Dealing with By-Catch
The by-catch from their nets often litters the deck and holds, and it must be done away with to keep the catch pure. So the morning ritual includes sweeping and hosing down the decks, and washing all the by-catch overboard. The dead fish float and sink slowly forming a huge chum line in the current behind the shrimp boat. When more than one boat is anchored in the area, several chum lines exist, and the smart fisherman will try to get anchored up behind the shrimper, right in the chum.Fishing the Slick
Some of the best fishing I have ever encountered was in a shrimper slick. Slicks result from the oils and juices of the by-catch that run down current from teh shrimp boat. We were anchored about 50 yards from the stern of the shrimper, and tarpon were rolling everywhere. Dead, one and two-pound, yellowmouth trout were drifting in the chum line, and a school of about fifty tarpon were making lazy rolls as they inhaled the trout, one by one.Fixing the Bait
We picked up several of these dead trout, and found that with a hook in them, they began to sink. So out came the hypodermic, and we injected air into the dead fish. Then we simply let the bait drift back on top of the water until a tarpon ate it. And they ate every one we put back there.Catching Fish
These were no world record fish, but they weren’t juveniles either. Most of them were in the seventy-five to one hundred pound rage, and their jumping ability was unmatched. We probably hooked up to no less than thirty of them by eleven in the morning, and actually brought about ten boatside for a release.Getting Started
If you see a shrimper anchored up and a deck hand or two hosing the deck down, ease over their direction. If they are still awake, they will even sell you some shrimp. Five dollars will get you more chum and bait shrimp than you can use in two trips. A double sawbuck gets you enough eating shrimp for a fine dinner for a lot of people.Cautions
Don’t anchor too close, though. After all these guys have been up all night and they are trying to get some sleep. The last thing they need is a noisy boat anchored at their back door.Bottom Line
Once you have anchored, set your free lined baits in the chum, and hold on: tarpon on top, mutton snapper on the bottom, and every other conceivable fish in between. It will probably be the most memorable trip you have ever had!How about you? Have you ever fished a shrimper’s wake? Tell us about it on our Reader Submission Page, or on our Saltwater Fishing Forum!
