Harvesting by drop nets from docks and seawalls is most popular curing the fall when larger white shrimp are moving seaward Seines for shrimping cannot exceed 40 feet in length, and webbing must be a half-inch square mesh or larger for nylon nets. Law also prohibits the blockage of more than one-half the width of any slough, creek or other waterway on any tidal stage. Seines must be pulled by hand, not by any engine-powered boat or staked to poles. The most effective way to pull a seine is with the falling tide and along banks or sandbars, which provide areas to haul nets ashore and remove the shrimp. Less expensive and cumbersome than seines, cast nets are used more often for shrimping.
Cast nets are also devoid of restrictions on lengths or mesh sizes.
Casting is popular in creeks with a mud bottom during low tide. Deeper areas of 3 or 4 feet or more often produce larger shrimp during the day since the shrimp avoid light. A cast net can be used from a boat, creek bank, pier or even while wading in the water. The lawful harvest of shrimp by cast net is limited to 60 days between September 1 and November 15. Drop nets can be fished from bridges, docks or seawalls and are almost exclusively used at night.