Thinking we’d cast net up a few shrimp, & I left for Palatka after a Saturday morning Tiger Cub meeting. We launched at Crystal Cove Marina around 11:30 a.m. and hit the Power Line area. It was sunny and warm with not much cloud cover. Throwing a 10 foot net we moved around and threw a fair amount from 17-32 feet deep trying to determine where the shrimp were. Not a single shrimp but Casey was thrilled to see a 2 foot gar and a few catfish that came up with the net. After a drive around the area we did not see anyone shrimping either.
We then ran up to Federal Point and stopped to talk with 2 guys on a boat throwing cast nets. They were throwing for bait shrimp and they stated they only had a handful and that the most productive depth was between 8-12 feet. I was surprised at how shallow they were throwing for the daytime but threw there too. Only a single shrimp at a time so we moved around throwing between 12- 26 feet. Again, not a single shrimp. Only when we moved back to 12-8 feet would we pick up a shrimp, and only a single at that. Plenty of catfish however. Casey enjoyed playing with them while I continued to throw since he was at least enjoying the catfish and picking out what few shrimp we netted. We finished the afternoon with 14 small to medium river crickets and quite a few small catfish (released). A bit disappointing in the shrimp department, but it was quite enjoyable to get out with Casey and at least attempt to do another unique Florida activity on the water.
As we got ready to leave he shared his optimistic perspective on the afternoon by stating, “At least we got 14 shrimp!â€
Shrimp Report: Palatka, Saturday 9-17 05
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Big Bend Brian
- Posts: 345
- Joined: May 15th, 2002, 8:00 pm
- Location: Ponte Vedra/Cedar Key
