03/09/14 – Oak Hill Shrimping Report
3/09/14 – Oak Hill Shrimping Report Florida –
Capt Lee enjoys shrimping in Oak Hill Florida, the shrimping Capital of Florida. Her reports are both informative and educational.
My shrimping lights I used were (2) GW 75/75 MacDaddy with the green and white strip. I fired off both strips. My light configuration was 9pm and 3 pm set. Imagine looking at a clock. I pulled the 6pm scout light which I deploy when I want to upwell the fat daddy’s lurking lower in the water column. If there are none, I pull the light and in this case I pulled the 3rd light.
5 hard gallons 
- Tide turned 8 something and not 10 pm.
- Tides always messed up after we spring forward day lights saving time.
- Boats – Many from North of Ramp to Lopez
- My set up in Oak Hill at – CM 5 (channel marker 5)
- Dipped 1st shrimp at 8:15pm
- Stream weak but steady with flurries of a dozen or so
- Sizes – Impressive, saw few dinks
- Winds – Calm with skeeters for hours until winds switched
- # people on my boat – 2 dippers
We set sail early to avoid the river chaos, and as it turned out the tide changed almost 2 hours sooner than expected. We got hammered by many boat wakes who bomb on through with their bay boats. my 17 foot skiff boat was not where I wanted it and finally mid tide I was forced to re-throw anchors. People if your going to bomb by while people are standing on bow dipping, keep a further distance or SLOW down before you hurt somebody!
Why?
Tons of boats on water, we limited early compared to other boats, and then BOOYAH, my engine won’t start, my anchor light is dim. My crank battery I bought last year ( interstate batt) was dead. Called Capt Frank who was on charter, and he sent WishinIwasFishin over and Mike was able to dig out my trolling motor and switch it out with my crank and all was great. We were wet and cold.
Shrimping frame box net collapsible
Collapsible Shumaker box frame net 4×4 foot, 17 foot sock 1″ stretch, 1/2″ mesh
Here is shovel net, 34″ bottom bar that bounced water allowing shrimp to sense the diffusion and avoid this net. This net failed me during my extensive testing on this night. For now, I am back to using only a round 30″ Shumaker dip net.
Shovel shrimping dip net
This night was a back breaking physical “pick”, there was nothing easy and breezy. It was hard work digging deep, moving water aggressively so they did not dive on us as we swept the multiples. The current felt like we wer moving 500 pounds, and to power thru doing figure 8’s physically beat up these 2 old ladies.
