# New to GA Shrimping



## Ladder Man (May 28, 2017)

Hey everyone! I moved from Jacksonville recently and need to learn the ropes here for shrimping.  No baiting makes night cast netting really tough, so I bought a 100' seine.  If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would be greatly appreciative.


----------



## WalkinDead (May 29, 2017)

Hope you got your net from "Pops" Hagar, he sells the best net on the beach.  Shrimp at night for the best results.  If you have a boat or access to one, you're much better off, as areas to use a seine are limited.  Jekyll Island, north or south beaches are good, St. Simon's to the right of the pier can be good but the bottom is soft and you tend to bog down a bit there.  The main beach on Jekyll can be good but you need a west wind to shrimp there.  
Needless to say, you're much better off shrimping during the week than on the weekends.  Either tide is good as long as the water is moving.  Once the water slows down at the change of the tide, the shrimp go out into deeper water. You can fish for an hour then go back to shrimping.
South beach at Jekyll, later in the year, the dolphins will begin trying to get the mullet out or your net.  The will often tear some pretty good size holes in it when they do.  Use tie wraps from Auto Zone to make quick repairs and have Pops repair your net once it has a number of repaired places in it.  He is usually at St. Andrews on Saturdays during the season and he will repair it while you wait or you can have him take it home and repair it and bring it back the following Saturday.  Please clean your net before giving it to him.
Be careful taking the crabs out of the net, they can cut you pretty good with their claws and if not removed properly can tear small holes in it as well.  If you';re not going to keep the crabs either give them to someone who wants them or toss them back in;  do not leave them on the beach to die.  Usually during June and July you will most likely catch quite a few of them.
If you have never used a seine, observe what others are doing before you do it yourself, it will make a difference. 
Good luck and have fun!


----------



## WalkinDead (May 29, 2017)

A word of advice regarding safety.  If you are on the deep end of the net and get into trouble of any kind, DO NOT let go of the net, it is the only way your partner has to get you back to the shore quickly.  
The Georgia coast is the third largest shark nursery in the world, there are a lot of sharks in the water, most of them are pup sharks and you will net a few; occasionally you will net a larger one 3-4 feet.  You need not worry about the BIG sharks as they come in, have their young, go right back out again; and tend to stay out in the deeper water of the main channels.  You will also net rays, be careful how you handle them, the barbs hurt if you get stung.
There are alligators on Jekyll and they do rarely swim in the waters off the beach.  Keep your eyes open and remain cognizant of the situation around you.  Four years ago some seiners netted one and it destroyed their net.  It was only about 4' long and not a danger to humans; but it pretty much ended their season. 
Advice on seining etiquette; it's not polite to pull across fishing lines, unless you ask permission before hand; it's not polite to pull in areas people are already pulling in unless you ask first.  You do not own the beach, it is there for everyone and you need to respect others if you expect to be respected yourself.  You _will _run into those with no respect for others and this can lead to problems.  Should this happen, dial 911 and have the authorities handle the situation.  This tends to happen when people have a little too much to drink or think they can do as they please with no repercussions.  These people find out very quickly, and in no uncertain terms, this is not the case.


----------



## shallowminded (May 30, 2017)

Very interesting post Walkin. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.


----------



## Ladder Man (May 30, 2017)

I bought a Waters net, but heard good things about Pops too.  Any advice on when to start giving it a go?


----------



## WalkinDead (May 30, 2017)

The season opens June 1 at 6 am. Anytime between that date and the time the water gets too cold for you or December 31, the typical closing date, is fine.
The main difference between Pops net and a Waters net is the amount of netting.  Waters stretches his nets as he hangs them Pops does not, as a result, his nets will out catch a Waters net every time.  I have owned both and proven this to myself. I now use my Waters net as a shield for my main net when the dolphins begin hitting the net.  I have someone drag his net behind mine so they tear his net up and leave my main net alone, it works well and you catch a few more shrimp that way.  
On those days when its just the wife and I we either stop seining or go elsewhere when the dolphins show up.  It costs money to have your net repaired and they can be very persistant about going after the fish in your net.


----------



## Ladder Man (May 31, 2017)

Well I am going to stick with the net I bought.  If I get really into it, maybe I will get one of Pop's nets too.


----------



## base3448 (Jun 1, 2017)

WalkinDead. Need help  thanks for the great information guys. You said in ur post that if u had a boat it's better  if u don't mind me asking or maybe a pm. What river direction might one go and throw a cast net and catch some or cooler?   I hear guys talk about filling coolers every year but I am getting hungry and can't fill nothing I don't think I got it    What about deep hole shrimping?


----------



## caughtinarut (Jun 2, 2017)

WalkinDead said:


> Advice on seining etiquette; it's not polite to pull across fishing lines, unless you ask permission before hand; it's not polite to pull in areas people are already pulling in unless you ask first.  You do not own the beach, it is there for everyone and you need to respect others if you expect to be respected yourself.  You _will _run into those with no respect for others and this can lead to problems.


I have fishermen come and set up in a spot after seeing me pull the net through a couple of times. That is not polite either.


----------



## WalkinDead (Jun 5, 2017)

I know someone who knows someone else who has been cast netting shrimp the last few days.  He must be on them good because from what I hear he has been bringing in 200+ pounds of jumbo shrimp each day.  He has been selling them for $4/lb heads on.  I purchased 25 lbs myself thru this mutual friend and will be buying more as he catches them.  That's a pretty good price for jumbo shrimp.  Not sure if he is a commercial cast netter or not, don't really care, the deal isn't too bad and the shrimp are absolutely fresh and pretty clean to boot.
Wife's mother is in the hospital and she is staying there with here at night, so wont be able to start seining until next week at the earliest and don't want to miss out on the big ones this year.  Always something, eh.


----------

