How to Catch Shrimp in Florida

Day Shrimping

• 1

  Set up your casting net. The casting net needs to fan open as it descends to depths down to 20 feet, so run a strip of duct tape on both of the net's sides, top and bottom, and on the front and back of the net. You also may attach fishing sinkers to the bottom of the net to help bring it to the proper depth more quickly.

• 2

  Maneuver your boat to the center of the river channel. The best daytime shrimping in Florida is in the channel of rivers that run to the ocean. Shrimp swim far into Florida's rivers, reaching points where the water is fresh and no longer brackish.

• 3

  Cast the net into the water, allow it to sink to the proper depth, and haul it in. Empty the net of any shrimp, placing them in a 5-gallon bucket. Repeat this process until the bucket is full. Florida's daily limit for recreational shrimpers is five gallons. A fish finder can help you locate the shrimp schools. Also, look to see where other shrimpers are fishing, which usually means shrimp are being caught.

Night Shrimping

• 4

  Make the shrimp bait. Combine 1/2-pound of rock salt, flour and shrimp meal, mix it thoroughly and form into meatball-sized balls. Shrimp meal is available at most bait shops.

• 5

  Find a good location. At night, shrimp come towards the shallow banks to feed, mostly in areas with plenty of seagrass and other water vegetation. The normal depth that shrimp feed at night is approximately 3 feet, making a boat unnecessary. Once you find a grassy location, get your casting net ready (the net shouldn't be rigged for deeper water, as in day shrimping).

• 6

  Attract the shrimp by tossing bait in the water and shining a Coleman-style lantern, or large camping flashlight, where the bait is tossed. Cast your net and haul it in quickly, repeating as quickly as possible. Toss more bait as needed. Store the shrimp in a 5-gallon bucket.