Shrimping 2019

[WalkinDead]

Not sure where they are, but I would imagine they are there. Go at night for maximum benefit. If the beach you are seining is subject to waves, pick a night when there is a West wind to minimize their size. Make minimum 100 yard pulls to maximize your chance of running into shrimp and continue on down the beach covering areas you haven't covered before to locate them. Post any results.

 

[Danny Leigh]

Hoping the season will kick off on June 5th. Keeping an eye on this site for the announcement:

https://coastalgadnr.org/crd-press-releases-archived

Even earlier than you had hoped... May 29 which is stated as the third earliest opening day. Notice says that the numbers are in great shape and higher than average at the moment.

Only a week to go.

 

[WalkinDead]

Yep, just saw that. See y'all on the beach...

 

[Cituan Rats]

500 square feet is 8'x62.5' of 1.25", stretched mesh, netting. You would have to use nylon netting, green being the preferred color. You can either order it online or, I believe, there's a hardware store in Darien, Ga that sells it. You would then have to hang the net yourself. It is similar to what the shrimp boats use on their nets. It's heavier and more work to pull through the water due to the extra drag of the increased diameter of the netting.
Knew a guy about three or four years ago that was using a 12'x100' net at Jekyll Island, made of this material with a commercial cast net license. He couldn't keep help due to the extreme work involved pulling it. Only saw him use it for that one year, never saw him again. But then, that's a huge, heavy net.
I've used "Pops" 12'x75' net before while he was repairing mine and even that net was a lot more work than my 8'x100' net. It does catch more shrimp though due to the deeper pocket; they don't jump the net on you nearly as bad and, if they do, they tend to jump right back into it.
There is a guy in Florida that sells nylon nets legal in Florida:

https://www.beachseines.com/shop.html

If you buy a net from him, before you leave his shop with it, stretch it out and measure it to make sure it is as advertised. He has a tendency to stretch his netting as he hangs it, resulting in less netting than you should have. Not going to explain how I know this. Lessons learned. The largest net he sells with 1.25" stretched mesh is 7'x40' for $140. He may custom make you a 7'x71' net (497 ftsq), not sure; this would be the best net you could get from him that would be legal in Florida. No idea what he would charge for it.
He does sell $203, 5'x100', 1" stretched mesh net, but, in my opinion, they would be horrible as far as catch rates go. No idea what Florida regs say for the legal size of the stretched mesh netting, I assume 1" due to the above. A 5' net would have an almost nonexistent pocket resulting in the shrimp jumping the net badly.
This is the best advice I have for you, hope it helps.

Update: He sells a 7'x70' (490 ftsq), 1" mesh net for $203. This would be the one to purchase.

So where do you use a 70 foot seine? One the beach or in the rivers or what.

 

[Riplukelee]

I decided several years ago that cast netting was to much work. Even when the shrimp are thick in the sound it takes a lot of throws to fill a cooler. 25 years ago I could do it. Not so much anymore. It wears you out in a hurry. I'm itching to get a seine and give it a try. I need to find a reliable partner to make it work.

Where do you fish out of?

 

[fuelman1]

Where do you fish out of?

I live in Shellman Bluff and usually fish Sapelo Sound and surrounding areas. I was thinking that the outside of Blackbeard Island and St. Catherines would be a good area.

 

[WalkinDead]

Any sandy beach on any barrier island long enough to pull a seine without hangups should be good. The East beaches will have waves on them unless the wind is coming from the West to reduce them to manageable size; if there is a bar that blocks the waves that would be good. The waves can be a problem and may dump what you catch if they are too big.

 

[Riplukelee]

I met Pop at St Andrews beach yesterday and bought a 75’ net. I’ve never done this before so I’m excited about figuring out how, when, and where!!

 

[Cituan Rats]

So is this done at night?

 

[WalkinDead]

Night will be the optimum time until about October. The shrimp come right up to the bank when it is dark, the darker the better, which means new moons will be the optimum nights to shrimp. You can then begin shrimping during the daylight hours from October through the end of the season, if you can't go at night, but night will still be your best bet for numbers.

 

[WalkinDead]

Heading to the beach tonight. Not sure if we will be shrimping, or where, as it may be quite crowded. My wife's nieces husband bought a net after the season closed last year from "Pops" and we will be teaching him how to use it tonight. Maybe we will see you there...

 

[WalkinDead]

Opening night went pretty much as expected. We shared the beach with seven other nets and managed about 20 pounds of some nice size shrimp. Caught a few mullet and a few crabs, nothing to brag about.

 

[Riplukelee]

I’m planning to go Friday and/or Saturday nights ... did you work the outgoing tide?

 

[Blackston]

Opening night went pretty much as expected. We shared the beach with seven other nets and managed about 20 pounds of some nice size shrimp. Caught a few mullet and a few crabs, nothing to brag about.

Dem purty GA white shrimp!!!!

 

[WalkinDead]

Outgoing tide at St. Andrews.

 

[Chase4556]

I will have to check back up on this thread. We usually just toss a cast net from the boat until we get a couple pounds of shrimp. Maybe I need to head south to the St Andrews area and buy a net from "Pops" and see how it goes. I'd assume the same techniques would work up in the Savannah area?

 

[WalkinDead]

Any sandy beach on any barrier island long enough to pull a seine without hangups should be good. The East beaches will have waves on them unless the wind is coming from the West to reduce them to manageable size; if there is a bar that blocks the waves that would be good. The waves can be a problem and may dump what you catch if they are too big.

I would think so...

 

[caughtinarut]

I’m planning to go Friday and/or Saturday nights ... did you work the outgoing tide?

As you can imagine Friday and Saturday are the busiest from what I have encountered.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I have used a cast net for bait in the distant past. I have never cast netted shrimp for consumption. You can obtain a commercial cast net license through the lottery going on at the moment, if you desire one. The limit for commercial cast netting is only 60 quarts vs. 48 quarts for a
Hey there just moved here from Charleston area and I cant locate any shrimp I'm used to deep hole shrimping later in the season In sc but where exactly do they stack up in the st cathrines sound not looking for you spot. Just not yet fimiliar with these waters.

Cheers

 

[WalkinDead]

I do not use a cast net, personally, but there are those who do. Maybe they will be kind enough to answer your questions. I would remind you that baiting for shrimp is not allowed in Georgia waters, though. You may try locating them in the deeper holes in some of the creeks.