I am a local crabber in Beaufort and was wondering if anyone does any shrimp trawling in a 16-22ft boat looking for just some basic info for doing it around Beaufort
Thanks
Scout
PALMERS SEAFOOD
I used to do a lot of it, but haven’t done it at all in the last 15 years or so. I’m getting too old to pull a 30’ net in by hand now. What kind of questions do you have?
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Is there a lot of shrimp to be caught in a 30ft net and is there any money to be made?
Scout
PALMERS SEAFOOD
I’ve been with my neighbor several times, I couldn’t do it now because of a back and shoulder injury. Much physical work and not knowing an area REAL GOOD could cost you a few nights work in net repair. Also the strain on an outboard pulling a net will wear one out in a hurry. There’s some money to be made, but you’ll be hard pressed to compete with the prices you can get them from the bigger boats. I know of two people doing it, one does it as a charter for groups of 4-6 and the other charters and sells packaged frozen shrimp at a higher price in a tourist nitch.
Also don’t be lured by trawling in the local creeks at night, the luminescence trail you’ll leave will be a dead give away to the DNR men and women. 
Not to mention that today every local will go out of the way to turn you in, with good reason.
As for your question on a lot of shrimp to be caught… if your a local crabber just ask yourself do you always catch crabs? We’ve burned tons of gas only to come back with 15lbs of shrimp and a 1000 hog chokers and sand dollars.
< Evil is simply the absence of God >
IMO the only way you could make any money food shrimping with a small boat today is outlaw shrimping, or tourist shrimping as Fred said, or possibly live bait shrimping. I used to love dragging those nets in creeks at night, with a door on each bank…
Don’t think I’d try that today, probably get a drone strike [:0]
A 30’ net can catch more shrimp in a short drag in a creek than one man can roll into the boat by himself.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
As someone who just got out of it last year, no there’s no money to be made really. We only did it because it was supposedly easier than baiting and throwing a cast net all night. We pulled a 35’ net with an 18’ boat and at times caught lots of shrimp, but also burnt a whole lot of gas and didn’t catch squat but a whole lot of juvenile fish. I never did it to sell them, just to fill my freezer.
I went back to baiting last year and can sleep a whole lot easier knowing I’m not killing a 1000 small fish every time I go shrimping.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker LarryA 30’ net can catch more shrimp in a short drag in a creek than one man can roll into the boat by himself.
- lot’s of other fish besides that net full of shrimp. Youthful times. Ever been in a plane and seen the luminescent trail that dragging leaves? No hiding from it!
OK I’m trying to get info from someone that is shrimping this season…
Legally!!!
Thanks for all the responses
Scout
PALMERS SEAFOOD
quote:
+ lot's of other fish besides that net full of shrimp. Youthful times.
Sure enough! Remember that when you go buy bait shrimp too. The by-catch in creeks is horrendous and they don’t use TEDs. Never knew what was coming up in those nets. Like Christmas morning.
quote:
Ever been in a plane and seen the luminescent trail that dragging leaves? No hiding from it!
Sure enough to that, too
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I do it and you have to no when to just go home when not good results. Also where to dragg legal .you can make a little money but a lot of work.