The Ultimate Guide: How to Catch Shrimp at Night (2024 Tips & Tricks)

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.

What are Coon-Stripe Shrimp?

Disclaimer: Protoco Inc., is a sponsor of this page, in exchange for advertising and links back to its site. These are nice folks who sell Made in the USA Crab Pots, Shrimp Pots, and Crawfish Pots. Please consider their products and show your support by mentioning you saw Protoco Products on Fishyfish.

HOW TO CATCH SHRIMP AT NIGHT- Florida Night Time Shrimping At Its Best!!

FAQ

Where do shrimp go at night?

As shrimp become larger, they leave the nursery area and move toward the ocean on the outgoing tide, particularly at night. Shrimp move from the shallow estuary creeks into coastal rivers when they are about four inches long.

What is the best bait for shrimp?

Tuna, canned pet foods, and fish carcasses are all good choices, but for ease of use, effectiveness, and durability, pick up a bag of Bait Binder The ‘Original’. Happy Shrimping! Dip Netting for Shrimp: Dip netting for shrimp is popular in many areas, but perhaps nowhere more so than Florida.

Do shrimp come out more at night?

Based on this description some people start claiming that shrimp are just more active at the night and do not sleep during the day as nocturnal animals do. Therefore, they are neither diurnal nor nocturnal.

How to keep shrimp alive overnight for fishing?

What I have used successfully is the ice method. Throw ice in a cooler, then spread a wet towel that ‘s soaked in saltwater on top of the ice. Place all your fresh, live shrimp on top of the towel. They’ll stay alive for about 3 hours that way.

Can you catch shrimp at night?

Although shrimp can be caught both during the day and at night, there are some pros and cons. Catching shrimp at night is by far the most popular time. This is mainly because shrimp are much easier to spot with the use of artificial lights that simply don’t work during daylight. Shrimp are also more active during the night.

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.

How do you catch live shrimp?

To catch live shrimp for bait you can use a cast net, dip net, or shrimp trap. The cast net is the most effective method. Shrimp are easier to see at night, due to their glowing eyes. Look for shrimp in in shallow grass flats, or use a boat to access brackish areas that shrimp congregate such as near deep holes or bridges and passes.

How do you spot a shrimp at night?

During the daytime shrimp often stay deep and can be difficult to spot under the glare of the water. At night, consider using a lantern or even a green submersible light in the water. Shrimp eyes reflect light very well at night…they are easy to spot as they swim by usually 1-3 feet under the surface. Where there is one, there are likely others!

Why do shrimp eat at night?

Here are some of the main reasons that nighttime is prime time for shrimping Increased Activity – Shrimp feed more actively at night since they are nocturnal. Their movement makes them easier to catch. Shallower Water – Shrimp move into shallow flats and marshes to feed under the cover of darkness. This puts them within reach.

How to plan a shrimp fishing trip?

Plan your outing for a time when the tide is low so that you can concentrate on the intertidal areas. Often it is more productive to catch shrimp at night or when the moon is full. Take extra precautions when planning a night trip. Even areas that you consider to be familiar take on a very vague appearance at night.