Spot Prawns?

C

capt. meares

New member
Do any Brats in Washington go prawning? I have always wanted to try this but have never taken the plunge. We don't have any here in Oregon. I would take my boat up there and pay all expenses if some one with gear wanted to come aboard and give me a lesson.
 
I went spot pawning with Starcraft Tom a few years back. It was my first experience with it. Since then, I have done shrimping in the San Juans (Iceberg Point) and it was a blast. The prawns can be very easy to catch or somewhat challenging to find. Most important thing is to have bait and all gear prepared ahead of time.

If you wanted to come up next opening, I might be game to give it a whirl. Also, a pot puller is highly recommended as the pots are down deep.
 
I spot prawn in areas 6 and 7. Gear is expensive (upwards of $2500 for everything) and depending on the puller, not all of it is transferable to another boat. Best to hook up with someone during a low current flow day and go see how it all works. As Red stated, not always a full limit day as some are harder than others. The reward on the other hand is top notch that makes the effort and expense worthwhile. Nothing beats shrimp on the BBQ that are still quivering...YUM!
 
Not that it matters but I think here in Washington State they call them Spot Shrimp and in Canada they call them Spot Prawns. As stated above shrimping is an expensive sport relative to the few times you can actual shrimp during the year. We use the Ace Brutus Pot Puller, which is easily attached to the Scotty downrigger plug for power. It works really well when you're dropping your pots over 300'. The first few times we pulled them up by hand and I'm telling you, it's one of the most strenuous activities you'll ever do. The half boat unit you drop on the pot puller is totally worth it. And like Sounder Solutions said, fresh spot shrimp taste incredible, very much like lobster.

Check the Washington State DFW website for the areas that are open. I think right now, Area 7 (the San Juans) has the most opportunities to pick up some shrimp. Caryn and I may bring out pots to the Friday Harbor CBGT this weekend. Maybe even try some ling cod fishing as well. :D
 
shrimping can be great. If you are going to the San juans in the summer you can shrimp everyday from May until September in area 7 west and area 6. Its a longer season then it used to be and far longer then most know about. This weekend we will be ling cod fishing and maybe shrimping depending on the tides.

The short two days seasons are in the sound and very busy for a few days but can produce a lot of shrimp. If you are going to cruise Canadian the seasons are longer and the limits are 200 a day and not 80 here in the U.S. Worth taking the pots if you are cruising.
 
Well, i would love to see if it lives up to the hype. I have been hearing and reading about this for a few years. I have come to realize it just isnt going to be much fun without a pot puller. If anyone wants to keep me in mind for a futre trip, i will pay my part. I will then know if it lives up to the hype, an will end up spending 3k to outfit my 22 cruiser for shrimping. Thank you all.
 
You don't have to pay $3K to get started. A brand new shiny Ace Line Hauler (highly recommended by cool people) is about $560, or a new Scotty Pot Puller (it's really a windlass) is about $450. A good shrimp pot (McKay style) is less than $100. We only fish 2 pots on our boat (you're allowed four pots per boat) because we average over a limit per pot on the first pull, as it is. You can get 800' of leaded line (two 400' lines) for less than $50; even cheaper if you use poly line and a weight to keep the slack off the surface. A couple yellow buoys for about $25. So you could easily get started for less than $1K. Spread that over the next year before the 2016 season and it won't hurt so bad.

I bet you could find some deals on Craigslist if you watch the Washington sites.
 
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