who trawl for shrimp?

[haoward]

So if I use the 16ft one which one do I pay for?

[keakar]

Originally Posted by haoward

So if I use the 16ft one which one do I pay for?

16 is $25 and means 16ft and and no more then 2-3 inches of that

16 and over means if its 16 1/2 ft (16ft plus 4-6 inches longer)

double check your trawl to be safe but in most cases they wont be too strict if you are a few inches over because they understand manufacturing may have minor differences but im talking 2-3" not 6"

some trawls are cut down larger ones that may have had an issue so if a 25ft trawl had webbing defects on the end they sometimes trim it down and make a 20ft out of it so sometimes they don't even know.

be safe and measure it yourself because you are held responsible to know what you have. the width is measured at the lead line (or bottom line) from net edge to net edge. I don't recall ever having a trawl that measured exactly what it was listed as.

when you make connections to the boards you need to do it the same each time so it fishes the same each time. an inch or two can make a big difference. I like to use shackles or brass snap clips so the boards can be disconnected easily for storage and it sometimes is a life saver to get the net off logs or other trash.

there is a lot more to it that depends where and how you trawl like rope length, lead line weight, how many lead line rollers and if you use them, how many extra corks you use on the float line.

I add more corks between all the corks the trawl comes with (usually one every 16-18") because it helps keep shrimp and crabs from swimming out the dips in the net as you are bringing the trawl in.

the boards you use should be at least 18"x30" for a 16ft trawl and aluminum boards are worth every penny you spend on em. don't try to make your own boards as the rigging of the chains is where most home built boards fail to fish right.

learn to stitch webbing and keep a trawl sewing needle and coated nylon twine with you at all times because you will tear the trawl a lot, its the nature of the craft.

lastly you need to "tune" the trawl by adjusting the lead lines and float lines so the boards pull hard, flat, and true, judged by how it gets dirtied or scoured by the bottom so go with an experienced trawler the first time so he can get it set up right to fish well.

if you do everything right, with a 16ft trawl you will catch enough shrimp to break even on the gas you spend. that's why I strongly recommend you get a 25ft instead. the only real difference is the boards are about 15lbs heavier and are 24"x36" size.

if you don't get the 25' I think you will give up on it because you just don't catch enough shrimp to make it worth it. most of the time you are going to be catching 2-3 lbs of shrimp per drag vs 8-10lbs with a 25ft so unless you get into the shrimp it will be cheaper to buy your shrimp with a 16ft net.

that's about all I can add from my experience except to say attach the rops at about a foot or two from the middle of your boat and have tall posts the ropes wont go over sticking up at each back corner so when you turn it shortens the one rope and makes it a lot easier to turn without the trawl closing on you or not catching well until you straighten out. this trick can help you turn fast in tight quarters when needed.