Hi folks

Hi folks, I am starting a new monthly article for RealCharleston.com to fulfill my commitment that I would tell you about all the great things to do in the Charleston area. Here is the first one and is another great reason to contact me about living in the low country. Especially on the water.
	Shrimp!!! Yes, the delightful, tasteful little critters that we all love. Well, you could go out to a nice restaurant and buy them or get them from the local shrimp boats for as low as $3.50 a pound. However, why not throw a little adventure in the mix. OK, here’s the deal. It cost twenty five dollars for a resident license to catch shrimp over bait. The season opens this year on SEP 9th, 2005 exactly at 1200 noon and last for 60 days. Do not start before noon on opening day. Trust me, I had the unfortunate experience 13 years ago in which the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) informed me how costly it can be to put your boat in the water with bait even ten minutes early. A decent cast net is about 35 dollars. Ten pounds of fish meal is about 5 dollars. Hopefully, you already have a boat. You can bait shrimp off a dock if you don‘t. Here’s where it gets a little complicated. You will need ten poles about 12 or 14 feet long. Normally ¾ inch PVC pipe will work fine. Your baiting permit will come with ten tags which you need to attach to the ends of the ten poles. Put the poles in the boat. You don’t need the poles to shrimp from a dock. The messy part. The fish meal needs to be mixed with mud or white clay. To do this, either buy the white clay from any local tackle and bait shop or grab a shovel and find some mud that sticks together pretty good. Mix the fish meal with the mud good, then pack it into about forty round balls about the size of your fist. Flatten them a little. Do this several hours before you head out on the water.
After noon on opening day, load the boat and get to you favorite landing. Talk to the locals or read the local Charleston papers for the spots where the shrimp are running. Here is the fun part. Set the poles up about ten yards apart in a strait line. The bottom will be soft enough so that the PVC will stick in the mud. The water depth should be about five feet deep. Remember the tide will be changing so you need to look at the tide chart before going. After setting up the poles, take two bait balls and gently ease them in the water about five or six feet from each of the ten poles depending on the size net you plan to throw. Let them sit for about 20 minutes before you make your first run on the poles. Good time to eat a snack. Now cast your net so the center of the net is directly over where you believe you placed the bait six feet from the poles. Use the poles as a guide. If you did everything right and the shrimp are running, you should pull up a net full of shrimp. You are allowed one 48 quart cooler with heads on. In my best experience, I filled the cooler in 45 minutes with about 30 throws. My worst, well lets just say it would have been much cheaper to go to Red Lobster. But I love the sport and it is nice when the shrimp are running. I rarely ever have to buy shrimp. I will be out there on opening day this year and I hope to see you. Hope this helps you and thanks for checking out RealCharleston.com. Just another great reason to live in the low country. Thanks, Gene