Making a simple kick net for stream surveys

By Understanding water quality signs after heavy rain
Comments 35
4 Jul 2026

Making a simple kick net for stream surveys

A net you can build in an afternoon

Kick sampling is the workhorse of stream survey work. It gives you a snapshot of what is living in the gravel and riffles — mayfly nymphs, stoneflies, caddis larvae, shrimps, snails and the small fish that follow them — and it does so with minimal damage to the bed. The kit itself is refreshingly simple: a rigid frame, a bag of fine mesh and two poles so you can hold it steady in the current. You can assemble one from a hardware shop for well under £40, and it will last for years if you rinse it and dry it after every trip.

The aim is repeatability. A net built to fixed dimensions, used with a fixed sampling time, turns "whatever I happened to catch" into data you can compare between sites and across seasons.

Choosing the frame and mesh

A mouth about 1 metre wide and 40 centimetres deep suits most small and medium rivers. Wider is awkward to hold in a decent flow; narrower means more kicking per square metre of bed.

Frame: 25 mm PVC waste pipe with two elbows is light, cheap and easy to drill. Aluminium conduit is stronger and slightly dearer. Whatever you use, keep the mouth rigid — a frame that flexes lets animals escape underneath.
Poles: two lengths of alloy tube or plain wooden broom handle, about 1.2 metres each, bolted to the upright sides of the frame.
Mesh: 500 micrometre (0.5 mm) nylon or polyester is the standard for invertebrate work. One millimetre mesh drains faster and is far easier to sew, but you will lose the smallest mayfly and stonefly nymphs. Beginners often start with 1 mm and move finer once they trust their identification.
Bag depth: around 60 centimetres, with a gentle taper. Too baggy and the current drags the net out of your hands on the downstream pole; too shallow and material washes straight through.

Building the net step by step

Cut the pipe into two 1 m lengths and two 40 cm lengths, then join them into a rectangle with the elbows. Dry-fit first, then cement if the net will live permanently assembled.
Cut the mesh as a long rectangle and fold it in half to make the bag. Stitch the side and base seams twice with strong polyester thread, or run a line of silicone sealant along them afterwards to close any pinholes.
Fold the top of the bag over the frame by 5 cm and secure it with cable ties at 10 cm intervals, working through a strip of webbing tape so the mesh cannot tear. A sleeve sewn into the mouth and slid onto the frame is neater still.
Drill through the uprights and bolt one pole to each side, angled slightly back so the net trails downstream. Cover every bolt end with tape — protruding metal snags mesh and hands alike.
Check the finished net in a sink or bath. Look for gaps at the mouth, loose stitching and rough edges. Rinse and dry it before the first outing, and store it out of sunlight.

How to take a standard kick sample

Stand facing upstream with the net held vertically, the bottom edge pressed firmly onto the stream bed so nothing slips beneath it. Reach down and disturb the substrate immediately in front of the mouth, using your heel to lift and roll stones rather than ploughing through them. Work steadily across the full width of the net, disturbing the top 5–10 cm of gravel.

Three minutes of kicking is the widely used standard, followed by one minute sweeping the net through marginal vegetation and over submerged roots. Keep the effort identical at every site: same mesh, same kick time, same habitat. Always work upstream, so you are not sampling water you have already muddied. Aim for riffles 10–30 cm deep with a decent flow; these hold the richest and most oxygen-demanding communities.

Sorting, recording and returning your catch

Tip the contents into a white tray with just enough water to cover the bottom. Pale trays make dark nymphs easy to spot, and you can sort with a soft brush, a pipette or a spoon. Group your finds — mayfly nymphs, stonefly nymphs, caddis larvae, freshwater shrimp, blackfly larvae, worms, snails — and record either a simple count or an abundance score such as rare, common or abundant.

Note the date, site, grid reference, water temperature, mesh size and kick time on the same sheet every visit. A photograph of the tray takes seconds and covers you when identification is uncertain. Return every animal to the same stretch of water within a few minutes, releasing them into slack water at the edge rather than the main flow.

Looking after the habitat — and yourself

Kick sampling is gentle if you keep samples small and sites few: one or two kicks per visit is plenty for a watching brief. Leave spawning gravels alone between late autumn and early spring, step around freshwater pearl mussel beds and other sensitive features, and never transplant animals or plant fragments between catchments.

Follow check, clean, dry between every site to slow the spread of non-native species and disease. Wear waders with a wading belt, work in pairs, and watch the water upstream for signs of a spate. Cover cuts before you get in, wash your hands afterwards, and treat any flu-like illness in the following weeks as worth a word with a doctor. A well-made net, used with care, will give you years of honest data and a great deal of quiet pleasure.

Gear

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5 Comments

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Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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