There is nothing quite like the thrill of throwing out a cast net along a Lowcountry creek at low tide. Watching creatures quickly jump around the tossed net and seeing the water splash is captivating because you never know what you might catch.
The feeling is similar to the exhilaration of checking lottery numbers or opening a college admission letter. I love the excitement of finding out what I caught. When I was a child, my family frequently visited Beaufort for fall weekend trips and that’s where I learned to throw a cast net. Each catch would bring in shrimp, small fish, and an occasional crab. I could exhaustingly toss the net for hours, fueled by the adrenaline of what I might catch if I threw “just one more time.”
A seagull enjoys a hand fed bait fish from first mate, Sam Bradfield.
Though I have been catching my own shrimp for decades, I’ve always been curious to experience time on a commercial shrimp boat. I wanted to understand the net dragging process, learn about deep dwelling fish, and observe how the pros do it all. Thankfully, the Tammy Jane in Harbour Town Yacht Basin offers this adventure to locals and visitors on a two-hour shrimping and educational excursion.
On a partly cloudy, warm September afternoon, Maggie Washo, Jevon Daly, and I hopped aboard the Tammy Jane to experience shrimp trawling for ourselves. Captain Renee Iannotti, one of the female captains featured in C2’s August issue, was at the helm, assisted by first mate Sam Bradfield and intern Lauren Roop.
CH2’s Maggie Washo and Jevon Daly get excited about shrimpin’ on the Tammy Jane in Harbour Town.
Operated by Vagabond Cruises, the Tammy Jane is the only commercially licensed shrimp boat used for recreational shrimping in the whole country. What this means is they are able to take folks out for educational excursions, drag their nets, and then divvy up the catch for those on board. Built in 1985, the vessel measures 45 feet long and can hold up to 28 guests.
Shrimping season typically opens in May and runs through the first week of January, with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) having the authority to adjust those timelines. The Tammy Jane offers shrimping excursions two to three times a day from June through early January, and crabbing adventures the remainder of the year.
After sounding off four horns, Capt. Iannotti safely backed us out of the dock and we were on our way toward Calibogue Sound. Bradfield and Roop covered the safety information and we all peered at the blue skies and surrounding shorelines. With the boat’s large shade canopy and a slight breeze, the temps were very enjoyable.
As we reached our trawling location about 15 minutes later, Bradfield explained to us how the nets work. About 200 feet of cable lowers the net to the bottom of the waterway. Wooden doors are used to open the net wide and keep it open as it skims the bottom of the ocean. Next, he explained how the Turtle Exclusion Device (TED) works. This device is in place to safely prevent sea turtles and other large fish from getting caught in the widespread net. This contraption became mandatory in the 1990s for all shrimp boats and has a 99% efficiency rate.
Shrimp are typically huddled at the bottom of the waterways, so a chain is used to drag along the bottom to “tickle” the shrimp up into the net. It’s estimated that 70% to 80% of the shrimp caught are the result the chain. Once the net was in place, Tammy Jane started its 45minutes of “trawling” or net dragging by making big loops between Daufuskie Island and Sea Pines.
The day’s haul from the Tammy Jane shrimping expedition.
We used this time to soak up the stunning marsh views. Dolphins were everywhere. A pod was aggressively going after a school of bait fish. We saw lots of jumping, splashing, and even some spinning. Washo watched a huge fish jump in the distance and Bradfield said it was probably a tarpon or spinner shark.
Working on a shrimp boat requires lots of focus.
The crew sells water, soft drinks, and cold beer so it was also a great time for refreshments. My favorite boat snack is a can of boiled peanuts, so Daly and I enjoyed that Lowcountry delicacy together.
As we trawled, Bradfield shared educational information about the two main varieties of shrimp in our area – white and brown shrimp. White shrimp are more plentiful than brown and make up roughly 80% of the harvest. Brown shrimp have slightly harder shells and migrate offshore as adults. Each female shrimp lays about one million eggs and her entire life cycle takes about a year.
Captain Renee Iannotti works to repair the net before trawling.
After we snacked and learned about shrimp, it was finally time for what we had all been waiting for – hauling in our catch. Bradfield carefully operated the hydraulic winch to bring in the long cable attached to the net. As our excitement grew, so did the enthusiasm of nearby aquatic animals. Dolphins began following close to the boat while birds were diving down to grab any creatures that might have worked their way out of the net.
Some of our shrimpin’ crew and new seagull friends.
Bradfield and Roop worked together to untie the net and empty the catch into a basket. Then they dumped the haul across the sorting table in front of the guests and the real fun began. Equal parts shrimp and fish were jumping all over the place. White and brown shrimp of all sizes were in the pile, along with a few of a lesser-caught variety, pink shrimp.
Everyone learned how to pop off the shrimp heads.
Most of the bait fish we caught were the exact same size and type, with a few random creatures sprinkled in the mix. Bradfield presented a unique fish to us, a hog choker, which felt like rough sandpaper in one direction and very smooth in the opposite. Several small squid were among the catch and Bradfield ate one variety right away – his hands covered in black ink. We also caught some small whiting and baby sea trout and learned that spade fish are one of the only fish that eat jelly fish.
Quickly, we worked to throw the fish back in the water, where they were immediately mobbed by hundreds of seagulls. They were desperate for an easy snack and they had found an all-you-can-eat buffet on the Tammy Jane. We all watched in amazement as Bradfield held a small fish up to the sky, demonstrating that the birds would eat out of his hand.
Brooke Peck loved every second on the Tammy Jane.
Then someone else showed up at the party – a 5-foot spinner shark on the port side of the boat. He was there for a snack too. Fresh shrimp are what had brought us onboard the Tammy Jane but the real stars of the show were a flock of seagulls swarming our boat and the dolphins and sharks surrounding us. Honestly, the whole experience felt like a movie.
After the fish were put back in the ocean or into seagull bellies, Bradfield taught us how to pinch the heads off the shrimp we caught. He demonstrated how to hold the head with one hand and the shrimp’s body with the other then “pinching” the head away from the body, which removed the head and the digestive line from the body in one swift movement. Anyone who wanted to give it a try was invited up to the table to practice this new skill. Finally, they packaged the shrimp in bags of ice for tour guests to take home and cook for supper.
We all enjoyed a delightful day – learning about sea creatures, watching dolphins, being mesmerized by seagulls, and training to be shrimpers.
