# Shrimp Baiting



## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

How long does it take for shrimp to come to a bait pole so you can cast net for them. 

Also is the tidal water on the Cape Fear side of Fort Fisher a good place to bait/cast for shrimp?


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## ASK4Fish (May 4, 2005)

*i know last year...*

anywhere along the grass in the waterway behind oak island we were slaying bait sized shrimp in the cast net...we were a mile or two south of OCP, and fished there right often, with fresh or live shrimp from the waterway...


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## surfrebel (Jul 2, 2008)

What is a bait pole?


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## Rastabluegrass37 (Mar 21, 2007)

*bait pole*

I always thought that practice was illegal in NC but not in SC or Georgia, could be wrong though. If not, then I am very excited to hear that.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

surfrebel said:


> What is a bait pole?


A bait pole is a post in the water and then you tie a bag of shrimp bait to it and in a couple of days you go back and cast a net around it...works real well, but now because of another post, I am not sure it is legal in NC but is definitely legal in SC


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

Rastabluegrass37 said:


> I always thought that practice was illegal in NC but not in SC or Georgia, could be wrong though. If not, then I am very excited to hear that.


I have only done it once with my brother-in-law down around 
Georgetown and we caught about 5-10 lbs( which I thought was great) but he said he has had weekends where he will net 20-30 lbs.

Used to be that you could buy fresh shrimp out of the back of pickup truck from a shrimp baiter for $3 pound and they were everywhere even up here in Columbia 120 miles from the coast.

This got the commercial shrimper's in a rightful tizzy and SC passed a law about 4 years ago to stop the sale of shrimp caught with cast nets. A guy on the roadside now needs a bill of sale for his shrimp from the trawlers he bought them from. You can still bait shrimp recreational but I believe you need a licence.

But since you live in Wilmington, the SC border and Cherry Grove is only about an hour away, you might want to check it out, as good weekend of shrimp baiting will feed your family for the year not to mention give you free bait


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## Rastabluegrass37 (Mar 21, 2007)

I tried the shrimp baiting around murrell's inlet a few years ago in October and we tore em up! It was insane the way the shrimp went crazy for the bait. We baited and let it sit for 5-10 minutes and two of us threw nets on each side of the poles and got enough shrimp to last for two weeks of fishing and even some to eat after four poles and about one hour out there; it was unbelieveable.

Our basic recipe for bait was one gallon menhaden oil, five pounds of flour, six regular sized cans of cheap dog food, 8 cups of fish meal, and some thick mud to mix in for consistency.

We didn't want to get too close, so we had made slingshots that had 12oz solo cups attached so we could shoot bait from distance to avoid spooking any shrimp while walking. We threw our nets from about 15-20 feet.


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## mr.sandbar (Feb 28, 2008)

It is legal to use bait bags for shrimp in nc.What you have to watch for is if you're in a closed area or not.closed area is 100shrimp/day/person.open area is unlimited.Go to nc dept of marine fisheries it has the the proclamation maps,tells whats closed.hope this helps,and good luck.

Jeff


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

mr.sandbar said:


> It is legal to use bait bags for shrimp in nc.What you have to watch for is if you're in a closed area or not.closed area is 100shrimp/day/person.open area is unlimited.Go to nc dept of marine fisheries it has the the proclamation maps,tells whats closed.hope this helps,and good luck.
> 
> Jeff


Well there you go. It is legal and I plan on taking advantage of it.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Shrimp Baiting From Wikapedia*

Below is a cut and paste from Wikapedia on Shrimp Baiting>

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Shrimp Baiting is the act of catching shrimp using a cast net and bait. Long poles are used to mark a specific location and then bait is thrown in the water near the pole. After several minutes a cast net is thrown as close to the bait as possible and the shrimp are caught in the net. In the 1980s the sport of shrimp baiting became very popular in the Southeastern costal states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Since this time several state regulations were implemented to better regulate catch limits, methods, and seasons.

In South Carolina a Shrimp Baiting permit is required with a total of 10 tags which must be place on the pole. The poles (used to mark the bait location) must be one inch in diameter or less and have reflective tape. The typical setup is to place your ten poles in a single row and then drive a boat beside the poles and drop bait balls 6 to 10 feet from each pole. The shrimp will find the bait and begin feeding as the tide caries the bait to them.

The bait balls can be made of just about anything a shrimp will eat. The most common bait is a mixture of powdered clay and fish meal (typically ground menhaden). Other popular baits are flour, corn meal, cat food, chicken feed. The bait typically includes a binding agent such as clay or Portland cement. The balls range in size from a tennis ball to a softball and are typically flattened out to a hamburger shape.

In addition to "running the poles" from a boat, some people bait from the shore or docks, a permit is required for this as well, along with the land owners permission. Some people will place a single pole out in front of the boat and use three anchors in a Y pattern to hold the boat still. Then they throw the bait out around the boat. Shrimpers have also begun using an auger type pole to hold the boat in a fixed point and then using there trolling motor to rotate around this fixed point, allowing them to bait in a 360 degree arc the radius of the boat. This technique can be highly effective.


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

I'll be 1 poling out of my kayak next week in the sound. bait mix will be canned cat food, cornmeal, fish oil and clay. Planning to drop a bait bag on the pole so it doesn't drift away in the current


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