Any suggestions on how to catch some live shrimp for bait with a casting net? Going to use them for sea trout on a popping cork but Noone answered my seatrout discussion. Is haddrells really the only way to get them? Any suggestions on keeping them alive, rigging them, and how to hook them?
Coreyg89
You can catch them in creeks at low tide if you know what your doing but it is easier to just buy them. You can get them at Haddrels or Charleston angler and a few other places scattered around town. For keeping them alive, get a bubbler from Haddrels and a 5 gallon bucket. If you keep the bubbler on you should be able to keep them alive for the whole day. You can fish them on a Carolina rig for reds and under a float for trout. Most people put about 3-4 feet of 35lb fluro or mono leader under a popping cork with a jig head or circle hook. Hook them thought the top of the head just under the horn being careful not to go through the the brain. You can also substitute mud minnows for both of these methods but make sure to hook those through the lip. Good luck !
17’ Mako
Motor around at almost low tide and look for shallow feeder creek mouths with muddy bottom. Look for the tale tale “skipping” splashes they make. They will skip at the surface. Once you find a place like this with them skipping around then throw the cast net at the mouth of the feeder creek. Slowly drag the net back and you should see them jumping around. Once a place is identified then they are here year after year. Also fish the closest dock b/c chances are the fish know this place also
…and never buy bait. That’s rookie
Almost pointless to go at high tide when the shrimp can get in the grass. At mid or low tide when the tide is out the grass is ideal. Find a large creek and throw at the mouths of the smaller creeks that lead into the grass. Don’t be scared to throw into shallow water and keep an eye out for mullet swimming around, they’re easy to spot when looking for the shrimp.
A technique I have used at mid to low tide, when I am in a new place, is to go up a creek pushing a wake(squatting your boat)…keep an eye on where the wake meets the bank…if there are shrimp, the wake will make some of them skip across the top of the water…shut down and go back and throw the net. Has worked for me more often than not…good luck!
Fishing is a prefectible art…in which nevertheless, no man is perfect – Gifford Pinchot
Key West Sportsman 1720
Ice Blue Pathfinder 2200
“Kemosabe”
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I’ve never had much luck throwing a net for bait at high tide, just too much water. I like finding them mid to low when they have less escape routes.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
I also use the method that Limitout uses .
Bill
I DONT HAVE A BOAT
BUT LOVE TO FISH> HINT
Be careful not to throw on top of oysters or you’ll wreck your net.
2014 Key West 203DFS
1987 Landau
Brown shrimp don’t skip like white shrimp, and those will show up in the next month in creek mouths at low tide. Lots of white shrimp are around if you are willing to deep hole.
I know that during shrimp baiting season there is a mesh size requirement. But if not casting over bait and/or during the non-baiting season, particularly earlier in the year when the shrimp are small and go right through the large mesh are we allowed to use our older smaller mesh nets?
quote:
Originally posted by Epres…and never buy bait. That’s rookie
I strongly disagree. For someone starting out its a lot better to spend 12 dollars on a few dozen shrimp than spend half your day beating around not knowing what your doing.
17’ Mako
Catchin’ bait is just part of learning to fish. A couple of days spent figuring that out is not time wasted.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Coreyg89;; I won’t disagree with any of the above info posted above , it’s all good info, I just want to add if you’re new to fishing the creeks and marshes;;just a word of caution;; do as much learning as possible on dead low and rising tide , until you’ve had to wait out a tide change to refloat you won’t know what I’m sayin.
Learn your areas , spot the flats,shallows,oyster beds and drop offs , make notes take pics with some above water background, cause things look entirely different at mid to high tide . Catching the fish is easier
when you’re floating and not up to the gunnels in pluff mud and out of beer !!!
Catch em up and post results:sunglasses:
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author unknown
Catching bait is fishing! If you don’t know where the bait is how will you know where the fish are!?!? Fish follow bait.
I was just trolling Screamingdrag…thanks for biting! There is a place for buying bait…for me it is only if I am short on time or on vacation somewhere.
What’s wrong with buying bait a Haddrells? I buy bait, then I go fishing. And keep in mind, the shrimp in the creeks now are too tiny to catch, much less fish with, and I’ve been in some pretty skinny creeks, especially lately.
If you have lot’s of time to be on the water and figure things out then fine. Go bait learning / catching. Otherwise buy you some bait, go fish, keep your eyes open and figure it out as you go along, while you’re fishing.
I see it all the time - people come from where ever anticipating catching their bait to fish with. Then spend hours not catching it, missing the prime fishing time, tide, etc, and half the time you see them running back to Haddrells to get some bait.
quote:
Originally posted by djhuraytI know that during shrimp baiting season there is a mesh size requirement. But if not casting over bait and/or during the non-baiting season, particularly earlier in the year when the shrimp are small and go right through the large mesh are we allowed to use our older smaller mesh nets?
comments ???
legal or not
quote:
But if not casting over bait and/or during the non-baiting season, particularly earlier in the year when the shrimp are small and go right through the large mesh are we allowed to use our older smaller mesh nets?
Yes
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Cast net is the way to go… I have 5… 4 with big ol oyster shell tears in them! Yep ya gotta pay yer dues.
quote:
Originally posted by Hoppy ...And keep in mind, the shrimp in the creeks now are too tiny to catch, much less fish with...
I used some of those tiny shrimp…and I caught an epic redfish! 
