On the Bay

For a couple of months each Fall, you can hear the Locals having conversations that might go a bit like this.. "Catch any last night?" .."Gotta few." .. "Sardines (actually, menhaden) were a bit rough." .. "Gnats were sure bad." .. " Yeah, they were. Gotta get some more bait, they were just getting good and I ran out." ..:"Whites or browns?" .. "Gotta mix, a few big 'uns." To an outsider this banter might sound strange but it is standard talk on the Bay. If you have lived on the water for any length of time, this time of year means one thing..shrimping. In the evening, it is easy to pick out the piers that are being used for this purpose. The "old timers" (meaning those who grew up around here) will light up their piers and throw the nets for several hours each evening. Those who do not have a pier, shrimp from skiffs anchored in the shallows.

The net tossing will render anywhere from a few pounds of shrimp to buckets full on a "good" night. The shrimper will "bait up" using a variety of sworn by methods. Some vow that cheap catfood is the best while others use rabbit feed, chicken feed or dog food. Hehe..the local feed stores know that this time of year, they need to stock up or there will be a shortage of these sacks of feed. Anyone else might wonder about the sudden upswing in the sales and then the sudden decline again. They probably won't notice that it has to do with shrimp being in the Bay.

I have been catching more of my shrimp during the day for the past few years. As I said before, I listen for the gulls to start their screaming to each other that a school of shrimp is running. When I hear this, I watch the Bay. If the gulls move close to the pier, I will mosey down to throw a bit. Once the school moves away, I will "head" my catch.."behead" to most people..just another of the strange word usages here. The shrimp will then go into the refrigerator until the next day. It is most difficult to peel a fresh shrimp but once they sit for a few hours, the peels slide off quite easily. Again, I will listen for the gulls all the while I am working in the garden or on some project. I will follow this routine for about two or three months and fill my freezer with bags of shrimp. As I said..food free for the taking..not bad ..not bad at all.