Most South Carolina fishermen are familiar with the annual fall shrimp baiting season, but there is also a season for shrimp caught using seines and cast nets, but without bait.
However, because some shrimp spend the entire winter in deeper holes in the some coastal creeks, rivers and sounds, a special provision exists that allows fishermen to catch up to 12 dozen shrimp per boat, per day, when the seasons are closed, between Dec. 16 and April 30. This provision was originally set to allow for catching bait, but most of the winter shrimp are large and would be tasty on the dinner table.
During the closed season, the water is pretty cold, and any resident inshore shrimp are in deeper holes. Fishermen with an educated eye can often spot the thicker concentrations on their fish finders and position their boat to catch them. Because many of these are in areas with strong tides, it takes a net that has been “taped” — with a band of just above the lead line to help it stay open as it sinks to deeper depths.
When bait is not used, the half-inch minimum mesh size restriction doesn’t apply, but most winter shrimpers use the 1/2-inch mesh or larger 5/8-inch mesh to help the net sink faster without being deflected as badly in the current.
It is a fact that everything that swims in saltwater eats shrimp, and the redfish around Beaufort are no exception. Redfish that ignore artificial baits will often bite a few minutes later when offered a live shrimp, and sometimes, they continue biting even after the live shrimp are gone, but it often takes the shrimp to get them going in cold water. Being able to catch shrimp is a skill that should prove helpful all year, but especially when the water is cold from late December into the spring.
Be the first to comment