Sport Shrimping On The Fishing Piers

Sport shrimping on the fishing piers this evening was less than stellar but that didn't stop everyone from having fun.

When I decided to visit the pier it was just turning dark and the band was playing at the pavilion.  The smell of frying seafood coming from the restaurant immediately made me hungry and if I was a drinking man, I would have joined in on the revelry.  Everyone at the bar seemed to be having a great time.

Even though this was a "fact finding trip" I brought a rod with me tipped with a paddletail bait, just in case something was biting.

Both fishing piers had groups of sport shrimpers standing by the rails tending their dip nets, waiting for a shrimp to cruise by.  Unfortunately, the winter shrimping season in this area is just starting and there was not much action.

The people in the deeper water seemed to be dipping more shrimp than those I spoke with who were set up in the shallows.  However, as everyone told me "it was still early".

I took a few pics and a short video of people hanging off the rails and made a few dozen casts with my paddletail bait. 

There were sea trout in several areas and some needlefish but no large trout or redfish that I could see.

I went to the end of the lower fishing pier and made a few casts to the bridge piling.  I had one solid hit from something right on the bottom and I shook off a couple of undersize sea trout at the rail.

One of the guys at the end of the pier heard me talking about the big black drum and redfish that hang around the pilings and showed me a picture of a 44" bull redfish that he caught the day before on half of a blue crab right at the spot I was fishing.

I thanked him for the information and we spoke a bit before I decided to head for the house.

The band was still playing their tunes as I left the area.  It was still early.

On the way home I passed the park where there was a "Lights Of Hope" festival of some sort going on.  I could smell food but decided to continue home and focus on Turkey.

I'll be spending more time down there when the shrimping starts to get into gear but until then; Tight Lines.