Trawling question.

[rardoin]

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).