April is a working month as many of us in Volusia County scramble to fill our shrimp freezers. We are going to battle both catfish and bait issues blacking out our shrimp lights. This complicates our ability to see (light dims) and its this condition that separates a good shrimp light from a marginal one. There are no tricks to get the fish off our lights but cord jiggling at least makes us feel we are doing something. The water temperatures are ideal. The shrimp are getting smaller in Volusia but the great news is we have hit the month that produces epic quantities. What this means is we can catch gallon after gallon in record time culling out the little dinks keeping only favorable sizes. Keep in mind when folks report big sizes that is because they culled out a ton of smalls and dinks. This month in Volusia requires the most work culling through multiple gallons in search for freezer worthy crickets. Be careful it is real easy to be in possession of too many shrimp when dipping is fast and furious forgetting we deployed a frame box net. North Brevard continues to struggle week after week with poor results. Full pulls are at record lows at both Haulover Canal and Railroad Bridge in Titusville. We just have to sit and wait and hope that April is the magical month in Brevard for both shrimp & blue crab. March has been giving up crickets in Brevard but on a very erratic pattern (hit and miss). From November to February Brevard has been shouldering a second year of disappointments. We predicted Brevard’s struggles months ago and my opinion has not changed. Folks from Brevard need to bucket up in Oak Hill and fill their freezers and bonus in Brevard. The size in Oak Hill have been impressive all season and is well worth the tow. However, Volusia has peaked and is on the last 6 weeks of the season. The sizes are getting smaller and its exhausting culling through so many gallons of smalls to pick out keepers. We expect Volusia to be delicious well into May when the bait and fish blackouts make it impossible to use our lights. The bad news is South Brevard may endure another season of “no season”. Typically, when North Brevard struggles this is a tale tail sign of things to come to Sebastian and S . Brevard.
Sometimes, I wonder if a hurricane is what Brevard needs to re-boot their Eco system and stimulate their system to thrive again. Sometimes I catch myself dreaming of a new inlet being created between Ponce and Sebastian. For whatever reason Brevard is deteriorating, each angler has to start getting serious about how they are going to play out the remaining part of their shrimping season. Oak Hill is consistently producing 2-5 gallons every night. Now that the fronts are over and the waters warmed, 5 gallons is quite easy to achieve during April in Volusia County. Keep in mind you will have to put up with some dinky to small shrimp in abundance. Nice sizes are still pushing through but is back breaking to cull through the gallons and trying to catch shrimp too. This is the month where we can start to dip be in T-shirts and sandals. My last seminar will be April 25th at Boaters Exchange in Rockledge at the 2015 Coastal Angler Magazine Boating & Fishing Expo at 9:30am for 75 minutes. Free to attend.
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