How to Catch Shrimp: A Beginner’s Complete Guide to Catching Your Own Seafood

What are Coon-Stripe Shrimp?

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How to Rig Your Shrimp Pot

• Your choice of Shrimp Pot or Shrimp Trap. There are many brands and types of Shrimp Traps available for purchase online or in stores. Visit your local tackle store, and if they have no Shrimp Pots in stock, inquire about getting them. Beware, that some areas of the country have very specific requirements of Shrimp Pot dimensions and mesh size, number of traps, and depths and areas to fish in. I am going to start out with a couple of Protoco Shrimp Traps with 1/2 inch by 1 inch mesh that I purchased from the Outdoor Pro Shop in Oakland, CA. These run about $78 each. They are vinyl coated and have four tunnel entrances, and a pre-installed bait cage in the center.
• Youll need a length of 1/4 or 5/16 inch lead weighted line that is longer than the depth you want to fish at. Minimally 20-25% longer than depth at high tide. . Ive been using Blue Steel 5/16 inch lead core line I got from Seamar.com a couple years ago for my Danielson Crab Traps. This year Ill be using two additional Crab Pots made by Protoco.com. Its important to use weighted line so that another boater or even yourself doesnt come along and run over your floating line and then foul the prop. A propeller wrapped with crab pot line or shrimp pot line can be incredibly dangerous. Just this year an elderly couple lost their lives when their prop became fouled in a crab pot line in large dangerous seas. Folks think the tangle forced the boat to turn away from the large swell, and then when the wave broke over the boat it filled the stern of the boat and quickly flipped it over, throwing the couple into the 51 degree water. Ive seen many floating crab lines and have luckily been able to avoid getting my prop tangled up. The idiots who drop their crab and shrimp traps in a heavily traveled channel and do so with floating line held up by clorox bottles are unnecessarily endangering many peoples lives.
• You must use Proper Crab or Shrimp Pot Buoys. Do not use clorox bottles or buoys that have too much flotation for your gear. Too much flotation and your pots will “walk” in rough seas and you may never find them. I typically use 6 x 11 crab pot buoy for both my crab pots and shrimp pots. In California you are required to have your CF or boat hull number written on the buoy for identification. I engrave mine with an old soldering iron. I also use special Vinyl paint to color my buoys to make them easier to identify at a distance. Early in the season the ocean is carpeted with commercial and recreational crab pot buoys, and its easy to lose your gear.
• Unweighted line for rigging a harness. Or use a store bought harness. I like to rig my prawn traps and crab pots with a harness that has a loop that will take a shot of line. The idea is to easily be able to switch out a long crab line with a short crab line and vice-a-versa for the various depths you might fish. The harness can have two, three or four tie in points on the trap. Its a matter of personal preference. I tend to use a four point harness since I think its easier to drop the crab and shrimp pots so that they will properly land on their bottoms. I have the funny feeling that a two point harness leaves more room for error. A crab or prawn trap laying on its side is not going to catch crabs or prawns since one or more of the entrance doors may hang open.
• Some Shrimp pots have elastic connected hooks to hold access doors closed or to hold bait cages or bottles in place. Other traps and pots require Zip Ties for securing folding trap corners, doors, weights etc. Update: I have started using bicycle inner tubes, cut into rubber bands and strips using a razor blade. They seem to last longer that surgical rubber tubes I had originally on my Protoco Shrimp pots.
• Plastic Label Zip Ties or similar for IDing your pot. Sooner or later you will lose one of your shrimp pots or crab pots and an ID might help you get your gear back.
• Weights for the Shrimp Trap. You should use more weight for deeper fishing or for heavy current and large tidal flows. I use old pieces of re-bar that I wrap with plastic tape. Protoco sells metal bars that are vinyl coated. Some folks use old iron Sash Weights, Dumbell Weights, melted down tire balancing weights, and 1lb or heavier fishing weights. ZipTie the weignts to the bottom of the shrimp trap, and distribute the weights on the bottom so the shrimp pot falls flat and settles on the ocean bottom.
• Bait Jars or Bait Bags I typically use the orange Scotty bait jars that have a thread on cap for my crab traps, and plain old cans of Tuna Cat Food. If I have some old rock fish carcasses Ill just zip tie them to the roof of the crab pot. There are commercial crabbing clips that work even better. Ive not used bait bags like you see on the Deadliest Catch, but Im contemplating them for shorter soaks so that they milk scent in a more intense manner. Ive been hoarding onion and other plastic net bags that my produce comes in just for these short soaks. Will report back on my success.
• Bait.Over the years Ive experimented with a large variety of bait for my crabpots, and Im doing the same for my shrimp pots. Ive used a lot of variety of Cat Foods, with the Trader Joes 100% Tuna being very productive. Ive used chicken necks, gizzards, hearts, and liver, old freezer burned tuna and rockfish, the carcases of tuna, salmon and rockfish and perhaps my favorite, sand dabs. Im convinced that you will have the very best bait for crabs and shrimp that come directly from the areas you are crabbing and shrimping. Just last year I had one big Protoco crab trap and 5 Danielson crab pots that were fished close together. I used cat food in one trap, chicken in another, tuna in one, etc. The most productive pot was the Protoco, and it was loaded with 24 jumbo sized Dungeness. It was baited with frozen Sand Dabs. The other pots had one or two crabs. I think the same is true for shrimp. Once you find hungry shrimp, they will go for the bait they are most accustomed to.
• Electrical Tape for Temporary Binding of Line Ends. When rigging the crab pots and shrimp traps, Ill tie knots or splice the line. Burning the ends of the line will help with unraveling, but sometimes just wrapping the ends with electrical tape works fine also.

How To Find And Cast Net Shrimp In Your Area

FAQ

What is the easiest way to catch shrimp?

Cast Net: Cast nets are circular nets with weights distributed around the perimeter. They are intended to be repeatedly thrown and retrieved and are very productive for catching fish, shrimp, or bait.

What is the best bait for catching shrimp?

What is the best bait to catch shrimp with? Canned cat food, old fish heads, fish carcasses, salmon, rockfish, tuna, squid, sand dabs, chicken necks, gizzards, livers, etc. Fresh is best.

How to lure a shrimp?

For bait, try using boiled cucumber, zucchini or an algae wafer. my shrimps go crazy for those and will pour out of hiding to get them. A few things I have used to grab shrimp – in lieu of a small net – are turkey basters, or large syringe, with a straw hot glued to the end.

How do you catch shrimp?

Shrimp tend to move into deeper waters making them harder to catch. There are various methods and gear for catching shrimp including: Circular weighted nets that are thrown over shallow areas. Effective for catching shrimp that have congregated. Use nets with 1⁄4 inch mesh. Takes practice to master tossing technique.

How to catch shrimp in a trap?

When it comes to catching shrimp in a trap, using the right bait is crucial. Shrimp are attracted to strong-smelling organic materials, so fish scraps, chicken necks, or any other type of meaty bait can be very effective.

How do you catch shrimp at night?

Dragged through shallow waters to capture shrimp. Cover more area than cast nets. Wire boxes baited to lure shrimp inside. Let soak on bottom then pull up trap. Check regulations in your state. Underwater green lights used to attract shrimp at night near nets or traps.

How do you catch shrimp in a fishing net?

The shrimp can sometimes be harder to spot due to the dissolving bait balls, but you should be able to see generally where they are in the water, and where you should be casting your net. Pull the rope back in to close the net around your catch. Reel the net back in, wrapping the excess rope around your arm as you do.

How do you catch white shrimp?

White shrimp can be found in shallow waters that are less salty than the waters pink and brown shrimp reside in. If shrimping at night, use green light to avoid scaring the shrimp with white light. On overcast days the shrimp will be closer to the surface than on sunnier days. Purchase a casting net with a proper mesh size for catching shrimp.

Where can you catch shrimp?

Although shrimp are found throughout bodies of water, the best places to catch them are at ocean shores, rivers and creeks, bays, lakes, and estuaries. All are shallow and easy to access, allowing you to net large amounts of shrimp as they move from larger bodies of water to smaller ones as they travel around. Go shrimping when the tide is low.