Paul Jones and his wife Cass hold the record for the most shrimping trips to Brevard.
The shrimping season is officially ending in Volusia and North Brevard Counties, but it’s GO TIME in South Brevard. All eyes are turning towards the bridges and causeways of the Melbourne area, which are producing hit-or-miss triple digit jumbo shrimp nights. The most popular spot to get in on the action is Mathers Bridge, but the word on the street is that the Eau Gallie and SR192 causeways are also producing some decent action. All in all, it’s a huge upswing for this area compared to last year.
Meanwhile, in Oak Hill, the nights are sticky, the skeeters are miserable, the bait and catfish are a nuisance and the shrimp are small. A manatee was killed this season after getting trapped in a green polypropylene box net bag, making it the second year in a row of such an occurrence. The manatee was retrieved at the New Smyrna Beach South Causeway. If you’re shrimping in this area, please consider leaving your box nets at home.
The shrimp run is also heating up on Florida’s West Coast. The #1 hot spot in the Tampa Bay Area is Fort Desoto, which is reporting some impressive sizes for this early in the season. The average yields here have ranged from +50 to triple digits. Many Central Floridians who love to shrimp are planning to head over to the gulf coast, but for another reason: the opening of the scalloping season. Scalloping opens June 15th for Steinhatchee and Keaton areas, and July 1st for Crystal River and Homosassa. Scalloping is a load of fun, requiring only a snorkel, boat dive flag, and net bag to put them in as you collect them in shallow water. Other than that, all you need is a saltwater license. If you haven’t done it before, add it to the bucket list for sure!
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