Finally we have reached March and I have some news to share. We are seeing shrimp in Volusia in both the Edgewater and Oak Hill areas. The run has been lean but I predicted we were going to have a late start with the season. The shrimp sizes have been much better than last year after Hurricane Matthew came roaring in 2016. Nobody seems concerned about Hurricane Irma 2017 in Volusia County. The worst problem is navigating the carnage from so many docks destroyed for miles. The shrimp normally run to the tune of 0 – 2 gallons for the average angler January thru February but the sizes are great. The average being about 100-150 count. March is when the big bio mass of smaller shrimp invades the waters making 5 gallon buckets possible. Typically, January – February the larger shrimp run and as we enter March we see more mediums and smalls. The difference is we need these smaller sizes to reach our 5 gallon.
Brevard County is not having a repeat season of 5 gallon buckets dating back to this past November. There have been no signs of the summer white shrimp this season. The water temps this year are in the law 60’s and this has helped control the bait fish and catfish from covering up our lights. We are actually shrimp- ing in cooler water, first time in 3 years. This has caused a panic that shrimp will not run this sea- son and that is just non-sense. We have been seeing shrimp since November in Volusia. Brevard has the North side of Titusville pier open and the season has not been kind to the plank warriors. We are hoping March kicks off their shrimping frenzy. This month should change as we are in a more normal winter weather pattern. Some of us got spoiled by the warm waters last few years. Get out as much as you can and fill that freezer.
