Column by Rick Farren
DEMOCRAT WRITER
You might call it the invisible migration. Every year around this time, millions upon millions of white shrimp leave the protection of the East Bay Shrimp Sanctuary and begin a hazardous journey across Apalachicola Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. It's not much of a vacation for the shrimp, but for the birds and fish it's a holiday feast - a shrimp gumbo served up a la carte.
The East Bay Shrimp Sanctuary is the body of water north of the U.S. Highway 98 bridge and causeway that spans the bay from East Point to Apalachicola. It's illegal to use nets of any type to catch shrimp north of the bridge. The result is a strong population of shrimp that flood into Apalachicola Bay every fall to the benefit of shrimpers and anglers alike.
The phenomenon is part of an annual cycle that begins in early summer when white shrimp spawn in the nearshore Gulf of Mexico.
"The big prawns show up outside the island and in the surf in May and lay their eggs," said Charles Pennycuff, who has more then 30 years of experience as a commercial bay shrimper and now owns Fisherman's Choice Tackle Store in Eastpoint.
A portion of the shrimp larvae eventually float inshore with the tides where they take refuge in the seagrass and salt marsh of the estuary. The "nursery" area provides the fast-growing shrimp with abundant food and shelter from predators.
"Around July we start seeing the little babies," Pennycuff said.
When the water temperature starts dropping in the fall, the grown-up shrimp start moving, first into the deeper waters of Apalachicola Bay, and then into the Gulf. It's not actually a mass migration, though, more like a steady flow over a period of weeks.
They move after each cold front, explained Pennycuff, especially when there's a north wind blowing the water out of the salt-marsh creeks. The shrimp remain in the Gulf throughout the colder months, then start the cycle all over again.
Needless to say, chumming the bay with live shrimp never fails to stir up the fish or improve the fishing. Throughout East Bay during the shrimp run, large schools of spotted and white sea trout gather to feed. It's not uncommon to see shrimp flipping and dancing on the surface trying to avoid the slashing sea trout. Hovering just above, however, flocks of terns and gulls stand ready to swoop down and snatch any shrimp that spend too much time near the surface.
The commotion dies down eventually, only to start up again somewhere else in the bay. The shrimp move with the tide, and the trout follow. Sometimes you can see five or six schools of trout working the surface, each with its own flocks of birds in attendance.
For anglers, it's as close to automatic fishing as you can find. If you're within casting range of one of the feeding frenzies, you can't miss. Choice of lure hardly matters, either: the trout are slashing at everything in sight because everything in sight is food. Plastic grubs, artificial shrimp, and even top-water plugs - the fish don't seem to care. And since most of the fish are going to be released you might want to bend the barbs down on your lures, especially top-water plugs with multiple hooks.
It's also a good place to take a fly rod, and actually catch fish - lots of fish.
The birds will let you know where the action is. Even during calm periods when the terns and gulls settle on the bay, presumably to digest, they always leave a scout or two circling overhead to watch for the next eruption.
On days with a strong tidal current, you'll likely have to reposition the boat from time to time by cranking up and circling out ahead of the fish. After the school passes you can do it again, or look for a new school.
Although the numbers are big, the fish usually aren't. For whatever reason, only small spotted sea trout school on the shrimp, and white trout don't get very large anyway.
"You might catch 100 and only get a few keepers," said Pennycuff, adding that it's still great fun, and you can easily fish with tandem rigs if want to catch two at a time.
There's a private boat ramp that's open to the public on East Bay at the Sportsmans Lodge about 400 yards north of Highway 98 on North Bay Shore Drive. A small, PVC-marked channel leads into deeper water. There's also a small, county-owned ramp just to the south at the end of Ferry Dock Road that has limited parking.
The western side and northwestern sections of East Bay are very shallow, and not safe for navigation unless you're very familiar with the area. Fortunately, most of the schooling action typically takes place in the deeper, eastern half of the bay.
