Litopenaeus setiferus (White Shrimp)
Crangon (Brown Shrimp)
Also Called: Prawn
Average Size: 4-6 inches
Great for eating and for bait, large White Shrimp and Brown Shrimp are plentiful throughout Hilton Head’s inshore waterways. Shrimping is relatively easy for novice anglers to learn and makes for a fun family activity.
Shrimp are abundant inshore from early spring, when winter spawning has ended, through December. Adult Shrimp are most plentiful here in the fall.
White Shrimp have a mild, sweet flavor that comes from their tendency toward waters with low salinity (amount of salt in the water). In contrast, some say Brown Shrimp have a stronger, more “seafoody” flavor.
After the larvae stage, juvenile Shrimp come into inshore waters where they grow into adults before heading back out into deep ocean habitats for winter spawning. While here, they prefer to make their homes in waters with muddy bottoms.
Estuaries
Tidal creeks
Oyster reefs
Shallow bay waters
Sounds
Bait: To make Shrimp bait, you normally mix fish bait with clay (typically a 2:1 ratio), make balls and mold them into small patties. However, a Hilton Head Fishing Charters Shrimping adventure will feature your captain throwing a specially designed deep-hole cast net when Shrimp fishing.
Approach: The best time to catch Shrimp is at low tide, ideally as they are starting to swim back out to sea, just before the tide starts coming back in.
Tackle: For Shrimping, you need a deep hole casting net with a mesh size small enough for Shrimp (a quarter-inch at most).
The catch limit for Shrimp in South Carolina is 48 quarts (measured heads-on) per vessel per day, and each vessel is limited to a set of 10 poles.
