping. Some nuts crawl over the rail into the rushing water, which is illegal. But that choice is yours. As for cast netting when there not releasing water. You may be better off with a 4 or 6 ft net, rather then an 8 or 10ft net. alot of rocks to hang and tear a net on below leesville. With a 4 or 6 ft net, less chances of snagging a rock and tearing or losing your net.

i got my hands on the big reg. book today and i agree with jfo. the comma seperates the cast net from umbrella and seine nets. i will cary the book with me to leesville this weekend and show it to the warden.(if i ever see him again). he said he thought it was a 4 ft limit. i have been catching bait there for a long time, even before they built the catwalk. right now u get more bait with a cast net because they are running the inside turbine.still it took me 3 hrs to get a few shad last weekend and i saw no one else get any with dip nets. the warden checked everyone licence but paid no att. to the nets, so i asked him about the reg. thats when he told me his thoughts. i think i can win in court with the wording in the reg book unless i am decifering it wrong. thanks for the knowledge and input.....bcat

It's all up to the individual Warden, the mood he is in that day, and what his interpretation of the Law is on that day. I agree with using the small nets @ Leesville. When I was down there, I would throw el cheapo 3 ft. nets and get all I needed, but I got nets hung up in the rocks and on the ladder and railings when the water was running up over the railing in the current a lot. Bring extra pos nets. Then I had to tote the shad up to the baittank in the truck and go back down for more. Do have fond memories down there but don't miss the drive or the trips up and down the hill. LOL

Wardens are few and far between good luck on seeing him!!