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How to Find Shrimp in Texas Bays

Texas shrimp fishing is a regulated activity that requires a license and sets limits on the number of shrimp that can be caught in a given season. Dedicated shrimpers can choose from a number of bays, and use various fishing methods to harvest shrimp. Most Texas shrimp caught from coastal bays and the Gulf of Mexico will be brown, white or pink shrimp. White shrimp use bays in the late spring, summer and fall and stay in the bays longer and attain a larger size than brown shrimp. Pink shrimp occupy Texas bays in the late fall through spring.

Things You'll Need

fishing license
saltwater fishing stamp endorsement
shrimping nets and devices, and any required tags

Instructions

- 1
  Obtain a valid fishing license and saltwater fishing stamp endorsement, which can be purchased through a variety of vendors, including sporting goods stores, bait and tackle shops and local offices of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Regional Field and Law Enforcement. You can also buy licenses by calling a toll free phone number or going online. As of May 2011, fishing licenses and stamp endorsements are valid until August 31, 2011.
- 2
  Use legal devices for shrimping. Your choices are cast net, seine and individual bait-shrimp trawl. Note the restrictions for each type of device. For example, cast nets must not be greater than 14 feet in diameter, seines must be manually operated, and cannot be longer than 20 feet.
- 3
  Observe restrictions for individual bait shrimp trawls. These include using only one trawl per boat, and purchasing an individual bait-shrimp trawl tag for $37. Stay within the dimensions stipulated by the state, such as mesh size and board size.
- 4
  Find bait shrimp in the appropriate areas. For bait shrimp, look in the major bays, such as Galveston Bay, East Matagorda Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay, all exclusive of tributary bays, inlets, bayous, lakes and rivers. Also look for bait shrimp at designated bait bays, such as Chocolate Bay, Upper Laguna Madre, Baffin Bay and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway exclusive of tributaries. Observe the seasonal shrimping hours, which are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset during August 15 to March 31; and 30 minutes before sunrise to 2 pm during April 1 to August 14. Note the quantity limits of 2 quarts per person or 4 quarts per boat for those using an individual bait-shrimp trawl.
- 5
  Find non-bait shrimp in the designated locations. These include only the major bays. Observe the seasonal hours, which are divided into spring open and fall open seasons. Keep to the quantity limits, which vary depending on the season. Take no more than 15 pounds per person per day during any season, but note that during the fall open season during August 15 to October 31, you must count no more than 50 shrimp per pound. Other times, there are no count restrictions.

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