# Jekyll Island and Seining



## WalkinDead

Wife and I went to Jekyll Island today to check out the North beach and St. Andrews beach at low tide.  
St. Andrews appears to have lost 12" to 18" of sand over the entire beach area.  There is no large debris on the beach and it looks to be seine-able; however, you will have to go much farther from shore now and wait longer after high tide to begin as the sand from the beach made the beach shallower farther from the shore.
The North beach, by the pier, appears to be in good shape also with a great deal of marsh grass from the high tide line inland.  The beach should be seine-able; there does not appear to be any obstacles there either; and it does not appear to have lost as much sand.
The coast still appears to be getting some storm surge, as the tides are still much higher than normal and you should plan accordingly.
We may give it a try sometime this week to find out how it affected the shrimp.


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## GONoob

Thanks for the update! We wanted to go this weekend but thinking about holding off


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## WalkinDead

*Update*

Wife and I loaded up the poles and net and headed to Jekyll's St. Andrews beach for a couple of hours seining before high tide today.  Water is stained, lots of silt floating in it, some small debris in the water,  not much.  
We made four pulls of about 120 yards each and ended up with approximately 30 quarts of heads on shrimp.  Size ranged from small to large with mostly bigger shrimp.  Think we did fairly well for daylight seining with the water temperature around 81 degrees on a sunny day.
Will give water a little more time to clear up and go back to seining at night next week when the tides are lower.


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## Quailbriar

When you say St Andrews beach .... Do you mean where the old shrimp boat sticks up out of the sand?? Or do you mean where the park is on the southwest end of the island where the sculpture of the Wander slave ship is?  I have a net but have been unsure where to try it. Thanks


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## Rhodes

30 qts in four pulls! Man that's great seining walking dead, even for night seining. Just curious what your heads on count per lb is for small, medium, and large shrimp.


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## WalkinDead

St. Andrews beach is where the sculpture used to be, gone since the storm.  The area with the old wreck is Jekyll Point.
This time of year I would be disappointed if I couldn't fill a cooler within 3-4 hours at night.  You wont do quite as well during sunny days, but that will change once the water begins cooling off in October.  As with fishing, some days are better than others.  Having the beach all to yourself helps a lot.  You will also do better on the outgoing tide there as well.
As far as size goes, we had 4 quarts of small tails, which we use for bait, the rest were medium to large with a few bigger ones.  The are molting every two weeks now and will grow rapidly.
Going to give it till the beginning of the week to go back so the beach is a lot cleaner.  We were picking up some small storm debris (leaves and such) with each pull.
Before the storm we were filling our cooler within 4 hours or so, at night, during the week, and had the beach to ourselves.  Just the way I like it.
The week before the storm we went 4 nights and caught ~200 lbs, heads on.  The shrimp are there, they just need to grow a bit more.


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## Ladder Man

Went last night and it was slow.  It was super hard to find space to land the net now that the tide comes up so much faster with the shallow water.


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## WalkinDead

We are still getting some storm surge, the tides are still higher than normal by a foot or more.  We can probably expect that till Maria passes and dies.  The hurricane season still has another two months, it may not be over yet.
The shrimping will continue to improve as the water cools over the next two months and the shrimp are growing rapidly now.  It can only get better.


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## caughtinarut

Thanks for the update!


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## WalkinDead

*Update*

Wife and I went to St. Andrews yesterday evening to seine the incoming tide.  We filled a 50qt. cooler by 10:15.  The size was a better overall average, but we had to pick them out of a 5" roll of detritus (bits and pieces of marsh grass, leaves, twigs, etc.) on the first three pulls.  After that that we had pretty much scrapped the bottom clean and it went much faster.  Dolphins were there, but no mullet; they left us alone and eventually left.  We also caught one 18" red to add to the evenings catch.  There was a good breeze, no bugs to deal with; it was a pleasant evening.  Shared the beach with two other crews with shorter nets.  Bid them good seining and headed to the house.


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## caughtinarut

sounds good


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## WalkinDead

*Update*

Wife and I went to St. Andrews last night.  The beach is much cleaner that it has been and the shrimp are there.  We made 4 pulls and went home with a full cooler.


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## 61BelAir

Lots of questions from myself and several co-workers here in the middle of the state:

So what would a few ole boys need to drive over and give this a shot?    
What type of licenses, regulations, etc. ?
Equipment (net, etc. and where to buy) ?
How far out from the beach?    
Are ya'll pulling the seins with boat(s) or doing it by hand?  
(Only time I've used a sein was by hand in water up to chest deep during pond draining.....man what fun!!!! Of course the only worries were cutting your foot on something or stepping on a snapping turtle.)

Thank you in advance for any tips for beginners.


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## WalkinDead

Sent you a PM.


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## BigDave2000

*I got the same questions*

WalkingDead, 
Can I get the same PM? My questions also include how to take the head off and devein?
I plan to take the family to Jekyll Island on the 14th to try beach seining.

David


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## caughtinarut

I need to get over there.


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## WalkinDead

PM sent.


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## WalkinDead

*Update*

Wife and I wanted to get one more day of shrimping before the high winds and tides this week.  Had to share the beach with several other nets, but still managed to fill the cooler.  The average size was a bit better, the beach was clean, and the bugs left us alone.  There were more blue crabs than we have been catching, some finger mullet, no problems with the dolphins.  The day was overcast, which brought the shrimp in a bit closer to the shore.


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## BigDave2000

*High Tides?*

How will the tides affect the shrimp? My plans have changed and we are going this weekend.


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## fuelman1

BigDave2000 said:


> How will the tides affect the shrimp? My plans have changed and we are going this weekend.



Right now there are rip current advisories. This weekend could be up in the air depending on what happens with the tropical system developing. They seem pretty certain it will move into the gulf. How far east it travels will determine conditions this weekend.


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## WalkinDead

*Update*

Wife and I went yesterday to test the feasibility of daytime shrimping.  Wind ENE 20+, St. Andrews was sheltered, so no waves to deal with, water temp 79 degrees, bright sunny day.  Shrimp were good average size, but it took from 10am to 6pm to fill our 50qt cooler.  Fished during slack low tide.  Still a bit early, water temp needs to drop some more for good daylight shrimping.  No mullet running the beach, so the dolphins left us alone.  We were the only net on the beach, and no one fishing to limit our seining.
As long as the wind is from a northerly direction, shrimping at St. Andrews is safe.  The tides are higher than normal due to the storm surge, so you will have to wait approximately 1.5-2 hours after the posted high tide to begin, otherwise there is no available beach to land your net.  The storms this year have washed a great deal of sand off the beach and the time available for shrimping is shorter due to that, so plan accordingly.  There is still some detritus on the bottom in places and you will have to pick your shrimp out of that at times.
Night shrimping still remains the best for getting it done in a short amount of time.  Should be able to fill a 50qt cooler in 2-3 hours at night depending on the tide level when you start and the number of nets on the beach.


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## BigDave2000

I called Lindsay Auburt at the DNR Brunswick office to get clarity on the regulations. She told me it was 24 quarts of head on shrimp per day. If I'm running a seine with my wife and son, is it still 24 quarts per day?
Eight hours to fill up? That would give the little kids plenty of beach time to play around. Plus the weather is nice for a day on the beach.


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## 61BelAir

I've never done it, but it sounds to me like it's 24 quarts per license holder / shrimper which would make it 48 total for two people operating the seine.  Like 2 fishermen in a boat can have double the individual limit for a species of fish.  I hope I'm understanding that correctly.

**AND this turned out to be completely wrong.   See the correct information in the post below.**


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## WalkinDead

*Seining limits*

The limit on shrimp for a seine is 29 quarts, heads on.  The limit for a cast net is 48 quarts, heads on.  If you are using a seine and have a cast net with you, the limit is 48 quarts, heads on.  The limit for shrimp with heads off is 29 quarts, per the above rules.
I keep a cast net in my vehicle while seining, just in case they ask.  However, I have been checked by DNR many times over the last 10 years and never once have they asked me if I have a cast net with me; even though I had a 50 quart cooler full of shrimp.  
In order to actually get a limit of 48 quarts of shrimp, you will need to fill a 60 quart cooler because the water and ice will take up the extra space.  I use a 50 quart cooler because it fits nicely on my cart.  If I could find a 60 quart cooler that would fit I would use it.
Hope this information is helpful.


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## BigDave2000

Thanks for the clarification. Now I have to wait till the kids get home from school and we will be leaving for Jekyll Island.

David


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## WalkinDead

*Seining and Blue Crabs*

For those interested in blue crabs, the wife and I have been catching, and giving to whoever on the beach would take them, 5-7 gals. of blue crabs every trip lately.  We put them in a bucket to eliminate catching them over and over as we seine.  If you find us on the beach (look for the elderly couple with the home made wooden cart) and ask for them.  We would be more than glad to give them to you.


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## BigDave2000

I did it all wrong....
Other than doing everything wrong, my crew was less than enthusiastic. I went at the wrong times and wrong part of the beach. So, we have made plans to stay at the same place on the 20-22 Oct. We will try again. I talked to Pops on Saturday, so I will follow directions this next time.

David


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## WalkinDead

Seining isn't exactly rocket science, but it helps to observe experienced seiners or at least discuss with them the finer points of seining.  If you can manage to go during the week, rather than the weekend, you will have better success.  
If you happen to see an elderly couple with a homemade wooden cart, stop by and say hello.
Better luck on your next trip.


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## GONoob

What do you do with all that shrimp?! I'm happy with just half a 5gal bucket of shrimp.


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## WalkinDead

Save the small ones for bait along with the squid and cuttlefish.  Share with friends and family. Put the rest in the freezer to eat till the next season.  Helps reduce the grocery bill and they taste good too.  We're like Bubba Gump, we like 'em any way you can fix 'em.


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## BigDave2000

I'd like to go during the week, but between work, football practice, band practice, and gymnastics, we stay busy during the weekdays....
Maybe I'll duck work one day soon.....
We will be out this weekend, gonna try it again.

David


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## caughtinarut

BigDave2000 said:


> I'd like to go during the week, but between work, football practice, band practice, and gymnastics, we stay busy during the weekdays....
> Maybe I'll duck work one day soon.....
> We will be out this weekend, gonna try it again.
> 
> David



I know the feeling. The good thing is that there will be less people as the water gets cooler but the weekends will always have more. Most of the time people are polite. I know the last time I went on a saturday there were quiet a few seiners but we each took our turn and caught shrimp.  Now....some of them were not too happy with some of the shark fishermen that had let their lines drift way down the beach. That is the part that is aggravating. Fish but don't take up the entire beach.


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## WalkinDead

Unfortunately, it's a public beach.  Most of the fishermen will work with you if you ask politely.  The shark fishermen are a different story, since they kayak their baits way out, it's difficult for them to reel in and let you pass.  You just have to work around them.  This isn't usually too difficult.
Since my wife and I shrimp the entire length of the beach, there is always room somewhere; you may just have to walk a ways to find a long stretch of clear beach.  Most of the people fishing don't go that far down the beach.


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## WalkinDead

*Asian Tiger Shrimp*

Sometimes you catch a BIG shrimp.


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## Quailbriar

What will be the best time to try to seine on Jekyll tomorrow , Sunday and Monday based on tides? Anybody had any luck this week. Hoping to give it a try this week end if my wife will hold one end of the net! Thanks for any advice!


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## WalkinDead

The tides are very high this week due to the full moon.  If you are heading to St. Andrews to seine, you wont need to get there until noon.  You can seine both the outgoing tide and the incoming tide and into the night until the tide reaches the point you have no room to pull your net onto the beach.  The same applies to the north beach also, should you go there; however, there is much less available room to seine on the north beach due to the slope and obstacles in the water.  
My wife and I went today for a short time to catch bait for fishing.  We got there about an hour before low tide and seined long enough to catch enough bait to fish with.  The shrimp were good sized, but not plentiful due to the bright sunlight.  
If you begin seining at noon, you should do fairly well as long as you seine the entire length of the beach.  If you seine one area over and over you will not catch that many.  It's best to seine a new spot each time to maximize your catch.  The short time we were there today, we managed to catch a 5 gal bucket of blue crabs along with the bait and shrimp.
Hope you find this information useful.


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## caughtinarut

WalkinDead said:


> The tides are very high this week due to the full moon.  If you are heading to St. Andrews to seine, you wont need to get there until noon.  You can seine both the outgoing tide and the incoming tide and into the night until the tide reaches the point you have no room to pull your net onto the beach.  The same applies to the north beach also, should you go there; however, there is much less available room to seine on the north beach due to the slope and obstacles in the water.
> My wife and I went today for a short time to catch bait for fishing.  We got there about an hour before low tide and seined long enough to catch enough bait to fish with.  The shrimp were good sized, but not plentiful due to the bright sunlight.
> If you begin seining at noon, you should do fairly well as long as you seine the entire length of the beach.  If you seine one area over and over you will not catch that many.  It's best to seine a new spot each time to maximize your catch.  The short time we were there today, we managed to catch a 5 gal bucket of blue crabs along with the bait and shrimp.
> Hope you find this information useful.


Were there many people seining when you were there?


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## Quailbriar

Walkindead.    Thanks for your help. I'll post if we do any good.


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## WalkinDead

There were two groups of people fishing and one other seine. The water temperature will keep most at home this time of year.  Those with wet suits have an advantage in this respect.  Should have mine sometime this week.
The size of the shrimp is much improved and I want to take advantage of that, though the numbers are down somewhat.  Still plenty of blue crabs to be had, though.  I've been wondering when the mullet will begin showing up, they are typically here by now.


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## Scallen

*Season and net?*

Is the food shrimp season still on? Also, the wife and I have a 50' 5/8" mesh net that we bought for seining bait shrimp. Is that legal for food shrimp? We have our chest waders from trout fishing in the mountains and thought we might give seining a try - mostly for bait actually, as only I eat them.


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## WalkinDead

Your net is legal for recreational shrimping.  It's a bit short for numbers of shrimp, but it will catch them.  Since you already have the 50' net, use it till it wears out.  For serious shrimping a 75'x8' net is the smallest I would recommend.  
You need to be careful with the waders, it's a good way to drown.  The bottom is often uneven in the areas seining is typically done and there are places where you can step into a hole and fill them up.  I really wouldn't recommend using them.
The season typically ends on December 31.  Shrimp can be caught during the daylight hours with cloudy days being better for numbers of shrimp.


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