Cast Netting For Shrimp

Cast netting for shrimp is a common practice in the Jacksonville, Fl. area and many other areas of Northeast Florida.  

Apparently it is catching on in our area as well.  

About 7:30 pm I decided to drive down to the fishing piers under the A. Max Brewer Causeway bridge to see if anybody was braving the low 50 degree temperatures to net some shrimp.

There was a full moon out, a good breeze over the water, and a lot of people on the fishing piers.

I was surprised to see the sea wall and the first section of the lower fishing pier loaded with sport shrimpers cast netting for shrimp.

I took a bunch of pics and a couple of short videos before talking to the guys to see what they were catching. (Click on pic above.)

There were other sport shrimpers along the rails with lights in the water dip netting shrimp but they were not doing that great this evening.

I conversed with three gentlemen who were weekly visitors to the fishing piers and all three said that the winter shrimp run has started, but that so far tonight it was slow.   

Only a handful of shrimp were in their buckets; so far.

I started conversations with several cast netters and discovered that they had been netting anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds of shrimp for the past few nights.  

The guy below in the yellow rain slicker said he netted a black drum last night that was about 20 pounds but it broke through his net as he was trying to pull it up to the deck of the pier.  

He also said that he had been netting 2 to 3 pounds of shrimp per night, until this evening.  However, the night is yet young.

 I noticed that no fish were yet attracted to the shrimp lights, but I spent some time tossing a Tsunami paddletail bait around anyway, just in case a big trout was in the area.  After about a dozen half hearted casts, I packed in the rod and gave up fishing tonight.

Although the air temperature in the truck read 52 degrees, the wind on the fishing pier made it feel like 40 degrees or lower.

I walked past several other people who were staring into the water looking for a drifting shrimp but after getting nothing but negative vibes when I asked them about how many they were netting, I decided to head back to the warmth of the hacienda.

I was told that the shrimping can pick up at any hour during the night and a good number of the guys said they stay out well past midnight.

More power to them.  I was cold, chilled, and didn't want to get sick.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.

Shrimping In The Indian River

I heard that the shrimping in the Indian River had improved so I decided to drive down to the two fishing piers at the A. Max Breswer Bridge and see for myself if the reports I received were true.

It was around 8:00 pm when I parked my truck and the air temperature was in the mid 50s.  There was a slight wind blowing just enough to make a coat necessary.

As I walked up to the lower fishing pier, I noted that it was occupied mainly by people with shrimp nets.  I didn't see one fisherman on the concrete pier.

I talked to several people who were hanging over the rail trying to spot the elusive crustaceans drifting by over their underwater lights, and most said that they had just started.

A couple of jovial guys were ribbing each other about missing shrimp but everybody seemed to be having a good time.

Nobody had a "full pull" but a couple of guys had several jumbo shrimp in their buckets.

The sea trout seemed to be eating a lot of the shrimp that everybody was trying to net.  I spotted several slot size trout over the lights among the mostly under slot schools of fish and a couple of bull redfish that may have been after the trout.

I took a few pics and videos of the sea trout eating what everybody was trying to catch for dinner and asked a couple of people if the shrimping had been as good as I was told.

One fellow said that "a couple of nights ago" he had about 100 or so shrimp and that the shrimping had indeed gotten better.   He said that nobody on either fishing pier had gotten a "full pull".

He had six good sized shrimp in his bucket and about the same in the boot of his shrimp net when I took this pic.  Click pic for video.

After a while when the wind picked up a bit I started to get chilled so I decided to head home.

As I was leaving, a sport shrimper named Lon was just setting out his home made shrimp lights so I asked him where he got them.

He said he made them and was selling them for $60.00 a piece on Craig's List. 

He showed me a couple and we talked a bit about he made them and at what cost.

The home made lights put out a good bit of light underwater and apparently worked quite well.

I took a couple of pics of Lon's work and of him before heading home to get something to eat.

The weather this past week has not been conducive to fishing, so I haven't been making any posts but with any luck I'll be able to wet a line before I head back to work.

Till then,

Tight Lines

Shrimping On The Titusville Pier

When I got home late Friday afternoon, the first thing I did was pack Elmo, Odie, and my wife into the truck to take a trip around the refuge and see if anybody was catching any fish.

We spotted plenty of waterfowl but only one person who was actually fishing around Catfish Creek Loop, and he was only catching an occasional catfish.

  

I stopped briefly to talk with Don who was from Colorado about the fishing and we shared a few stories before moving along.  He said the redfish were not hitting lately.

After making the rounds we headed home and after a brisk walk around the block, I decided to check out the shrimping on the Titusville pier.

I got there a little after 7:30 pm and the air temperature was 63 degrees.  A light wind was causing a slight chop on the water and I was surprised to see only three or four people shrimping.

The first lady I spoke with said the shrimping was picking up but it was still early in the season.  She had a few in the sock of her net but had just started so I moved on to check out the other sport shrimpers.

Nobody was netting a lot of shrimp but the sea trout and redfish over the lights seemed to be eating just fine.

I took a few pics of the area and tried to catch a couple of the larger redfish on a video (click below) but by the time I got focused, they were gone.

I hit the upper pier and the one person who was shrimping there had about the same amount as the lady on the lower pier.

The shrimp were large, but not plentiful yet.

I took a few more pics before heading home and calling it a night.

Till next time,

Tight Lines.

Space X ISS Supply Launch

Went down to the river this morning to check out the Space X ISS Supply Launch that was rescheduled yesterday.

There were relatively few people along the shoreline so it was easy to grab a parking spot and a place to view the launch.

I got down there with five minutes to spare and took the video below of the launch and recovery of the booster.

The launch went off without a hitch and since I was already up I decided to check out the fishing piers to see how many people were shrimping.

When I got there, I was surprised to see how many people were shrimping at 3:00 am.

The lower fishing pier was the most crowded this evening and most everyone  had varying amounts of shrimp in their buckets.

The people on the upper fishing pier were not doing as well as the shrimpers on the lower pier which was surprising to me because the upper pier is usually more productive.

A few of the sport shrimpers had a second bucket for blue crabs that they were dipping up as they drifted by in the current.

I don't believe they bothered to read the fishing regulations for blue crab, anyway, the shrimping this evening was slow and the speckled sea trout were eating more shrimp than the shrimpers were dipping up.

I took a few videos of the fish in several areas (above).  

Almost every submerged light had schools of sea trout over the lights which is probably why the shrimpers were not loading up their buckets.

After talking to several of the shrimpers about the "run" or lack of a significant "run", I decided to pack it in for the night.

Till next time,

Tight Lines

Titusville Fishing Piers

Although the two Titusville fishing piers this evening were virtually devoid of sport shrimpers and fishermen, I decided to stop and see what was being caught.

The weather today was pretty windy and a cold front was in the works but after catching up on some paperwork for work, I decided to make a quick run around East Gator Creek Road to see if anybody was out fishing.

I left the house as it was getting dark and as I crossed the bridge across the Indian River, it was obvious that very few anglers were dunking baits.

The air temperature was 54 degrees F and there was a North wind blowing across the water when I got to my first spot.

I stopped and made several fan casts around the area with a gold Johnson Sprite spoon and a "baby bass" pattern Chug Bug without even one followup.

As it got dark I drove up to the barriers at Peacocks Pocket Road and Catfish Creek Loop to turn around.   I planned to shoot a few casts around the area, but the wind made it too problematic.

I slowly drove back to the main road and as I drove towards the A. Max Brewer bridge, I decided to check on the progress being made at the boat launch.

Canaveral Construction is doing the job and the sign says should be completed by May.

I took a couple of pics and decided to check out the two Titusville fishing piers before heading home.

As I pulled into a parking spot I noticed that very few anglers or shrimpers were on the piers.  Most everyone was enjoying a cold brew or a nice dinner at the Pier 220 Seafood & Grill restaurant.

The four groups of people that I spoke with at the lower pier were setting out their shrimp lights and all reported less than stellar luck with the shrimping. 

The wind was making waves and the waves were making it difficult spotting shrimp this evening.

I made my way to the upper fishing pier and took a short video of the area.

Just as I got to where a gentleman was fighting a nice fish, my cell phone battery went dead and I was unable to get a picture of his catch, a nice black drum of at least 20 pounds or so.  

The drum looked looked like it was around 34 inches or so long, but it had a nice pot belly.

He caught the fish one a piece of shrimp and didn't even know the fish was on until it got tangled in his shrimp lights.

After landing the fish, an onlooker was kind enough to text me the above picture he took of the guy's fish.

It was getting too cold for me to stick around and no one was netting large amounts of shrimp, so I decided to head home for a cup of java and snuggle up the the television.

I may get out tomorrow to wet a line around Shiloh Road.

Till next time,
Tight Lines.

Atlas V Weather Satellite Launch

Went down to the fishing pier this evening to see how the shrimpers were doing and got to see the Atlas V weather satellite launch that blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:42 p.m. Eastern time.

I planned on getting some fishing in this weekend but I got tied up making a custom aquarium stand that took longer than expected.

When I finished the stand this evening, I decided to see how the shrimping was going on the Indian River.

This is the time of the year when the shrimp run starts to get hot in our area but when I got to the fishing pier and started to inspect the buckets, most were empty.

The guys I spoke with said that they[ were waiting for the wind to pick up (in a couple of hours) as the cold front moves into our area.  The weather was a pleasant 70 degrees, but we are expecting 40 degrees tomorrow morning.

Anyway, while the shrimpers were waiting for the wind to pick up and move the shrimp around, I took a few pics and drove up onto the A. Max Brewer Bridge to see the Atlas V launch.


I parked between a couple of cars on the very top of the bridge and after a brief wait took the video below.




The Atlas V launches in my opinion can't compare to the shuttle launches we used to witness, but I still enjoy watching them.

Immediately after the launch, I drove up the road to see if anyone was fishing for reds from the bank.  I spotted a couple of fishermen dunking cut baits but nobody was catching.  Everyone seemed to be fishing.


I drove by the fishing pier one last time before heading home and was serenaded by the band they had at the outdoor bar.


More people were partying than shrimping or fishing this evening.

I may pull out my shrimp net this week to see if I can get a few for the pan.
Till next time,
Tight Lines.

Night Launch Over The Indian River

Decided to try for some redfish Friday evening and stayed late to catch the late night launch over the Indian River.

The fishing earlier was sporadic. Since the roads in the refuge were closed for repairs, I decided to beat the day crowd and try some night fishing along the causeway.

I put out a couple of spinning rods with chunks of ladyfish and picked up a slot red along with a couple of hard head catfish that hit as the sun went down over the horizon.

It was windy and I missed at least two other redfish that I hit before they fully took the baits.   I'm not a live bait fishermen but with the wind, it was the only option this evening.  I seem to have a penchant for striking the fish too early. 

Anyway, since the launch wasn't due to execute until 1:21 am, I took a drive over to the fishing piers to see how the shrimpers were doing. There weren't a lot of folks shrimping and the ones I saw were not doing well. There were a few shrimp in the buckets, but nobody made a "full pull" tonight.

I tried dunking a half of a blue crab from the lower fishing pier around a piling but didn't get a bite so around 1:00 am, I got back in the truck and drove over to where I caught the slot red earlier.

A car pulled in next to me almost about the time the launch was due and asked what time it was going off. I told him now, just as I clicked on my video camera on my cell phone.

The results are not great but in a rush, you make due with what you got...

After the shot, I packed up my rods and headed for the house.

Till next time, Tight Lines.

Good Friday Shrimping On The Indian River

I planned on going fishing when I returned home from work this evening but instead spent Good Friday shrimping on the Indian River with some old timers.

It was too late to fish Peacocks Pocket when I got home from work so I decided to hit the fishing piers to see if there was any action with the shrimping community.

I arrived a little after 8:30 pm and the pavilion was crowded as usual for a Friday evening.

Lower Fishing Pier

There were several shrimpers and a few fishermen on the lower pier and almost nobody shrimping on the upper (higher) fishing pier.

The sport shrimpers on the lower pier were not doing too good while I was there.

The sea trout were murdering the shrimp and very few of them were escaping to the surface where they could be dipped up.

I walked the lower pier and only a few shrimpers had any in their nets or their 5 gallon buckets so I took a few pics and walked to the upper pier to see how they were doing.

There were three guys at the corner of the pier who had their lights set out in deeper water.  When I checked out their buckets, none of them had any shrimp to brag about.

As I stood there for a while, it was quickly evident why.  There were at least a couple of hundred sea trout over the light sets ambushing the shrimp as they were swimming into range of the dip nets.

Most of the sea trout  were under the slot but several were at least 15" plus.  The larger sea trout were hanging just outside of the shrimp lights down deep.

I mused to myself, of all the times to not bring my fishing rod with me!

There was a slight current moving the shrimp around but it slowed down to almost nothing around 9:00 pm.

The shrimp that were being dipped up were medium size tonight and no jumbos were in anybody's bucket as far as I could see.

There was almost no wind on the water this evening and it was shirtsleeve weather.  All in all a gorgeous night.

I took several short videos that I later edited into this YouTube video that shows mostly sea trout, a small tarpon and a ladyfish chasing shrimp around the lights.


Unfortunately while I was visiting the fishing piers this evening, nobody was dipping any jumbo shrimp that this area is noted for.

This Good Friday shrimping expedition on the Indian River would have been great if I only had the foresight to bring along a light spinning rod and a couple of  D.O.A. Shrimp.

Well, Tomorrow's another day.

Tight Lines.

Indian River Flats Fishing

April is the month for gator sea trout in the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon estuaries.

This week in particular has been excellent fishing in the shallow grass flats north of Scottsmoor.

The Scottsmoor ramp is primarily for shallow draft boats, however if you take it easy and follow the markers out from the ramp, it can accommodate boats with a pretty deep draft. Use common sense and you shouldn't have any problems launching.

On Friday afternoon I spoke with some fishermen at the ramp who were gearing up for some wade fishing in the grass flats just north of the ramp.

The gentlemen I spoke with said they were catching bragging size trout by wading out to knee depth and staking one rod out with a live finger mullet. They were then casting top water skitter walk plugs with a second rod to pass the time between bites.

They also reported that they had been catching some huge redfish using the same technique during the middle of the week.





This particular area has been a local hot spot for years and is pretty much under fished.

Returning to Titusville on late Friday, the Max Brewer causeway bridge was loaded with over 50 people shrimping and fishing. The blood red full moon attracted quite a crowd of sport shrimpers. They reported dipping "jumbo" shrimp in large numbers for the past week.

I spent part of Easter Sunday out on the river driving around the Wildlife Refuge watching the finger mullet getting busted up by schools of large trout and a few redfish. I picked up a couple on artificial DOA Shrimp and Terror Eye lures but nothing to really brag about.

Enjoy the collage of pics I took at the Scottsmoor boat ramp.

Tight lines guys!

What Do You Need To Go Sport Shrimping?

Sport shrimping takes a lot of gumption during the winter months. If you don't believe me, try standing on a bridge half the night, looking over the railing with the wind blowing, and the temperature in the low 40's trying to dip a bunch of shrimp into a 5 gal. bucket.

Did you get the picture? Not quite.

The flip side of sport shrimping is that from October to late April, when the shrimp are supposed to be "really running", between the new and full moon phases, you will have a lot of camaraderie. Hundreds of shrimpers visit Central Florida's ICW bridges annually to take advantage of our unique shrimping sport fishery.

Like any other activity, when you try it, shrimping gets into your blood and tends to become as addictive as sport fishing, or sky diving. (Both sports native to the Titusville, Fl. area.)

When you DO become a dedicated sport shrimper, you will need some basic equipment to get your 5 gallon bucket limit.

A long handled circular dip net is a must for bridge shrimping. The regulars have learned to add extra handle lengths and reinforce the nets with tape to keep them from separating at the seams.

An array of home made or commercially purchased shrimp lights will be needed along with a power source to light up the water column. Lanterns are used in some areas, however underwater lights are preferred by the Indian River Lagoon shrimpers.

Most seasoned shrimpers use the small Honda type portable generators to power up to six underwater lights. When only one or two lights are placed out, a 12 volt battery can be used as a power source. The battery doesn't last very long when more than a couple of low voltage lights are used plus it's a pain to transport.

Shrimp traps are also used by some shrimpers. The rules and regulations for using them can be found HERE.

Finally, a 5 gallon bucket is needed to transport your shrimp. Florida allows one 5 gallon bucket per person per day as a "bag" limit. That's a bunch of shrimp!

When you become an addict to sport shrimping, you will want to customize your nets, traps, lighting arrays and start paying more attention to the Farmer's Almanac and tide charts.

Yes folks, it is addictive. I was out Friday and Saturday night to check it out, and despite the complaints from the "old timers" that "the run wasn't neer as good as last years" there were still a ton of sport shrimpers on both sides of the bridge having a great time.

Tight lines to all.

Shrimping On the Indian River

The shrimpers are at it again this evening.

I got home from work this evening and decided to check out the Lagoon to see what was shaking.

Depending on who you speak with, the shrimping is still somewhat mediocre or great.

One gentleman I spoke with said he limited out the night before with the 5 gallon bucket allowed by law. He was at it from 8:00 in the evening until 3:30 a.m. and said that he had dipped up about 30 shrimp that were over 7 inches long.

Not bad if you don't mind standing over a rail in chilly weather looking at the water all night.

Another fellow I spoke with was setting up his Honda generator under the bridge and his story was a bit different.

He said that on the previous night, Thursday, he only dipped enough medium shrimp to cover the bottom of his bucket. He never told me how long he stayed on the water shrimping, but I suspect not very long.

In any event, this evening the water was relatively calm and when I looked over the rail, I only saw a couple of shrimp scooting around and they were promptly dipped up by the guy next to me.

There were also several schools of finger mullet swimming around the lights. I believe if I would have stayed around for a while, the big trout and "bull" red fish that frequent the area would probably have shown up for a free meal. This activity usually happens much later in the evening.

I got to the bridge about about 7:35 p.m. and didn't stay long without having my jacket on. The cold weather is good for shrimping, not for me!

In general the folks I talked to this evening said that the shrimp "run" was not near as good as last year. We shall see.. The shrimp in this area usually run best well into late March or early April.

I took some pictures that are in movie format for you to check out.
Enjoy, and tight lines.

Indian River Shrimping

When anyone mentions shrimping, most people automatically think BOAT.

Not in Brevard County, Florida.

With the moon full this past weekend, the shrimpers were again out in force.

Although a lot of shrimpers opt for a boat, many prefer the camaraderie of shrimping from a causeway or a bridge.

The Max Brewer Memorial Parkway bridge on the Indian River at Parrish Park in Titusville, Florida, is one such gathering place.   The shrimping cranks up in the fall but actually lasts well into the summer.

Shrimpers use 12 volt batteries, or small compact Honda type generators, to provide juice for their lights. Usually, several water proof white or green lights are positioned on the bottom for each person to light up the water column with.

Long handled, fine meshed circular dip nets are then used to "dip" the shrimp from the water when they are spotted swimming through the lit water column. 

The shrimp are collected in the "heel" of the dip net where they cannot escape and then periodically dumped into a 5 gal. bucket used for transport.

When the shrimp are "running" you can load up a bucket in a very short time. The trick is to know, when they are running.....

Since there is no tide in the northern Indian River Lagoon, the wind plays a major role in water movement and successful shrimping.

The full moon is also locally believed to be big factor in shrimping, however, I have reservations about it. I have seen some of the biggest jumbo shrimp ever caught on the back side of a full moon and at other times, during the full moon. I do believe it's easier to see them during a full moon.

I have been on the bridge a few hours after sunset, when the shrimpers have their lights out, and the place looks like a fish hatchery! The sea trout, usually under sized trout, are all over the place eagerly gulping down the shrimp.

This frenzied feeding activity often attracts super sized bull redfish that can be seen moving through the water column like mini submarines. Although this activity usually occurs in warmer weather, you never know when they are going to be there!

Baiting, cast netting, push netting, frame netting and shrimp traps are also allowed for recreational harvesting of shrimp.

A valid resident or non-resident saltwater license is required and the daily bag limit is 5 gallons, with heads on, per person, daily. Boaters are limited to a 5 gallon bucket per vessel per day.

Shrimping is an enjoyable, cheap, fun activity and for me; beats the hell out watching the boob tube all night.

CLICK HERE to check out the rules and regulations you will need to be aware of if you get the itch to go night shrimping on the Indian River in central Florida.

Who knows, you MIGHT even get a shot at one of those 40 pound bull redfish!

Tight Lines!!