The trout are hungry. So am I.

In the Lowcountry, fall is a time of plenty.  

Plenty of fish.  

Plenty of shrimp.  

Plenty of family fun.   

With the days getting shorter, and the water temperature beginning to drop, trout and redfish are preparing for winter by eating literally everything that will fit in their mouths.  

To locate feeding fish, I look for “jumping” shrimp. When trout and redfish are feeding on shrimp, the shrimp jump off the surface of the water to escape. Jumping shrimp are a strong indicator of predators feeding below. Casting a Z-Man Prawn Star or DOA shrimp lure near jumping shrimp and just letting the lure sink is a highly productive technique.   

Given the abundance of shrimp, I figure that I should eat some too. So I keep a deep hole cast net on the skiff. When we get done fishing, I use my depth finder to look for shrimp in deep holes and channels in the harbor.  

Yes, I have to find them myself. Brody, the amazing fish-finding and stock-trading dog, refuses to find shrimp. No worries, they are pretty easy to find. On the depth finder, they look like a thick carpet on the bottom. Sometimes they are suspended a few feet above the bottom.  

Once you locate shrimp, catching them is simple. Cast the net. Catch shrimp. Plenty of shrimp. The catch limit is 48 quarts of head-on shrimp. It is not unusual to catch a limit. 

Deep-hole shrimping is a great family activity. Typically, I run the skiff and look for the shrimp on the depth finder. Elliott is responsible for casting the deep hole net. Sometimes we switch. If we catch a bunch, we call Maddie, my daughter. She runs to Publix and picks up the ingredients for a Lowcountry boil. We meet on the dock and enjoy a fresh shrimp dinner. 

As I said, fall is a time of plenty.