- There’s some really good, gracious folks around who share a passion for shrimping. Got to landing at 3:30 on 9/25 and there was a man taking out who volunteered when asked that he had limited out already. That is, in middle of day. He said shrimp were in 25 feet of water beyond the mud flat. No, I won’t tell you which mud flat, to avoid angering too many. We had planned to fish til dusk, and then set poles as usual in a riverine environment, but this changed everything.
- We caught shrimp briskly, along with about 15 other boats, on the edge of the river, in full daylight, but instead of the 25 feet noted above, we were finding them in 12 to 15 feet Friday afternoon. I thought you couldn’t catch 'em in daytime in river…too clear. Wrong. Just have to go a little deeper.
- On 9/26 went back to same area, along with 20-30 other boats and caught them in 17-20 feet on the falling tide, in the edge of the river, with a near full moon, and plenty of current. Didn’t think you could do that, but the taped net is the game changer in the moving water. I had thought “deep holing” would only work at slack low tide. On the incoming, the shrimp were deeper, around 30 feet, ugh!
- At night crowded shrimping on the poles leads to irritable drivers and throwers as we all feel like somebody is in our poles, etc. In the day, same area, lots of boats, we enjoyed a pleasant congeniality as we literally rode around in each other’s tracks looking for the shrimp. And it’s probably best to do that. The shrimp move in “pods” and may not be diffusely scattered. With the fast moving water, once you throw your net, retrieve it, empty it, and reset you have already moved a long way so it’s just as well that someone else benefits from a throw on the same spot you just caught them. That means we all don’t get quite as worn out and it’s fun seeing others haul em in, too. So, don’t worry bout someone finding your sweet spot and getting “YOUR” shrimp. If they’re there, they’re there.
- About that deep hole myth. As I s
Taped net necessary yes. Not near as much work, or nasty as baiting. Also get a good nights sleep.
Just have to be prepared that when you get in middle of that, there could be some boat bumping. No harm intended.
I call it the dance…be polite and courteous and you’ll all get along just fine…we did the same thing Sat on a similar “flat” 
thanks for the report…
The Morris Island Lighthouse www.savethelight.org
quote:
Originally posted by Bonzo72I call it the dance…be polite and courteous and you’ll all get along just fine…we did the same thing Sat on a similar “flat”
thanks for the report…The Morris Island Lighthouse www.savethelight.org
…and still no report.
keep it up and I’ll be forced to consider a formal protest with Admin.
“I am not involved in this thread, only helping Fred understand who he is dealing with.”
I’ve gotten 99% of my knowledge from deep holing from posts like this!!! I will give these tips a shot this week to see how helpful they were.
I’m personally thankful for guys who are willing to give out such technical details to complete strangers on the internet. It saves me time from having to make friends and phone calls!
Whats nice is when you find them on your own. Your catching them by the pound, and finishing up a limit, when you look down the river and see boat’s coming.
Cool story, take it off the Internet and don’t explain where and how to all of your buddies.
Not everything needs to be explained to everybody.
^^^^Seriously though, what he said^^^^
Thanks for the wonderful insight, as soon as I get home I’ll get my best grouper numbers and share them with you! We can have a party!
Yup, the cat is definitely out of the bag on this one. Last year at probably the same spot you felt jammed up if there were 4-5 other boats. This year 20-30 seems to be the norm. I stopped by saturday solo which is fun on my boat to pick up 5 lbs of large tails, sunday with friends for another 5 lbs and a chance to raft up with DNR so he could check our licenses. For the most part folks are courteous and enjoying themselves but it is getting a bit like Georgetown Hole on a flat weekend in May! Last night we were able to enjoy the harvest moon and see the whole eclipse in the harbor with no crowds and knocked out a 1/3 cooler of decent shrimp running poles. I’m not a big fan of shrimping up to the high tide but the eclipse was cool. Gotta love fall in the low country!
26’ Glacier Bay
Mistress
I know I’m new here but what’s the big deal, Ive been deep holing for a several years, it’s no big secret the shrimp are there. On any given weekend in the fall, pick a tide, someone is throwing a net in a hole. Fill the boat up with gas ride and you will see them. But are they there on the right tide, Ive seen people throwing like crazy in a hole on low tide, when the shrimp are only there on high. They are on the move, you can’t catch them all, what works today might not work tomorrow. You don’t run your poles in the dark so that you give up your spot do you. THE SHRIMP ARE WHERE THEY ARE, you have to find them. Of those 20 boats only 5-10 really no want to do, the others are dancing, as was said earlier.
quote:The big deal is that loose lips sink ships. I didn't know that deep hole shrimping existed before CF.com. Now there is so much info on this site with locations, tide, depth, etc anyone with fishing experience can figure it out. Again, let me repeat... The REASON I am shrimping this year is because of CF.com. Now, I don't mind that, because I really like me, but just wanted to say that I am proof. These guys are right. It's called "tragedy of the commons". Dnot heed the warning of you don't want, but these guys will be the ones to say "I told you so"...
Originally posted by seaoxI know I’m new here but what’s the big deal, Ive been deep holing for a several years, it’s no big secret the shrimp are there. On any given weekend in the fall, pick a tide, someone is throwing a net in a hole. Fill the boat up with gas ride and you will see them. But are they there on the right tide, Ive seen people throwing like crazy in a hole on low tide, when the shrimp are only there on high. They are on the move, you can’t catch them all, what works today might not work tomorrow. You don’t run your poles in the dark so that you give up your spot do you. THE SHRIMP ARE WHERE THEY ARE, you have to find them. Of those 20 boats only 5-10 really no want to do, the others are dancing, as was said earlier.
I went to a spot today that I got 15lbs out of a couple of weekends ago and got 3 shrimp total in about 25 casts. Thought I had the motherload on one cast as I could feel the net moving., ended up being menhaden which was actually the highlight of the morning. Saved those for bait tomorrow so I got that going for me.
Charleston City Papers Best Guide of 2014
tragedy of the commons got your shrimp
“I am not involved in this thread, only helping Fred understand who he is dealing with.”
Deep holing has been around a LONG time, I’ve heard stories of guys catching several hundred pounds in a day, or tide doing it. Just like baiting loose lip sink ships, when people were catching hundreds of pounds a night doing that, no poles pour bait out in ditch in the mud, catch what you could, hence the 48 qt. limit.
Bottom line THE SHRIMP AEW WHERE THEY ARE, here today gone tomorrow. To really catch them you need to know what tide, and where to be when,they show up. When reports get posted here those shrimp are gone, unless a dozen to the cast is good. I have been blessed to already put 60qts. in the freezer this year. Now maybe I can learn to catch a fish.
Specific instructions on how when and exactly where(basically) have only been online for the past year or so. Just try searching the forums before the past couple years…you won’t find anything of substance. Yes the word gets out, but this is a free to read Internet site that any old Joe can google search and up pops specific instruction that were once only knowledge to our community and whoever we choose to tell. Not sure there’s any way to slow down the wildfire right now but threads like this sure don’t help.
quote:And how many people deep holing today compared to "LONG time" ago? Same amount?
Originally posted by seaoxDeep holing has been around a LONG time, I’ve heard stories of guys catching several hundred pounds in a day, or tide doing it. Just like baiting loose lip sink ships, when people were catching hundreds of pounds a night doing that, no poles pour bait out in ditch in the mud, catch what you could, hence the 48 qt. limit.
Bottom line THE SHRIMP AEW WHERE THEY ARE, here today gone tomorrow. To really catch them you need to know what tide, and where to be when,they show up. When reports get posted here those shrimp are gone, unless a dozen to the cast is good. I have been blessed to already put 60qts. in the freezer this year. Now maybe I can learn to catch a fish.
I’m sure there’s way more today than back then, but they didn’t have internet or cell phones, and were doing it to make a living or to get by, those guys were catching, not talking.
quote:So you don't think that the internet is encouraging a heavy influx of new participants into the fishery? I like your catchy rhetoric "they were catching not talking", but there are guys who can "catch" on this board too... And, when someone spells out the tides, locations, depths, times, dates, etc, it takes the learning curve away. You really don't see this as having any effect? You don't think that 20 years from now there will be many more participants? I thought you said that you have been at this for a long time... If that is the case, then you stand alone... All of the old timers that I know understand the cause and effect of spilling the beans all over the internet... Pretty much all of them hate it...
Originally posted by seaoxI’m sure there’s way more today than back then, but they didn’t have internet or cell phones, and were doing it to make a living or to get by, those guys were catching, not talking.
Bottom line… Most good fishermen understand the importance of a secret…
quote:
Originally posted by skinneej .. All of the old timers that I know understand the cause and effect of spilling the beans all over the internet... Pretty much all of them hate it...Bottom line… Most good fishermen understand the importance of a secret…
cosigned
“I am not involved in this thread, only helping Fred understand who he is dealing with.”