Shrimp Traps??

[cobrar543]

I seen some of these on Craigslist and was thinking about getting them... but.. I have done Crab Trapping, and is a blast..but shrimp? How do they work and what do you use for bait? Pardon the Noob here but this is a new to me and want to do it right..Oh..btw..got a nice little 14" aluminum boat with a 9.9 on it...so can do both lakes and bay!
Doug

[christopherbeebe]

its really not much different from crabbing. just gotta make sure the traps are wieghted cause alot of the times they are very light, some people use fishing weights, or pieces of rebar, i made one once and used threaded pipes filled with sand and then capped them off on each end then zip tied them to the bottom of the trap. i used canned cat food for bait, just punctured holes all around the cans. and i had made a bait holder the size of the cat food cans in the bottom of the trap with a hindged lid slipped the cans in and changed them out as needed. good luck

[Rollin with Rolland]

good info beebe. Glad to hear you are interested in shrimping cobrar543. I agree with christopherbeebe. Another suggestion, try searching some of the older topics , I know we have had some good shrimp threads in the past. sometimes you may have to change the "topics" shown to "last six months", because usually it is only set for one month on each forum. Or, the search tab next to where it says "inbox" and "active topics". (you may have already done that....just a thought.)

I would even recommend getting some reading material if you are serious about trying. Shrimping, like crabbing, can be very rewarding!!

The season around the sound usually opens around beginning of May. The earlier you get out, the better, as productivity usually tapers in the popular spots. As far as the pots go, it might not be a bad idea to buy a couple used ones first, just to see if you are into it, and sometimes, newbies lose pots. ( I lost two, but was able to get one back)

There are many types of pots, and everyone has a preference. I'm usually motivated by price (see above, lost pots), and in my experience it doesn't matter to much the type of pot you have, if you are in a good spot any pot will trap shrimp (location,location)

One last thing to consider, a POT PULLER!! That 14' boat sounds like a perfect crab/shrimp boat. It may be tough to mount a pot puller on it though. Depending on your level of "involvement", you do not NEED a pot puller though. I don't have one (most people do). But instead of buying a membership to the gym, I just go out and pull 6 pots a day!! It is tough by hand. I'm usually pulling 300' of rope, with a bulky pot on the end (full of shrimp too ), plus 12lbs of weight (I use a river anchor), against the current. What a workout.

Enough rambling....good luck and keep asking questions if you got them.......

[cobrar543]

Thanks guys!
I found some on Craigslist for 150 for 4..thought that was pretty good...and ya...If Im pullilng em up, I might need one..or the neighbor 14 yo..LOL

[Rollin with Rolland]

that a good price. Remember 300' rope will run you $40-$50 bucks (3/8 leaded rope) plus buoy, bait cage, weight, ect. If they come with all that.....let me know, I"LL SPLIT THEM WITH YOU!!:bounce:

PS check the mesh size also on the pots. 7/8" in normal. But they allow 1/2" mesh after June 1, but not before. So if they are 1/2" you can't use them till June. oh yeah, check the pot regs first maybe, if they are from out of state (OR) they may not be legal in WA.

[Dave]

Also note that the seasons are very short. If you don't have a pot puller you will get a major workout pulling the pots that you will be setting in over 300 feet of water. I tried shrimping and found it to be more work than it was worth without a puller. I used small bricks to weight down the traps. JMO. Good luck.