The type and size of harvest equipment a producer needs depends on the size of the operation and the market served. Some producers harvest their own fish. However, some fish buyers and custom harvesters harvest the fish, reducing the producer's need for equipment. The same ratio applies to pond depth. Floats can be made of styrofoam or plastic attached on 18-inch centers.
Most catfish seines have a mud line on the bottom of the net.
As the seine is drawn across the pond bottom, the mud line stays on top of the mud, eliminating the digging effect of lead-weighted lines. Seines should be made of polyethylene or nylon. Catfish spines will not catch in polyethylene material. Nylon netting requires a net treatment to prevent spines from entangling. The mesh size to be used varies according to the minimum size of the fish to be captured.