Shrimping is a popular recreational fishing activity that allows anglers to venture into crustacean hunting Whether you’re an experienced fisherman or just getting started, shrimping offers a unique and exciting experience In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide everything you need to know about where to fish for shrimp and how to make the most of your shrimping adventures.
What is Shrimping?
Shrimping refers to catching shrimp recreationally, usually done in coastal waters, estuaries, bays, and tidal creeks. The most common methods used are cast netting, trapping, or hand-picking shrimp in shallow waters. Shrimp tend to congregate in areas with sandy or muddy bottoms, as well as near marshes and seagrass beds which provide food and shelter.
Recreational shrimping has grown in popularity across the Southern United States, particularly in states like Texas, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia which offer prime shrimping grounds It’s a fun outdoor activity and a great way to enjoy tasty wild-caught seafood.
Do You Need a License for Recreational Shrimping?
In most states, you’ll need a basic fishing license to go shrimping recreationally. Some states may have additional requirements for cast nets or shrimp traps. Be sure to check your state’s recreational fishing regulations to make sure you meet all licensing requirements before heading out to shrimp.
The Best Places for Shrimping in the US
Here are some top spots across the country to try your hand at landing shrimp:
The Gulf Coast
- Florida – Tampa Bay, Apalachee Bay, Steinhatchee River
- Alabama – Mobile Bay, Bon Secour Bay
- Mississippi – Biloxi Marsh, Pascagoula River
- Louisiana – Barataria Bay, Vermilion Bay, Calcasieu Lake
- Texas – Galveston Bay, Matagorda Bay, Aransas Bay
The Gulf of Mexico offers prime shrimping waters thanks to its warm climate, shallow estuaries and extensive seagrass meadows where shrimp thrive. The Gulf states provide some of the best and most accessible shrimping opportunities.
The Southeastern Seaboard
- North Carolina – Bogue Sound, Core Sound, Neuse River
- South Carolina – Charleston Harbor, St. Helena Sound
- Georgia – Sapelo Sound, Doboy Sound, Altamaha River
The inshore saltwater marshes and sounds of the Southeastern Atlantic seaboard are home to good populations of brown and white shrimp. North Carolina and Georgia in particular offer excellent shrimping.
Southern California
- San Diego Bay – Shelter Island, Spanish Landing
- Newport Bay and Harbor – Lower Bay, Rhine Channel
- Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor – Cabrillo Marina, Pier J
The bays and harbors of Southern California host several shrimp species. Look for spots with eelgrass beds and muddy channels for your best chance at landing shrimp.
When is Shrimping Season?
In the South, the shrimping season typically runs from early spring through fall. Peak seasons vary by location:
- Florida – Spring and summer
- Gulf Coast – Late summer into fall
- Carolinas – Late spring through summer
- California – Fall and winter
Check local fishing reports and regulations for the most up-to-date shrimping season info for your area. Shrimp may be more active and congregate during certain moon phases like new moons or full moons.
Finding a Good Shrimping Spot
Here are some tips for locating promising shrimping areas:
- Look for shallow, protected waters with seagrass beds, marshes, or muddy/sandy bottoms.
- Search for dock lights or other structures that attract shrimp at night.
- Ask fellow anglers, bait shops, and boat ramp attendants for recommendations.
- Look for signs of active shrimp like surface activity or jumping fish feeding on shrimp.
- Scout during low tide when shrimp are concentrated in deeper channels and holes.
A depth finder or fish finder can help you identify underwater structure, drop-offs, and channels where shrimp gather.
Shrimping Methods and Gear
Let’s go over the most common techniques and gear used to catch shrimp recreationally:
Cast Nets
Cast nets are the go-to method for most shrimpers. These circular nets with weighted edges are tossed and retrieved by hand. For shrimp, choose 3/8″ or 1/2″ mesh sizes from 6’-10’ in diameter. Takes practice to master casting and retrieving.
Shrimp Traps
Rectangular or cylindrical traps with funnels, baited and lowered to the bottom to attract shrimp inside. Leave traps for 1-2 hours before checking. Effective but may be restricted in some areas.
Dip Nets/Seine Nets
Dragged through shallow waters or along edges to scoop up shrimp. Good for wading or from piers/docks. Seine nets can cover more area.
Hand-Collection
Simply picking shrimp up in very shallow water. Wearing polarized glasses helps spot them. Fun for kids.
Other Helpful Gear
- Bait bucket and aerator
- Cooler with ice
- Headlamp for night shrimping
- Waders or shoes you can get wet
- Gloves to protect from pinchy shrimp
Make sure to research all rules in your area regarding net sizes, bait, traps, and catch limits.
Shrimp Bait and Chumming
To increase your catch, try these bait tips:
- Fish carcasses – menhaden, mullet, croaker
- Chicken necks or cow hides
- Cat food or dog food
- Liquid bait poured into the water
Create a chum slick by ladling out crushed fish, shrimp, or other bait to get shrimp feeding.
Preparing and Cooking Your Catch
Shrimp need to be cleaned soon after catching. Remove the heads and peel off the shells. De-vein if desired. Cooked shrimp only lasts a few days in the fridge, so plan to eat them ASAP!
There are endless ways to serve up your freshly caught shrimp. Here are some quick and tasty options:
- Grill shrimp on skewers with seasoning and veggies
- Sauté in garlic butter or olive oil
- Boil shrimp for shrimp tacos or pasta
- Make a shrimp soup or gumbo
- Fry up shrimp po’ boys or baskets
- Stuff mushrooms or peppers with shrimp
Don’t forget the cocktail sauce and lemon wedges! Enjoy the rewards of your shrimping trip with a delicious home-cooked meal.
Get Out There and Go Shrimping!
Now you’ve got all the basics to start your shrimping adventures. Few activities beat the excitement of pulling up a net or trap full of shrimp you caught yourself. Get out on the water this season and experience the fun of shrimp fishing – just don’t forget your fishing license!
Find Your Favorite Beach
Most of us think of rods, reels, hooks, line, and sinkers when we think of fishing. But if you want to catch dinner and have a good time at the same time, you should also have nets, spears, tongs, and traps. You can use that arsenal to do anything from lazy crabbing to physically taxing spearfishing.
So did a lot of other fishermen. I spent years wetting a line in boats, on fishing piers, or on the beach, hoping that something tasty would swim by, see my bait, and bite it. I got my share of fish that way, but there was something a little passive about it. But after I learned how to throw a cast net, I became more interested in fishing. Cast nets are mostly used for two things: catching bait and shrimping in Florida. Now that I live in Vero Beach I use my cast net mostly for catching bait. When I catch bait in my net, the old rod and reel method turns it into dinner if everything goes as planned.
But I used the cast net to go shrimp fishing in Florida in the St. Johns River when I lived in Jacksonville many years ago. Johns River.
You can catch shrimp from the shore or from a dock, but fishing from a boat lets you go more places. The plan is to put some baits on a shallow bottom—cat food with a fish base works well—to get the shrimp to gather in groups that are easy to catch with a net. A propane lantern or other light source can help you attract shrimp and see when the run is about to begin by the way their eyes sparkle. Then it’s a simple matter of tossing your net over the baited bottom and hauling in your catch.
Be sure you know the limits, which change from time to time, so that you don’t get in trouble with the fishing authorities. Your local tackle shop will almost certainly have brochures furnished by the state that give limits and sizes of all sorts of catchable marine creatures. Alternatively, you can go to myfwc.com on the web for a full listing of regulations governing both salt water and freshwater fishing.
I know I said it was “simple,” but it’s only simple once you know how to throw your net, which isn’t always easy. You can find various techniques for throwing cast nets on the web. Calusa makes the net I use, and their website has a great video on how to throw a cast net. It’s the technique I use.
If you don’t want to learn to throw a cast net, there’s an alternative. Simply take your boat out into the current, anchor and put a spotlight or lantern on the bow. Then just sit there and keep a close eye out for the sparkle in the shrimps’ eyes as they move downstream with the current. A quick scoop with a dip net and you snag ‘em.
To fish for different kinds of fish in Florida, like crabbing or shrimp, you’ll need different gear. – Douglas R. Sease, for VISIT FLORIDA.
The next step in my evolution as an amateur waterman was crabbing in Florida. I love crabs, but for a long time I was confined to buying them at the fish market. I would sometimes catch a big blue that was set on eating my fishing bait for lunch, but one crab isn’t a meal.
I first tried to catch enough crabs for dinner the old-fashioned way, with a chicken neck, some string, and a dip net. The key is to find a little saltwater stream surrounded by weeds. You throw your chicken neck on the string over it and then wait until you feel a little pull. Then you slowly retrieve the neck.
Usually the greedy crab won’t let go until he’s almost at the surface. The trick is in the timing. You can swoop your dip net under him if he’s close enough, but not so close that he gets scared and gives up his free lunch before you can strike. Kids, by the way, love crabbing in Florida.
Sometimes that old-fashioned way of crabbing is fun, but if you really want to catch crabs, you need to use traps, which are big wire cages with narrow openings. Place a large ladyfish or “chicken neck” as bait in the cage. Place the cage on the flats among the weeds and leave it alone for about a day.
When two or three traps are set, you might catch enough crabs in one run to make dinner. It’s important to remember where you put your traps. For example, I use a small piece of wood to mark the spot where I dropped each trap on my GPS.
There isn’t much that’s easier than crabbing with crab traps, but scalloping comes close. From July 1 to September 10, you can “catch your own” scallops in Florida’s Big Bend, which runs from the border between Pasco and Hernando counties to the Mexico Beach Canal. This is the only place I know of that lets you do this. Steinhatchee is perhaps best known for scalloping in this area.
Catching scallops is easy. Finding them, not so much. I recommend going with a guide the first time to learn where and how to look for scallops. Once you find them, it’s easy to get them: just use a mask, snorkel, and fins to grab them off the bottom and put them in a mesh bag, which you can get at any dive shop. Not only is swimming in the Gulf cool, but the water is usually only three or four feet deep, so you can stop and take a break at any time. Like crabbing, scalloping in Florida is something kids love to do.
How To Find And Cast Net Shrimp In Your Area
Where should you fish with a shrimp rig?
Consider fishing near structures such as oyster beds, grass beds, or docks during tidal changes as this can be a great spot for fish to congregate. When fishing with a shrimp rig, it’s important to use the right tackle to avoid spooking fish.
Where can you catch shrimp?
Although shrimp are found throughout bodies of water, the best places to catch them are at ocean shores, rivers and creeks, bays, lakes, and estuaries. All are shallow and easy to access, allowing you to net large amounts of shrimp as they move from larger bodies of water to smaller ones as they travel around. Go shrimping when the tide is low.
How do I choose the best shrimp for inshore fishing?
First, consider the size of the shrimp. In general, smaller shrimp work best for inshore fishing as they are more natural prey for the fish you’re targeting. Look for shrimp that are around 2-3 inches in length. If you’re able to get your hands on live shrimp, they can be an excellent choice for inshore fishing.
Can You rig shrimp for inshore fishing?
Live shrimp can swim and move around, making them even more tempting for fish to bite. However, using dead or frozen shrimp can also be effective, especially if you add scent to the bait to make it more attractive to the fish. Rigging shrimp for inshore fishing is relatively simple and can be done in several ways.