Recently, while on my daily pilgrimage to Publix, some one stopped me and asked two questions. Can you really catch shrimp in the waters around Daniel Island? What does Brody do when he is not finding fish or trading stocks?
In regard to catching shrimp, the answer is a resounding yes! Especially, this year. An unusually warm winter has contributed to a bumper crop of shrimp in our rivers and creeks. Shrimp baiting season is now open, and everyone is reporting good catches around Crab Bank and Bulls Bay. Shrimp baiting is a simple affair. You place (up to ten) marker poles in shallow water and toss shrimp bait around the poles. After waiting a few minutes, you throw a cast next over your bait. Viola, shrimp dinner. While shrimp baiting is a highly productive technique, these days I more often than not catch my shrimp by deep holing. This technique allows me to fish when the tide is moving (and the fish are feeding) and switch to shrimp when the tide slows down. On the surface, deep hole shrimping sounds simple. Position your boat over a twenty to forty-foot depth transition and throw your deep hole net. If the net lands on a concentration of shrimp you probably have enough for a nice dinner. The trick is to determine the depth that the shrimp are in and then to calculate the set and drift of the net to land in the appropriate depth. Given variables like current, wind and the sink rate of your net it can be tough to get the net to land in the right spot. But, when you do, it is a great way to catch shrimp! Typically, I toss the deep hole net 5 to 10 times and this produces enough shrimp for a dinner or two.
Finding fish and trading stocks keeps Brody pretty busy. It seems there is not enough time in the day. Soon as the market closes, Brody shuts down his trading station and runs to the end of the dock. If we do not go fishing, he sits on the dock and looks for fish. This time of year, he does not have to look very much. The creeks are full of Trout, Flounder and Redfish that are feeding aggressively before the lean days of winter.
The best fishing and shrimping of the year is happening right now. Get out and enjoy it.