The author’s son Ryan with a handful of spot
shrimp.
Below, spot shrimp are the largest shrimp
species in the north Pacific and their bodies can
grow as large as nine inches.
pause or stop then the shrimp can
swim out but if you keep a steady
pull then they are pinned to the bottom
of the trap and can’t get out. It is
well worth the money to use a long
lead core rope and a pot puller. Some
pot pullers are electric while others
utilize a small gas engine. Regardless
of which one you choose it only takes
one time pulling up 300-feet of line
with a 20-pound square shrimp trap
by hand to realize that the pot puller
is the most valuable part of shrimping.
Again, if you stop pulling even
for a second, the shrimp can easily
escape and that is almost impossible
not to do if pulling by hand.
You don’t need a big boat to go
shrimping but you do need a boat
of some kind. Shrimp are found in
deeper waters in bays and canals or
sounds. A lifejacket is recommended,
as you are leaning over the edge of
the boat and reaching down to grab
the pot. It always amazes me to see
small boats overloaded with people
while out shrimping. This is because
most limits are “per person” so the
more people you have on the boat the
more limits that can be kept.
The daily seasons are often small
windows of time. One shrimp area
that is popular in Washington is
Hood Canal and when there is an
open day you are allowed to drop
pots between 9:00 AM and 1 p.m.
All gear must be out of the water
outside of those times. This means it
is much like a “derby” style fishery
where those that can drop the pots
first get the most shrimp. Boat ramps
are crowded for hours before the start
time and then congested again after
it closes. Most of the shrimp areas
also offer beaches nearby that offer
clamming and oysters and it’s well
worth it to pull the gear, head for the
local beach and collect some steamer
clams or oysters while waiting for the
boat ramp to clear out.
When it comes to shrimp you
need to realize they are fairly delicate
and you need to take care of them
properly. If the shrimp die with their
heads on they can emit a toxin. Most
agencies don’t require the head and
you can pull the meaty tail off as you
keep them and discard the heads. If
you like to suck the juices out of the
heads then fill a bucket with seawater
and use an aerator pump.
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