boat ramp

Shrimping on Florida’s East Coast

The Riverbreeze boat ramp in Oak Hill seems to be THE place to launch a boat for going shrimping where I live. Shrimping is done at night, and this place is packed with boat trailers during shrimping season (which, in my county, is whenever the shrimp are running).

My son and I stopped by the Riverbreeze boat ramp one day after eating at Goodrich’s restaurant, and I got these photos of a nearly empty parking lot and totally empty boat ramp. It was a very windy day, which makes fishing less than enjoyable, and could be the reason for the sparse collection of boaters. It was also during the week and in the middle of the afternoon.

We used to put our pontoon boat in at this ramp years ago. It’s nice and big with four spots to launch and a huge parking area for trailers and vehicles. There is also a separate boardwalk / dock, restrooms and a playground. Just across from the ramp area is the River Wood camp ground.

When we drove through, there were 4 boat trailers parked – which is the least crowded I’ve ever seen this place. Believe me, it’s much different in the evenings when everyone is going out to catch shrimp!

Riverbreeze boat launch parking lot — Parking at Riverbreeze

My sons were out shrimping last night and caught the 5 gallon limit of shrimp within a few hours. Today we will be processing the shrimp to eat and freeze. This mainly means removing the heads. Crabs can get caught in the net, but they won’t go to waste. We will use them as bait when we fish. Crabs can only be eaten when they are cooked fresh (living crabs only).

blue crabs — Crabs and little fish, hauled in with the shrimp

Because the shrimp are caught at night, there isn’t time to do much with the catch before bed. As long as they are kept cold in a good cooler (this brand is a Sportsman), they can be dealt with the following day.

Cooler full of shrimp

Gallons of shrimp

There are state regulations for shrimpers to follow. Also, there is more than one way to catch shrimp. Some people use a cast net and some use traps with bait.

The way we do it is take the boat out and sit where a strong current runs from the backwaters into the channel. Timing it so the current is running well is important, and this must be done during darkness. Certain times of year are better for shrimping, and other factors come into play. Read more about shrimping at the Florida Shore Fishing site.
We are new to this, but it has worked out well and saved us money. We won’t have to buy shrimp from the grocery store for a long time!

Photos From Haulover Canal And Mosquito Lagoon Area

Recently our travels took us over to Mosquito Lagoon to watch the Falcon Heavy rocket launch. Because liftoff was delayed over and over, until the window for launch was almost up (at 4:00PM), we had some time to waste.

We ended up on the dirt road that winds along the Haulover Canal and I took these photos of big boats passing through. The canal is the only way to get from east to west and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). It’s the waterway that connects Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River. Any boats traveling the ICW along the eastern side of Florida will have to pass through this canal – if they are going this far.

A little dirt road will take you down along the canal embankment, on the opposite side of the boat ramp. All along the roadway are notches in the tree line where people sit and fish. This is where we parked and watched these big boats go by. I really liked the looks of this red one, and then a few tall sail boats went by. They had to open the bridge for that really tall one to pass under.

Fishing here was difficult because there were rocks everywhere. They must have been coquina like that big white one in my photo, because there really are no rocks in Florida. I got my line caught immediately, which was enough to make me quit! I sat and enjoyed the view instead.

Before the Haulover Canal bridge, heading south toward Cape Canaveral, there is a Manatee Observation area. This is part of the Merritt Island Preserve. On the opposite side of the road, on the East side of the canal, is the boat launch area. For some reason the long dock at the boat launch is still taped off and can’t be used. It’s been that way for a while now. I think the damage was from Hurricane Irma, back in September.

The spot we decided to pick as a viewing site also had a boat ramp. It seemed like a nice one, and we plan to try in out some weekday when there should be no traffic.

My photo of the white pelican below is not very good, but he (or she) stood out in the water with other brown pelicans. The other white birds are seagulls. I happened to spot it as we were leaving after the rocket launch. Apparently they visit Florida for a short time in the winter months. Read more about white pelicans at the Authentic Florida site.

Manatees Playing at Haulover Boat Ramp

manatees haulover canal — Manatees at Haulover Canal

Nick and I took a ride over to the Mims and Titusville area the other day and one place we stopped was the Haulover Canal boat ramp. It’s a much smaller place than I thought, with only one ramp, but a nice trailer parking area. We walked out on the metal dock and that is where we watched the manatees play.

It was hot so we didn’t stay long, but the small bay area, where the boats launch and dock, was full of manatees. The water is brown and murky (brackish) but the manatees could be seen breaking the surface, splashing and rolling around. I got a short 30 second video – it was too bright for me to easily see what I was filming. It was also really hot – did I say that?

The boats go very slow in this little bay, so the manatees just move out of the way when they hear the motors. We drove over the bridge and went to the eastern side of the canal where there is a “Manatee Watching Deck” and didn’t see any manatees there. The boat dock was the best place to see them. (The observation area had port-o-potties, fyi.)

The Haulover Canal is a channel for boats to go between the Indian River, on the west, and Mosquito Lagoon, to the east. Both are wide open bodies of water. The canal is part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. On the opposite side from the boat launching area is a long dirt road. We traveled down to the end and saw cars stopped and little camps set up where people were fishing along the canal. At the end was an area to put in canoes and kayaks. This is the view from the end of that road which looks out into the Indian River lagoon, which is a huge area.