Last night was my first time out this season and we got SKUNKED at crab bank! Anyone catching any shrimp in the harbor? It was a beautiful night but I would like to at least have enough shrimp for a cocktail.
Hey Bluefish we were out there with you and absolutely the worst night ever at crab bank. Got one stinking shrimp. The water just wasnt moving and with an almost full moon and very clear water I guess it added up to an epic disaster. I was thinking of going tonight but I think conditions are gonna be almost the same. Oh well there is always next year!!!
“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way in life”
Same here, 0 shrimp at Castle Pinkney. Whiskey & CAPTAIN BISCUIT wants to do a study on it, We need a grant from Trump.We are accepting donations. Please send money.lol A real bad year.The state should extend the season. Too much fresh water!How long does deep holing last??
Yep crab bank is a no go. Only boat around crab bank and got enough for supper. Maybe next year will be better
What are y’all using for bait? Bait binder or the old school fish meal and clay?
Went out last night, didn’t get time to post. Was off the PP golf course at the white tent. 1/3 cooler when we pulled poles at 930. Mix size but mostly large and mediums. Flippers ran poles 4 times, seemed they knew every time we re-baited. Hope to get out for my last night Sunday night.
I have used menhaden oil added to the Baitbinder this year, just an once or 2 added when mixing it up. Maybe it has made a difference?? seems to be attracting Flipper at least.
21 SeaPro Bay Boat
“That’s why they call it fishin, not Catchin”
quote:
Originally posted by Ryankp07What are y’all using for bait? Bait binder or the old school fish meal and clay?
I haven’t gotten to go this year, but I’ve always used the meal and clay, what you referred to “old school”, but i’m not going to start a debate about which is better (that topic has been beat to death in the past).
I have been baiting for shrimp since before it became regulated, and in my experience, if the shrimp are there, you can limit out quickly with one small bait ball per pole of either. But if the shrimp aren’t there, you won’t catch them with 100 bait balls per pole of either.
-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad (1/13/37 - 9/27/16 I love you Pops)
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish
Amen. Me old skoool too. I dig clay it’s cheaper for me.
When baiting first started around here, we mixed our fish meal with pluff mud.
quote:
Originally posted by smanWhen baiting first started around here, we mixed our fish meal with pluff mud.
I buy the clay now, but back in the day, we used red clay. We would dig it and sift it through hardware cloth to get all the rocks out.
-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad (1/13/37 - 9/27/16 I love you Pops)
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish
You are right on it.If they are there you can catch em.If not no amount of bait will bring them.Old school for us.
We used to find a crew with a ditch witch trenching in red clay and pick up some of the spoils, was like finely ground red dirt it worked well, used to put the meal and clay in a cement mixer and mix it dry then put it in 5 gal buckets. sure made a mess in the boat had to wash it with pure Clorox! caught a lot of shrimp tho. My wife didn’t like the red vanes.
I used to think the blue sticky clay worked the best and knew a few spots to get it from the edge of the marsh…
or occasionally when a friend pool builder would hit a huge pocket. But the last batches I mixed using the
bagged clay turned out very well…with solid balls that would last. And you guys are right, if the shrimp are there then
it doesn’t take much bait to slay them.
I started bait shrimping 4 years ago and have been using Baitbinder mainly because it was “quick and easy”. Been thinking that I’d switch to meal and clay next year. What meal to clay ratio do most folks use?
I buy 50lb bag of fish meal. I only use half because only go 6 to 8 times a season. Free clay at road construction or new housing neighborhoods. I use 3/4 of clay off of a 5 gallon bucket each trip. Compared to price of bait binder I would be paying a lot per trip theoretically. I have done this since 1988 roughly. I like the concept of bb but why fix what’s not broke. This season was a bust so when I got to chunk out the old bait if the shrimp aren’t there I don’t feel so bad either.
quote:
Originally posted by banderson212121I started bait shrimping 4 years ago and have been using Baitbinder mainly because it was “quick and easy”. Been thinking that I’d switch to meal and clay next year. What meal to clay ratio do most folks use?
I use about a 60/40 ratio of meal to kaolin clay, but with the milled kaolin clay, you can use an even higher percentage of meal to clay and it will still bind into a ball. That milled clay beats the heck out of the old red clay that I used for years. After making a ball, I’ll roll it in pure meal to coat the outside. Kind of like breading a fish fillet. We call that the “quick kill”.
-The size of a fish is directly proportional to the time between when it’s lost and the story is told. - Me
-What’s the best eating fish, you ask? I’ve found that for a lot people, its the ones that they happen to be able to catch, clean, and cook. - My Dad (1/13/37 - 9/27/16 I love you Pops)
-Until you have loved a dog, part of your soul remains unawakened. Anatole France (paraphrased)
-RIP my “Puppy Dog” 10/15/2004 - 1/14/2013. I’ll never forget him. What a special friend he was.
-Team Gonna Fish