Shore Shrimping 101

[John Pierce]

SHORE SHRIMPING 101

WHAT
Have to catch a ton of the little buggers to make a meal as 1-3" with heads on.

TYPES
Several ie Coonstripe/Dock Shrimp, regardless, DFO limit is 200 or all types.

WHEN
FALL: Mid Sept to Christmas as the shrimp get shallow to spawn.
EVENING:
TIDES: Don't drop fast, the trick is to place the nets in not more than 5-10 feet of water! Thus the importance of a tide that doesn't drop quickly cause your nets will be left high and dry.
WAVES: Not choppy or rough, shrimp don't like movement of the water.

EQUIPMENT
BUTTERFLY NET: Scoop them with the net.
BIKE RIM: Remove spokes and can use potato sack, but when hauling the trap in, the water would create resistance due to the fine mesh on the potato sack, and the shrimp would get spooked and dart away. Better to use 3/8" mesh as no water resistance when pulling the trap in and the shrimp would stay put.
SPANISH NET: Make them, one large in port at the top of the net. Your entire net is closed except for the top where you have a 5" diameter tube that falls to the bottom of the inside of the net about 2" off the inside bottom of your net. The shrimp fall into the hole at the top of your net and travel down and swim out from under underneath into your trap.. they can't get out cause they just keep swimming around and around the middle tube. The next secret is placing your bait, you have to place two small bait sacs and suspend them in the inside middle of the trap against each side of the tub! if any part of the bait sac is touching the out side of the net.. your done.. the shrimp won't go in! they will latch to the out side of the net. You can say its a fine art.. once you find your spot that has shrimp and you get these nets to work.. it will blow your mind how much shrimp you can catch in one evening from the rocks.

BAIT
Cod guts work well although if you can get a tuna carcass, all the better. It's real oily. Salmon heads. Anything fish oily and stinky is good. punctured oyster or sardine or cat food can.

HOW
DIP NET: Walk around the dock at night with a flashlight/headlamp to see them attached to the pilings. Use dip net to retrieve.
You have to shrimp at night from the shore..go drop your nets before dinner just before it gets dark, go back latter that night to fill your bucket.
Place the trap in the water right beside the rocks. Place your nets too deep you will get non, place them shallow in the top 5ft of water.
Look into the trap with your flashlight about every 10-20 minutes, when lots, pull it up slowly so not to spook the shrimp, and dump the shrimp into your pail, repeat as necessary until you have enough shrimp.

WHERE
SOOKE HARBOUR MARINA: They were all over the pilings there.
EAST SOOKE CHEANUH MARINA: I've gone many times undefiled bucket.
OGDEN POINT BREAKWATER
FISHERMAN'S WHARF: At night, if you take a flashlight down with you, shine the light around the pilings.....you won't believe how many Coonstriped shrimp you'll see, then use a dip net.
ESQUIMALT ANGLERS LAUNCH: Lots of shrimp, but they were a little small.
FLEMING BEACH: Lots of shrimp on the pilings at the launch, and from the top of the breakwater saw plenty of their eyes light up along the rocks the whole way.
OAK BAY MARINA BREAKWATER
CATTLE POINT: Just beside the northern most boat launch is one of best spots.
GORDON HEAD: Rocks
JAMES ISLAND WHARF: Under the walk ramp.
TULISTA BOAT RAMP
GENERAL: At night from the rocks. Find a rocky small protected calm bay and go there at night with a strong flash light and illuminate the rocks under water and look for amber/orange/red glowing eye balls of shrimp. Take some time and scout some areas out at night.

LIMIT
200 per person/day.

STORING
FREEZING: Snap the heads off then freeze, when I thaw them I take a small pair of scissors and cut down the back of the shell to remove the vein and to make it easy to remove the shell, as with previously frozen prawns the meat pulls away from the shell during freezing.

REFERENCES

• Video - Victoria Shore Shrimping.
• DFO Pacific - Shrimp Types.