May makes me grumpy. May means my freezer is full, I hit burn out or it means the shrimp are so small in Oak Hill I am bored. But 2013 has been an odd year. We had a banner year in 2010 where that season was biblical with the length and quality of the shrimp run. April 2013 is still gifting us Oak Hill groupies with med-jumbo shrimp that pushed into Mosquito Lagoon from a positive flow through Haulover Canal. But, we have to cull about 6-8 gallons to get a good solid 3 gallons of the sizes we prefer. No question the 2013 hot spots going down in the record books is Railroad Bridge in Brevard County.
The favorite spots in Oak Hill has been CM 5 and South, and channel markers 69-71 in the Edgewater area. The piers and bridges have not really found their sea legs yet in Melbourne, but May is a trappers month off the seawalls. The Academy wishes to send condolences to the family of Ronald Vicarro & Justin Mitchell, who on April 1st where struck down by a driver on the Eau Gaullie relief bridge. Our prayers continue for Jeff VanReenen, the lone survivor/shrimper from this tragic accident.
May is a wrap in Oak Hill/Edgewater, you can still go and enjoy warm weather and harass the swarms of “dinks.” No reason for Brevard to hang up their mono, their shrimp are landlocked and still worth packing up the boat and chasing. The summer shrimp arrival has many Academy members anticipating a good year. Our summer scouts have not located any white shrimp in South Daytona as of yet, but this could change in 24 hours.
Thousand dollars of prizes were given away for the winter anglers who posted their shrimping reports for free entries into the report lottery tournament. From custom bimini tops to Costa Del Mar sunglasses, the Academy has set the bar for prize giveaway for a message board community. For those chasing the white summer shrimp we will be loading up the prize wagon for your season as well.
There is a rumor by net makers that there is a shortage of mono this year, this is not a rumor and it is the truth. For those that want custom cast nets made (Shumaker nets), the mono will dry up around July based on inventories just received. Get your custom made shrimp and mullet nets made now or be side lined. The white shrimp appear in South Daytona normally at the end of June but with warm weather they could backdoor us sooner, so all eyes are on South Daytona Beach. Last season our summer run was short and lasted about 3 weeks, in 2010 the summer run lasted 4 months. Summer shrimping is cast net daytime chasing which we mark on depth finders and cast into the pods while under weigh in the channel (no anchoring). Th ese white shrimp love light and move between Big Tree/S. Daytona to Ormond CM 44-51. Once they clear Volusia and Flagler we trailer to the Jacksonville area and extend our season until the water cools. Soak your frame net socks and dip net sock in water & cup of fabric soft ener in a 5 gallon bucket for a day, let dry and stow your gear until next season. Enjoy the Volusia County down from May to end of June when the summer shrimp sneak into our rivers.
When the run is “on” in S. Daytona to Flagler our sick days tend to correlate with the roe shrimp coming through the area. Check the Academy for up to the moment scouting reports and go get your summer game on.
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