Fred Raby
Volbasser@att.net
Pensacola Blue
Angels
Bass Page
hook.
com
"FISHING WITH FRED"
covering tidal waters and impoundments
Shrimp are in the River
The reports came in all last week, "the shrimp have moved into the river". Area bass fishermen went to Tensaw with anticipation of the big catches of bass that resulted when
the shrimp show up every year about this time. For the most part they were not disappointed. I heard stories of sixty-three keeper size bass ranging up to 5 pounds. The run was on! People took off work in mid week just to cash in on the big run.
Some of us had to put in a full week and try our luck on Saturday. Sure enough the river was loaded with tournaments, and people who had either heard the news or anticipated the shrimp moving into the grass.
The Tensaw Delta is a big place and there was still plenty of room. I put in at Cliffs Landing and ran south, there were at least two tournaments out of Cliffs and a big one out of Live Oak. My guess is 90% of the boats ran south as well.
By 7:00 a. m. my partner and I had boated 2 good keepers, he had the first and the biggest (about two pounds). By 8:30 a. m. the boats began to run, looking for fish. Oh, did I mention there was a Neap Tide, probably should have.
I told Tom, "the big boys are running…they’re not catching fish". We had decided the fish were in grass but close to wood. We ended up fishing Big Crab with spinner baits and cranks and did manage to put eight good keepers in the boat, but it was a lot harder than those guys told me during mid week.
I talked to several other fishermen, one of the tournaments was won with a total weight of eleven pounds. Not many limits most ended up working really hard for one or two keepers. The good news is the shrimp are in the grass, and there is not a neap tide every weekend, so I’ll be out there hunting fish again next week.
Keep your line wet
Fred Raby
