Trawling question.
 

I see a few people trawling for bait in vermillion bay with flat bottom boats. Has anyone ever did this in there fiber glass bay boat? Is this a messy process. id looks like you can save some time vs making the run to marsh island or the wiers on the west side for bait.

Also how do you do this and what size nets can you trawl with? I'd like to try it😎

yes it is dirty and the boards and chain required are not friendly to fiberglass. But it can be done during the open season. And the nets vary in size from very small bait size nets all the way to bigger than you can pull. Ive only done it a few times so I an mo expert.

You can pull whats called a test trawl (a trawl up to 16') for bait and keep up to 100lbs legally. My suggestion is that if you've never done it go with someone who has. Moving 1 or 2 chain links on your boards make a differnece in how the trawl works. You can pull from a fiberglass boat but it is messy. You would better off learning how to throw a cast net if you all you need is some bait.

I want it for bait and for survival. This will put some skremps in the freezer..

I will pull a 12ft trawl for bait on occasion. Yes, it is messy (sometimes mud but mostly small jellyfish). Also many small sharply barbed catfish will be contended with but we typically get plenty of live shrimp and croakers with two or three 12-15 minute pulls. The trick is to limit the bottom time of the gear so your catch will still be lively when hauled. With a 12 minute pull I usually even end up with a bit of live pogey. Keep a 2x4 piece of indoor/outdoor carpet with your trawl to set the boards/tickler chain on to reduce scuffing of your deck. I have shoulder issues so I can only get a half dozen or so throws with a 8-10 ft cast net and I am done so the trawl is a good alternative. Keep in mind you will need a license for the gear ($25 IIRC) and a license for the person pulling the gear.

And certainly, you can put some shrimp in the freezer with a 12ft trawl in the bay when they are thick. I would pull for 30-45 minutes for a meat haul but in a bay boat it will be a hassle culling the catch unless you set up a picking box with an outboard dump (easy to make and worth it if you are going to try to get a freezer full).

If you really like your boat to be clean and free of scuffs, scratches and dings don't even think of a trawl! Better to make a deal with a local shrimper to make a short drag and dump it in a clothes hamper for you. Even better would be to use artificial only, no wasted time on catching bait.;) Go buy your shrimp at the landing on opening day...cheaper than catching them yourself!

Live Bait....:puke:
artificial Bait...:cheers:

my kids, when little tykes had more fun catching the bait than the fish...........

X2---and we got stuff i couldn't even ID. we even started a saltwater aquarium with the stuff the pulled out. never got enough shrimp to make it worth the work.

Well don't like scratches and scuff. Big red is still shining.!! So I'll stick to cast netting. And try trawling when I get a flat bottom boat

Thanks for all the info.

I have a 12" trawl and have only used it twice. It is not worth the mess