(When I state that it was a fast current, please know that were I live in the Bayou state, most of our waterways are slow-moving, sluggish,turbid- colored bayous or sloughs.) I wasn't familiar with clear, spring-fed creeks at all, especially those in which I could actually SEE minnows in it's depths!
Soooo.....I drove back home and went to the drawing board trying to figure out a net design that would not be as obvious as a dip-net and at the same time, be more effective at capturing some of these (F-16) types of supersonic fish.
After perusing several local bait shops, Walmart, K-Mart and several other suppliers of nets, I happened upon a shad-scoop design in one of my old net catalogs!
An idea then struck me like a bolt of lightning (or a "Sidewinder" from an USAF F-16)! Hang a dip-net bag on a galvanized steel hoop, equip it with a bridle and a handline with which to pull the net in !!!!
VOILA! The very first time I took this net to their clear, fast-flowing habitat those F-16 shiners weren't laughing at me anymore! And, as a plus: there were no more wet feet, dip-net destroyed habitat, and a LOT less stress on both the fishes and me! Sometimes it was so easy to use that I just simply tossed the net into the creek, give it a quick jerk to position it straight into the current and wait for my targets to swim either right in front of it or into the Shiner Scoop! Then all I had to do was haul in the catch with the hand-line! I just couldn't beleive how well it worked on the first try!
So, if anyone could use such an effective net in their territory, please order one from me. I am now manufacturing them in the original white and the new green-dyed netting. The shiner scoops are available for $40 plus shipping and are ready and capable of catching an F-16....minnow, that is!