Fishing with Dan: Let's talk a bit more about shrimping

When I described the great shrimp run we experienced in late June and July lots of folks became confused.

I can understand because it is kind of a complicated subject. First off you must know shrimp is our thing here in Volusia County. As I have said, blue crabs are hard to come by here but we are known all over the state as a center for shrimping.

Once I was taking part in a daytime shrimp run in the Halifax River when I asked two fellows in the next boat where they lived and they told me Fort Pierce. When I expressed surprise, I was told they came up this way often to shrimp.

There are two ways to shrimp locally. The first is dipping at night and the second is cast-netting in daylight. You may do either all year long, but with each there are prime times and slow times.

Night time dipping is a fun thing to do and the best results come in cooler weather. Each fall the Indian River down Edgewater and Oak Hill way is filled with lighted boats at night. To do this correctly, you will need an accurate tide chart. You must dip shrimp on an outgoing tide. You will also need a long-handled, three- eights inch mesh dip net and a light source. Back in the day I used a Coleman Lantern, but now I have great 12-volt submersible light.

You may find out about the tide and lights and other valuable shrimp dipping facts at The Oak Hill Shrimping Academy headed up by longtime expert Capt. Lee Noga. Lee is an old friend and on her website she will tell you all you need to know about shrimp dipping.

The second way to catch local shrimp is with a cast net. First off, anyone who wants to be a good Florida fisherman must learn how to throw a cast net. Begin with a small four-footer and move up to a larger one as your skills improve.

Usually daytime shrimp netting happens in the center of the Halifax River. For the most part that is a summer thing, but not always. The biggest cast net haul I ever took was 162 pounds in January. That happened back in the 1980s and was rare indeed.

To locate the shrimp to net, you may need help. That will come in the form of the other boats you see working the ICW channel in the Halifax. Any time you see a group of boats holding tight in the channel that will be where the shrimp are.

Very seldom will you catch a lot of shrimp with a cast net without a boat, but it can happen. Once you locate shrimp you need but throw your net in and allow it to settle to the bottom.

While dipping shrimp at night is fun; throwing a cast net in the daylight is work. Both offer a nice payoff.

To shrimp, you will need a fishing license. The limit is five gallons (heads on) per vessel per day. So if you are not an avid angler, shrimping may be the thing for you. Look up Capt. Lee Noga's website for all you need to know about nighttime dipping. Have fun!

Dan Smith has fished the waters of Volusia County for more than 40 years. Email questions and comments to [email protected]. His book, "I Swear the Snook Drowned," is available for purchase for $10.95 at (386) 441-7793.

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