Today, after my last class before graduation (tomorrow), I was driving down the road and saw an old beer-bellied man out in the bay wading with a net. He must have been shrimpin’. The place I saw him is a popular spot for all sorts of fishing.
I don’t recall seeing this week’s waders with gig poles or anything, but just buckets and fishing nets (you know, the ones that look like a butterfly net). However, the fellow on the boat way back, I don’t know.
But this is cool, and cool to know.
Tripler
Question: would it be inconsiderate to quietly ask them what they’re doing next time they pass by, or do they need quiet when they’re floundering/shrimping at night?
Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gator baiter. Would a gator baiter be wading in the water right there with the waiting gators? Do they wear gator-baiter waders for leg protection? Can you go out gator baiting before sunset, or is it necessary to do your gator baiting later?
I see why that is a popular spot. That outfall where the creek empties into the bay would be dumping lots of tasty Fish Snax[sup]TM[/sup] into the bay, attracting lots of fish. I might try that spot sometime soon.
Feel free to talk to them, Tripler, you probably won’t bother them. Hell, offer 'em a cold beer and they might give you a demonstration.
Not at all. We have people stopping all the time and ask. Just go on out there with a flashlight and shine it in the grass flats. You would be amazed on what you see at night and won’t be bothering anyone or scaring the shrimp…
Now as far as the flounder goes… We used to float around on intertubes with a strong light on the sandbars and when you see the eyes glow…use a gig to snatch them. Only problem with that is sometimes you gig a small one and that’s not good for the population. Second small problem is sharks. They are attracted to the noise and light as well. Never had any problem but have seen some 6 foot sand sharks swim within a couple feet of me. Had a baby 3 ft hammerhead that kept circling my stringer one evening. Next full moon around the Tampa area will be choice for shrimping.
We used to “fish” for blue crabs that way in the Tampa Bay area. In knee deep water, working in teams of three. The person in the middle would tie a wash basin to their waist and float it behind them. This person is also the light source using lanterns or flashlights.
They would be flanked by two people with nets who would proceed to track down the crabs, scoop them up, and deposit them into the basin. This was traditionally done at night since it seemed that the crabs tended to be closer to shore at that time. Supposedly full moon nights were the best, but you couldn’t prove that to me.
No, I haven’t. They seem to come around once the house once in a blue moon, but are out off of that beach I showed y’all pretty often. I haven’t built up the gumption to pull over, and wade into the water off the beach just yet. . .
But I have been staying up a little later than usual in the hopes someone comes by.
Yeah, but it was the casual overfishing by your generation, Pops, that led to the current regulations of today. And re. your “twenty minutes tops” claim, methinks you were using either a big net or a tiny bucket.
