PNW Shrimp/Prawns - How(39)s everyone doing?-gctid809148

[tdcooper99]

I've been out a little bit, dropped a few pots, and had some luck, but nothing too crazy. Hoping to get out again towards the end of the week at least once more before the season ends.

How about you all... hows it been going? Has the Canadian commercial season (opened on May 11) affected anything do you think? Not sure how mobile the little critters are, but wondering if the depletion of stocks by the commercial guys on the Canadian side affects the areas of the San Juans that are nearby?

[CptCrunchie]

Doing great across the strait. No shortage here, ....but you be the judge.

Second splash, the first last week, the second yesterday. 148 biggins! Tossed back anything smaller to grow bigger.

[tdcooper99]

Very nice! What sort of depths and soak times are you using? I'm heading out to a spot later in the week and am planning for around 330' - 350'. But I'm on the fence as to whether a 60-90 minute soak is the way to go or longer....

[CptCrunchie]

"tdcooper99" post=809186 wrote:
Very nice! What sort of depths and soak times are you using? I'm heading out to a spot later in the week and am planning for around 330' - 350'. But I'm on the fence as to whether a 60-90 minute soak is the way to go or longer....

We drop them in the holes - the deepest spots in the area - because that's where all the dead fish parts eventually land up. Usually it's around 320'-350'.

As to how long, it all depends on your bait. In each pot, we use a huge dollop of Friskies Ocean Whitefish pate (what we feed our cat), › a can of mackerel (for the high oil content) and this last time I put in some cod pieces. The macerated meat and high oils gets them in the pot, and we were hoping the firmer meat would keep them interested. However, after 2 hours, there was only a skeleton remaining, and only the biggest shrimp remained. While we didn't limit out, and that we threw the smaller ones back, as you saw, we still managed a very nice haul.

Interestingly, we had at least 20 large shrimp heads in each pot, evidence that something bigger - like a halibut - was having a dinner of the ones caught in the mesh as they tried to back out of the pots. In other words, we let them sit too long.

I plan to use the same Friskies and mackerel next time, but will add some of the 10lbs if salmon belly in my freezer that I've been saving for halibut.

[tdcooper99]

Good to know, thanks. I have a bunch of cans of that same cat food on the boat. I've been just poking holes in the tins, and hanging them from the mesh using a zip tie from the pull tab... but I'm think I might actually mix it into the bait jar with everything else next time. I'm using the scotty ones with the really fine holes/slots. I'm also using crab candy pellets, ground up in a blender with Ace of Baits prawn oil mixed in. I couldn't find the mackerel locally, so I went with some tins of sardines in oil, also mixed into the bait jar. I too have some salmon bellies in my freezer, was saving them for crab season, but might be worth trying them.

[tdcooper99]

"CptCrunchie" post=809199 wrote:


Interestingly, we had at least 20 large shrimp heads in each pot, evidence that something bigger - like a halibut - was having a dinner of the ones caught in the mesh as they tried to back out of the pots. In other words, we let them sit too long.

Thats pretty cool actually. Never heard of that!

[builderdude]

Squid can squeeze into those pots and have a feast as well. I've pulled a couple of pots (a couple years back in BC) and had the squid still in the pot and a bunch of empty shrimp heads too inch:

[aknurse]

Those shrimp heads you are seeing is probably an octopus feasting on your catch and escaping before you got him to the surface. Ive been lucky enough to catch a couple of the buggers in the act and they became table fare themselves. They are mighty tasty too.

[fishaman]

Hi All,

We will probably try our luck shrimping close to Port Townsend on Saturday. According to shellfish regs, possession limit is "One daily limit in fresh form. Additional shellfish may be possessed in frozen or processed form". So... does anyone know if it's OK to have some cooked shrimp onboard in addition to fresh caught limit?

The regulations language is pretty confusing.

We will be shrimping for 2 days, so just want to make sure that having some cooked shrimp from "yesterday" will not get me a ticket.

[CptCrunchie]

"fishaman" post=809699 wrote:
Hi All,

We will probably try our luck shrimping close to Port Townsend on Saturday. According to shellfish regs, possession limit is "One daily limit in fresh form. Additional shellfish may be possessed in frozen or processed form". So... does anyone know if it's OK to have some cooked shrimp onboard in addition to fresh caught limit?

The regulations language is pretty confusing.

We will be shrimping for 2 days, so just want to make sure that having some cooked shrimp from "yesterday" will not get me a ticket.

If you are out for 2 days, your possession limit is double. However, you will have to somehow prove you have been out for two days. Your GPS log is enough proof.

IF the shrimp was harvested during those two days, whether they have been processed (cooked) or frozen, you are still held to that same 2 day limit. Therefore, they are referring to your ADDITIONAL shrimp beyond the one day limit.

Hope that makes sense.

[JThiessen]

We had a pretty good day out of Edmonds yesterday. 3 pots blanks, but we filled three limits on the other three. Back in by 10:30,

Once again, all were caught in sub 250 ft depths. The three blanks were in 275-345.

Worked the bait images in the sonar, and it worked out well.

[fishaman]

"CptCrunchie" post=809712 wrote:


If you are out for 2 days, your possession limit is double. However, you will have to somehow prove you have been out for two days. Your GPS log is enough proof.

IF the shrimp was harvested during those two days, whether they have been processed (cooked) or frozen, you are still held to that same 2 day limit. Therefore, they are referring to your ADDITIONAL shrimp beyond the one day limit.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks for the reply Captain, I really appreciate it. I searched the PDF reg file for all possible "possession limit" and "shellfish" words combinations, but had no luck beyond the phrase in the original post. Why don't they make our life less confusing by clearly defining what we can have onboard.

[SomeSailor]

It's pretty well established language. A single days catch and if you've been out mulitple days and second "possession" limit is allowed. That doesn't mean you can start boiling them as you go.

[CptCrunchie]

"JThiessen" post=809718 wrote:
We had a pretty good day out of Edmonds yesterday. 3 pots blanks, but we filled three limits on the other three. Back in by 10:30,

Once again, all were caught in sub 250 ft depths. The three blanks were in 275-345.

Worked the bait images in the sonar, and it worked out well.

Am I reading this correctly; you had 6 pots all together? WDFW regs state you are only allowed 2 pots each and a maximum of 4 pots per boat.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/gear_rules.html

But JSYK, you are also not allowed to share catches between boats before they have been landed. In other words, if boat A has extra shrimp and boat B is short, you cannot pass them off to the other boat, they have to be released. Its the same for crab.

You are also not allowed to have more crab on your boat than your license permits, as in culling the smaller crab to keep the bigger ones in the next pot. Example: You set 4 pots for 2 licensed people. The first pot has 4, you put them in the cooler. The next pot has 5. You put those in the cooler. The next pot has 4. Now you are over your limit. The law says you are not allowed to take any out of the cooler to replace them with the any of the ones in the current pot. You can take the bigger ones ONLY if you haven't reached your limit, but you must release the rest.

You also cannot empty all 4 pots on the deck, then sort them. In fact, you must stop and log the keepers on your catch card immediately after every pot, because if they stop you, they will fine you, and they can also confiscate your license.

This goes for shrimp too, though you don't have to log them. Example: You cannot pull up 2 pots that give you your limit, then keep the bigger ones in the next two and throw the smaller ones back that you previously kept.

[CptCrunchie]

"fishaman" post=809727 wrote:

"CptCrunchie" post=809712 wrote:


If you are out for 2 days, your possession limit is double. However, you will have to somehow prove you have been out for two days. Your GPS log is enough proof.

IF the shrimp was harvested during those two days, whether they have been processed (cooked) or frozen, you are still held to that same 2 day limit. Therefore, they are referring to your ADDITIONAL shrimp beyond the one day limit.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks for the reply Captain, I really appreciate it. I searched the PDF reg file for all possible "possession limit" and "shellfish" words combinations, but had no luck beyond the phrase in the original post. Why don't they make our life less confusing by clearly defining what we can have onboard.

Yeah, right. Then someone at WDFW would actually have to know what they are talking about, and that's never gonna happen. I was halibut fishing last year in Area 6, and brought a white-ish yellow fish from 250' that I'd never seen before. Called WDFW, and after being passed around to 4 different departments, the last one told me I had to release it unharmed. After I told them it was likely dead 1/2 way up from the bottom, some guy shouted across the office, "Tell him to throw it overboard and back away quickly." Sadly, the seagulls had a feast.

Turns out that sablefish are legal during halibut season. Apparently, they are very tasty too! .......Morons!