Shrimping is when a fisherman uses various methods to catch shrimp, paying particular attention to shrimp behavior and diet preferences. It involves nets like bait traps, net casting, and dip nets for netting by hand.
This article will look at the different methods of catching shrimp, where you can find shrimp, and how to care for shrimp when you’ve caught them.
Where Do You Catch Shrimp?
Freshwater shrimp can be found in all bodies of water but are easiest to catch in grassy flat wetlands, mudflats, rivers, creeks, bays, and lakes.
How Do You Catch Shrimp?
You can catch Freshwater shrimp using the following methods:
- Collapsible bait traps.
- Net casting.
- Netting by hand with dip nets.
How Do You Catch Shrimp Using a Collapsible Bait Trap?
Here are some steps for catching shrimp using a box net:
- Fill your trap with bait and throw it into a slow-moving body of water, such as a creek or a mudflat, keeping in mind that shrimp may like to hide in different places in the river, such as near the shoreline.
- If the river has any shallow water with branches or twigs sticking out of the water, shrimp use these places to hide and will be an excellent place to set up your trap.
- Take the string of your net and tie it to a tree or a stake in the ground.
- Wait between 45 minutes to 2 hours, then check your net.
- Pull the net up to the shore using the string, and open it to take out the shrimp.
- Place the shrimp in your shrimp container. This container should be filled with river water and equipped with a bubbler; take care to close the lid when you are done, as shrimp can jump out of the container if there isn’t a good lid.
Robbiefishing goes into more detail on catching shrimp with a net in his tutorial video.
What is the Ideal Shrimp Trap Bait?
Ideal shrimp trap bait will release a protein smell in the water.
Here are a few examples of good baits for your net:
- Cow or Ox liver
- Tuna
- Canned pet foods
- Oily parts of fish, such as the spine
How Do You Catch Shrimp Using a Cast Net?
Here are some steps on how to catch shrimp with a cast net:
- Set up some bait poles around where you want to catch your net.
- Take your net and make a loose loop at the rope’s end, wrapping it around your wrist.
- Coil the rope in one-foot coils, gathering it in your right hand.
- When you reach the horn (or top) of your net, pull it to see if there are no twists from the top of the net down to the bottom.
- Grab the net about a foot down from the horn, and hold it in your right hand.
- Check the bottom of your net to ensure it is not caught on anything twisted.
- Grab the net about halfway down around your hip line, keeping the net spread in half and half portion in front of you, and put this portion of the net in your right hand.
- Grab the left half of the net a few inches above the edge with your left hand. Roll this over the right hand, so it is also settled neatly and held in your right hand.
- Your net should now look like the ends are hanging at two different levels. Grab the edge that crosses over from one half to the other and put it on your right hand’s thumb.
- With your left hand, grab the bottom edge of your most extended trim, holding it, so you have half of the net opening cleanly when it opens.
- Using your right hand to lead, throw your net into the water, holding onto the left hand’s net trim for an extra second longer.
- Let the net sink for a few seconds, then pull it in.
To learn more about casting a net, this video tutorial by ReelReports goes into detail with step-by-step instructions.
How to Catch Shrimp at Night With Dip Nets?
What Tools Will I Need to Catch Shrimp at Night?
Here are the tools you will need to catch shrimp at night:
- Headlamp
- Small net with a handle
- Rubber boots for shallow water
- Shrimp or fish bucket
What Are the Steps When Catching Shrimp at Night?
Here are the steps you will want to follow when catching shrimp at night:
- Using your headlamp, slowly walk through the shallow water with your net ready, eyes on the water floor. As long as you’re moving slowly, you won’t stir up the water and will be able to see the shrimp.
- Shrimp can be seen by their reflective orange eyes that will reflect light when your headlamp shines on them. They will be easy to see compared to all the other non-reflective objects in the water.
- It is better to look for shrimp in sandy-bottom wetlands instead of grass, as they hide more quickly in the grass.
- Slowly try to slip the net’s rim under the shrimp to get them in the net, then pull them up out of the water.
- Essential Tip: Move your net as slow as possible when catching the shrimp, as a fast-moving net will stir up the water, making it almost impossible to see them.
- Transfer them to your shrimp bucket with your shrimp caught in the trap.
How Do You Keep Shrimp at Home?
It is best to give the shrimp their basin or container with walls high enough that they won’t be able to jump out. It should be filled about 25% with river water and given an air stone to oxygenate it.
This video by Redbeard Fishing goes into more detail on how to catch shrimp at night and contain them.
Conclusion
Shrimping is a fulfilling hobby that can be made easier when you know where to look for shrimp, what they like to eat, and the best methods of catching them. You can even take it a step further and try out your handmade shrimp traps and see how they fair out in the water.
Always confirm what your government regulates for shrimping, and experiment with different shrimping methods to find the best way for yourself.