WDFW just announced via a press release the 2019 Puget Sound Shrimp seasons. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this release of the shrimping seasons this year after enjoying all the Spot Shrimp in my freezer from this past year. There are some interesting aspects to these announced seasons worth thinking about.
For how-to information checkout my in-depth article on how to catch Puget Sound Spot Shrimp
Marine Area 13 is closed entirely due to a poor test fishery. Having shrimped on the one open date last year off of Anderson Island and only getting a few shrimp, this closure is probably a good idea to allow for the populations to rebuild.
Marine Area 11 fared only slightly better in the test fishery and will only get one open date this year: May 11th. I’m not sure how good the shrimping will be, but a chance to shrimp close to home is probably worth it, even if I go only this one time.
Marine Area 10 also got only one day but should be better than MA11. Again, a chance to shrimp close to home is worth taking advantage of.
In areas like the Eastern Strait (MA 6) or the San Juans (MA7 West specifically), I was a little surprised to see the Thursday through Sunday as the only open days. The best shrimping tides are actually Sunday through Wednesday for the most part in the spring.
One of my friends who is an avid shrimper got ahold of someone at WDFW who told him these days of “not the best tides” were actually intentional to extend the season. The concern is that people will attempt to shrimp under stronger tidal currents and there will be more lost pots. In some cases, the best tide will be very early in the morning throughout May and June due to the restriction on days in MA6 and MA7 West.
Planning your shrimping based on tides and currents is an absolute must. Look at the 6-hour openers WDFW has chosen in the tide charts, they are intentionally tides with much less water movement.
Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon
/Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
Sa 11 Low 5:22 AM 7.0 5:38 AM Set 2:21 AM 35
11 High 9:48 AM 8.8 8:35 PM Rise 11:53 AM
11 Low 4:48 PM -0.5
The above tide table is for Vashon Island on May 11th. Notice that between the low of 5:22 AM and the high of 9:48 AM, there’s only a tidal exchange of 1.8 ft. (8.8 – 7.0).
That means tidal currents should be subdued. Not only are you less likely to lose your shrimp pots with less current, but shrimping is far better! The shrimp are far more active in soft currents and you will get many more in the spot during these times than periods when the current is ripping.
Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) gets 4 days of 6-hour openers: May 11, 15, 29, and June 1. I plan to be on the water for the last 3 for sure.
It looks like most areas will be open for non-Spot Shrimp (Coonstripe and Pink) starting June 1st. I bought a 1/2-inch mesh pot just to target Coonstripe and Pink shrimp this year. I’m interested in both the table fare and curing up the Coonstripes for bait. I’m hoping to target non-spot shrimp in the South Sound this summer.