Deep hole shrimping in the autumn Lowcountry
By Ford Walpole
A timeless and iconic Lowcountry image — captured by countless artists — portrays a Lowcountry sportsman throwing a cast net in hopes of catching shrimp, a delicacy for which our waters have long been known. These days, although the boats are more advanced, nets are factory-produced and electronics often assist in the endeavor, the sport endures. Ultimately, casting a net into the water remains a primeval act that spiritually connects us to our ancient forebears.
Historically, recreational shrimping was a matter of chance and anglers worked the inshore creeks and rivers during late summer and fall. “The practice of baiting for shrimp started in the late 1970s in the southern part of the state. At the time, it was unregulated and occurred mostly at night and was a competitive, territorial “fishery,” explains Jeff Brunson, Crustacean Manager for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
During the 1980s, baiting for shrimp increased in popularity. “New laws related to recreational shrimp baiting were passed in 1988 with the establishment of a shrimp baiting permit, a 60-day season between September 1 and November 15 and a limit of 48 quarts whole shrimp (29 quarts of tails), among other requirements related to gear,” Brunson says. He points out that the “heyday of bait shrimping was back in the late 1990s, when more than 15,000 licenses were sold. However, in recent years, only about 4,000 licenses have been sold.”
“I never liked the idea of baiting for shrimp,” admits Sam Smoak, who often goes deep hole shrimping with his son Preston. “I have always had a soft spot in my heart for farmers and shrimpers and the commercial shrimpers I know used to say that baiting hurt them since a lot of bait shrimpers caught more than the limit and illegally sold their catch,” Sam says.
Preston has had recent deep hole shrimping success in undisclosed waters between Beaufort and Georgetown. He indicates that “You aren’t always actually looking for a hole; sometimes, you really just want to find a good ledge. I have caught shrimp anywhere from 15 feet to 50 feet, depending, tides, location and conditions,” he says. For Preston, the appeal of deep hole shrimping is that sometimes, “you can catch a lot of shrimp with less effort!”
A decline among the bait shrimping fishery coincided with a rise in deep hole shrimping, which, Brunson points out, began in our area during the 1990s. Deep holing for shrimp requires no bait; instead, the angler relies on electronics to locate shrimp and throws a larger modified net into much deeper water than was traditionally worked in pursuit of the tasty crustacean.
In the early days of deep hole shrimping, anglers affixed duct tape along the bottom of traditional cast nets. Nowadays, specialized deep-hole nets are outfitted with tape or mesh fabric similar to lawn chair webbing, which allows the net to remain open as it sinks.
SCDNR biologist Joey Coz is likewise an avid angler and deep hole shrimper who has enjoyed the latter pursuit for the past decade. He relays the importance of casting the proper net: “Probably the biggest mistake people make is buying a cast net that isn’t heavy enough. When choosing a cast net, there are three key things you need to consider: the radius, the mesh size and weight (pound of lead per radius foot). The more weight, the faster the net sinks and getting to the bottom fast is key,” he says.
Another benefit of a heavier net will not drift as far as a lighter net, so it is more liable to land in the desired location. Thus, a net with a larger radius and heavier weight often yields better results. Joey prefers a ten-foot net; when he is on the shrimp, he will even throw a 12-foot net. “I find that a 10-foot net with ⅝” mesh and a 1.5-pound weight per foot is the perfect weapon; if I could only use one net, that would be the one.” He does point out that smaller and lighter nets work well when the shrimp are in shallower water. Of course, the downside of a heavier net is that “throwing and retrieving it is exhausting,” Coz says.
Robbie Mullen, Joey’s shrimping buddy, agrees, adding that “casting is all about the technique. If you learn to throw one-third of it over your shoulder, it’s a lot easier. You kind of lead it with your hand and hold back so it opens out,” he says. Coz advises beginners to consult YouTube videos to learn the various casting methods. Casting a deep hole net is more forgiving since, “you can throw a bad cast, a taco or banana cast, but the tape or fabric still opens up the net as it sinks,” Mullen points out.
Since deep hole nets are both big and heavy, “it is important to learn how to use your electronics without wasting your throwing energy,” Coz adds. As for electronics, he began deep hole shrimping with “entry-level equipment. “I used to run a Garmin Striker on my boat–very bare minimum. I would say you can use just about any depth finder — as long as you know what the shrimp look like on it,” he says.
“Now, I run a Lowrance HDS. The larger screen certainly helps, but the shrimp mark differently than on my old Garmin, so figuring out what shrimp marks look like on your specific unit is the key to success,” Coz says.
“The shrimp normally are a foot or so off the bottom,” Mullen says. “On my Lowrance Elite, shrimp look like green grass and they get yellow and red when they are thick,” he says.
Timing is also important for deep hole shrimping. Typically, catching shrimp over bait is more productive at night. Brunson explains why: “Shrimp tend to burrow (bury up) during the day to escape predators and then emerge at night to move around and feed. So, they are more susceptible to being caught at night. They will even move up onto the marsh surface when the marsh is inundated, so nighttime early to mid-flood tide can be productive,” he says.
“One of the advantages with deep hole shrimping seems to be that it is an effective method during the day,” Brunson adds. “It could be that they do not tend to bury up as much in these deep holes during the day like they would in shallower water, but I don’t know of any research or anecdotal evidence of that being the case,” he says. Besides being more productive during daylight hours, deep hole shrimping also does not require an additional baiting license, or added expenses for supplies such as clay, fishmeal and poles.
The time of year is also important and the best time for deep hole shrimping is right now. Joey Coz usually begins around late August or early September. “But in recent years, the shrimp are bigger in October and November. So, I will still go in August and September, but I just keep enough shrimp to eat fresh,” he says.
“This allows me time to figure out where they are, how the bottom has changed. Basically, August and September are my ‘research’ trips. Then, when I notice the shrimp have some true size to them, I try to stock up for the year. A limit of shrimp is a lot more than people think. You can easily keep two or three people stocked for the year with one trip if you limit out, which is also a lot of shrimp to head. I guess it also depends on how much shrimp you want to eat!” Coz says.
As for location, Coz says, “you usually are looking for deep holes with shrimp in them. Now, tide and daylight will affect where in the hole you’ll find the shrimp. And you can also find them when they are leaving the holes. In my experience, I have the most success when the water is low enough to be out of the marsh grass. I have had my greatest success as the tide begins to fill in following a dead low. Moving water can be super- tricky. The net won’t sink straight down, so you have to mark your shrimp, figure out which way the wind and tide are moving the boat and how the moving water will move the net as it falls,” he says.
“The shrimp also seem to be affected by sunlight. I have observed that as the sun goes down, the shrimp leave the holes. You can use this to your advantage and try to locate them as they “run” out of the holes. I have had evenings where I am catching shrimp in 30 to 40 feet, but as the sun goes down, I start finding them in huge numbers in shallower water from 15 to 25 feet,” Coz says.
Although the shrimp in the harbor tend to be larger than those found in the creeks and rivers, Mullen prefers the latter settings, which usually are less crowded. “When deep hole shrimping, you do need to be next to a major inlet. You will only find shrimp in those deep holes when they are close to the ocean,” he says. Thus, those pursuing shrimp further from the ocean might have better luck employing the traditional approaches of baiting or casting by chance.
“Shrimp are sensitive to salinity changes,” Coz explains. “If the salinity is too low, you will not find shrimp. And the larger the shrimp, the more sensitive they are to salinity,” Coz explains. “The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has some great sources for monitoring tides, salinity, water temperature and so forth. For instance, the Cooper River tide station at the Customs House includes such measurements. Large rain events will negatively impact the availability of shrimp inshore. When the salinity decreases, the shrimp move out to the ocean,” he says.
Robbie Mullen admits that “coolering” (reaching your limiting) is rare when deep hole shrimping: Conditions need to be perfect, such as a low tide near a new moon phase, during which little to no rainfall has occurred — fall marsh hen tides seem to send many shrimp to the ocean. Despite the difficulty of planning the perfect shrimping trip, Mullen usually manages to catch his limit several times a year. “Honestly, I prefer to catch enough shrimp for a week’s worth of dinners. I like to eat fresh shrimp without having to freeze them. And personally, I hate having to head a whole cooler!” he laughs.
“Deep-hole shrimping is pretty easy to figure out,” Mullen declares, providing encouragement to the novice. “And it’s a lot of fun!” he adds. “Every time you throw the net, it’s exciting to see what you have caught — and it’s a lot of fun to dump a bunch of shrimp in the bottom of your boat!”
Ford Walpole lives and writes on John’s Island and is the author of many articles on the outdoors. He teaches English at James Island Charter High School and the College of Charleston and may be reached at fordwalpole@gmail.com.
