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A Shrimp Cocktail Swims In Bay

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 18, 2008

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Ray Markham.

Saturday is the first day of summer, and what better way to beat the heat while catching sea critters than to make your trip a nocturnal adventure.

Anglers love to wade-fish at sundown, but working the potholes on the falling evening tide around a full moon can reveal more than just fish once the sun sinks below the horizon.

Shrimping has been going on as long as I can remember, and the flats around Fort Desoto are some of the best in the area. If you want to go out and catch a bucket of shrimp for dinner - or just for bait - most of the time the gathering is not difficult. You can pick up some amazingly large shrimp on the full moon in June, which occurs tonight.

You will need some equipment to get you going. A long-handled dip net about 6 feet long with mesh of about a quarter-inch in diameter is good. A bucket with a lid is advisable, to keep the critters from jumping out.

A lantern or headlamp similar to what miners wear is necessary to illuminate the water. When shrimp drift into the light, their eyes glow, making them easy to spot and scoop up with the net.

Don't forget proper wading boots, preferably ones that will ward off the whipping tail of a sting ray and keep sharp shells from cutting your feet. Some old tennis shoes will do in a pinch.

Wade areas with moving water. Shrimp drift with the strong tides around the full moon. Slowly walking up-current will keep you in clean water.

For information on limits and gear, go to myfwc.com/marine/history/shrimp.htm.

Ray Markham co-hosts "Florida Sportsman Magazine Radio Live," Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. on WWBA, 1040 AM, and may be reached for charter at (941) 723-2655.

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