Back for the 2012 Shrimp Season

The gang is back for for the 2012 shrimp season. The stone crab research is over but the taste for crab meat has not faded. So, we will be setting some traps out for our personal consumption.




Over the off season Josiah and I ( Capt Dad ) worked on the boat ( Dirt Claw'd ) rebuilding the cabin area so that Kimberly and Sarah have a nice, clean place to sleep off seasickness. And, we changed out the console with mahogany after adding a new GPS plotter and DSI ( down scan imaging ) Monitor.


While I worked on the electronics, Josiah concentrated on the wood work. He has grown into an excellent helmsman, deck hand, woodworker, and all around mature young man.





Along for our maiden voyage of the new season, was our friend David. Although the seas were rough ( 4 ft swells / 5 second period / 12 mph wind ) I thought we could do well. I was wrong. Very wrong. I made a critical, all-be-it rookie mistake. I didn't soak the doors. Soaking helps add weight to the doors so that will sink more quickly. The lighter, more bouyant doors kept getting flipped over by the waves.

" let the lines out, watch waves flip the doors, pull back in 70 ft of line, flip the doors back over, let the lines out, watch the waves flip over the doors, pull back 70 ft of line, flip the doors back over, let back out ....." We didn't catch any shrimp, but we all got a good upper body workout.

However, we did have fun! Fellowship! And David got some good video of dolphins jumping and wrestling around in the water. Looked like they were having fun as well.

Making Doors

When we hit the snag, one of our doors was torn apart. I decided it would be best to replace both doors. And, this was yet another first for me. The building and setting up of doors is a bit of trigonometry, a bit of physics, and a bit of good old fashion trial and error. Two lines are stretched out behind the boat and connected to each of the two doors by a series of four chains.

Each of the four chains are set in various, but precise lengths so that the doors and net may work as units. As the boat moves forward and the lines tighten, the doors are pulled through the water. The varying chain lengths pitch the door so that the port side door moves further out away from the port side and the starboard door slides further starboard, thus pulling the net's mouth open.

The door must lean back and ride slightly nosed down along the bottom while angling out away from the boat. Think about that three times fast! 



Josiah is sitting beside the door so you can see the differing lengths of chain, and how the door pulls at an angle from the boat. You may also see the dark and lighter areas of the wood. The darker areas are where the door has been soaking in a water barrel. The soaking of the doors helps them to sink and ride along the bottom.

Even though we are but a little shrimping vessel, we carry out on a smaller scale what the bigger boys deal with in deeper water further off shore.

Mending Nets - Status Report

I dropped the net off at Billy Jordan's net company and the diagnosis was not good. A new net was Billy advice. Then Billy's nephew and protege', Butch Woodruff, stepped up to the plate.

Our net was the smallest net on the whole lot. A typical net for these guys is a commercial 40' with lots of, what they call in the business, volume. Volume is the key to catching the white shrimp variety because white shrimp tend to hang closer to the surface while brown shrimp lay on the bottom. So combing through the largest volume of water catches the largest volume of shrimp. Hence the term volume.


As you may imagine, a net shop has lots of ready made toys for a young kitten.

So, Butch did the math to match the mesh size and pattern, then laid into the repair. Two or so hours later he had our little net back together.

Now that we know that the net could be salvaged, it is time to rebuild the damaged door and get back in the water. Taking advantage of this down time, I am dropping the boat off at Libery Marine to let Clyde and Dillard do a little maintenance on our fickle engine.

Andersen Boys Ride Along

Out on the water today, the temperatures dropped into the 80's with just a slight cloud cover. The swells were 1-2 foot, with an 11 second time period between. Perfect day for shrimp trawling. Kip Andersen and his two sons, Nate and Alex, met us around 8 am at the Folly Island boat landing and we crept out to the open water through Lighthouse Creek.

A couple of larger shrimp trawlers were pulling closer in toward shore, so we decided to make a 20-minute pull close to the beach, and caught very little. So, we took our second pull about 300 yards further out and that was a little better. So Kip steered us another 300 yards or so off the shore. And, we started hitting the shrimp. We were onto their little "flippy" tail trails. And, then, we hit a 'snag.'

A snag is an obstacle on the bottom that can catch and tear the net. This particular snag jerked the boat hard when we hit. As Nate and Josiah pulled the doors up, I realized we had done far more than tearing the net. The runner (or skid) which rides along the ocean floor is bolted to the door. And the runner was completely ripped from door. Shrimping was done for the day, and done until we find out the cost of the repairs.

Snags are just a part of fishing. When Jesus called James and John to discipleship, they were sitting with their father mending their nets. Yep, even the Holy Land has snags. And, they were just as much of a pain back then as they are today. Maybe that's why James and John were so quick to jump up and follow Jesus. No more spending hours upon hours mending nets!!!  Later on John was boiled in oil and exiled to the isle of Patmos. But, he didn't go back to fishing. That says something about the monotony of mending nets.

And, as for wrapping up the day, leave it to boys to make a game out of anything. Nate, Alex, and Josiah started throwing bait fish up to the seagulls to see if the gulls would catch the fish. And sure enough,... the gulls caught a few in mid air. You know the old saying, there's nothing like the relationship between a boy and his ....seagull?

Alligator Bait

We live across from a fresh water pond located adjacent to a several hundred acres of good old Carolina Low Country swamp; the very same swamp that gave Revolutionary hero Francis 'Swamp Fox' Marion (pictured below) his cover for 'revolutionary' guerrilla war tactics and many Colonial victories over a far superior British fighting force. The battle of Parkers Ferry, which lead to the hanging of colonial sympathizer Issac Hayne, was fought just down the road from our home. (Information on Hayne can be found at http://south-carolina-plantations.com/colleton/hayne-hall.html)

With any swamp comes an array of wildlife. We regularly see osprey, bald eagles, deer, wild hogs, foxes, alligators, etc. And alligators are welcome guests as long as they do not make neighborhood pets a part of their daily diet. However, every once and a while one of the alligators gets aggressive and has to go.

This 7 ft. gator did not hesitate to approach the wrangler when he offered food. The gator had lost all fear of humans. Not good. Not good at all.

The alligator wrangler captured the gator, taped the mouth shut, taped a clothe over the eyes, tied the legs, and lifted it into the back of his pick up truck. Easy as pie.

After the alligator was calm and secured, the wrangler allowed the kids and the gathering crowd to touch and pet the gator while he answered many questions and told alligator jokes. This was not the first group of onlookers he has entertained.

A true professional can make even the most dangerous tasks look easy.

Sea Creatures and Guests

 Our fishing vessel, Dirt Claw'd, is expanding its crew, or at least its guest log. We have been blessed with a number of guests out to fellowship with friends and work for food. Dirt Claw'd has a full docket of guests for the next few weeks with more folks interested in coming along for the adventure. Thus far, all have had fun with surprisingly little sea sickness.


Of course proper deck behavior is an issue, as Casey threatens to chomp down on shrimp while the kids work to sort shrimp.







Sea creatures are always welcome aboard.  A shovel nosed shark found his way on to the deck (pictured left), as well as a few stingray and a dog fish, which are all in the shark family. As an interesting note, dog fish are a popular food treat in Japan. Fisherman here on the East Coast would pack dog fish in wet straw and ship them all the way to Japan. And these hardy little survivors would still be alive after weeks of travel. Amazing!


Every once in a while we pull up a particularly fierce critter like this little puffer fish. He sucked in a pile of water and blew himself up like the 'incrediable hulk' of girth. All aboard were terrified of his imposing roundness. In real life they do this expansion trick to keep larger fish from being able to swallow them.

As I have grow older, I find myself performing this same girth enlarging trick as the puffer. It is going to take a pretty big fish to swallow this man's belly. In fact, I think I'll go into the kitchen and expand my anti-Jonah physique. You can never be too safe at sea !

Courageous Kids

One day a year, our boat club shuts down the ramp and sponsors a carnival for families with kids battling cancer. The organization is called 'Courageous Kids.'  Members of the club, along with local law enforcement, news crews, pony rides, jump castles, and many others come together to create a day when these families can forget about the struggle and just have fun.

Prior to the event starting, our gang got a chance to ride on a air boat. Which if you have never done ... well, don't miss the chance if the opportunity arises.






The SCK's volunteered to get dunked in the dunk tank and prepared for duty. The funny thing is, is that when I came back around, the SCK's were throwing the balls while the 'Courageous Kids' gang had formed a long line to get dunked! Whatever!




It is all about letting them have a day of fun.

As a family, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve others in the name of Jesus.

There's Always Something New

The shrimp are getting bigger as the season progresses. We are definitely looking forward to cooler weather so the jellyfish will 'go away' and quit stinging us. But each time we go out we get more efficient and catch more shrimp. And catching shrimp is ultimately the goal. But along the way we will have fun and discover new creatures.

Baby sand sharks made an appearance. You will find when you start catching sharks in the net, it is time to move to another area. They will scatter the shrimp and make you work twice as hard for the same volume. But these little guys weren't much bigger than the shrimp. So they didn't seem to disrupt the count.

Mantis shrimp are an interesting creature. Fred Dockery, a local fisherman and great source of fishery information,  told us that he used to catch mantis shrimp off the New England coast 12"-18" in length. The tail contains the eat'n meat. Much like a rock shrimp or ( for our Cajun folks ) craw fish. I'm not sure if it is proper etiquette to suck the heads of mantis shrimp the way folks from the Bayou suck the heads of craw fish. So I will leave that decision up to the professional head suckers.

And then there is Mr. Stingray !  We have been catching a good many small stingrays but this was the first one large enough to consider saving for supper. About 30 minutes after this photo was taken we pulled up one about twice this size. And first mate, Momma, sauteed the filleted wings in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Good Eats !

 AnnahBelle has been going out with me more than anyone and she loves trawling. Because she is a natural born biologist. A real life Elly May Clampett. And bless her heart ... she can put a whoop'n the boys too. Momma is working with her on the lady skills.  I love that little girl's guts!!!

Shrimp Trawling

The tides were perfect Friday evening for pulling our 26' shrimp trawling net. Yet, we had one minor problem.  Someone had thoughtlessly decided to put a 'car' in the way. The Charleston City Police had just installed a new sonar on their Search and Rescue Boat. As they were launching the boat to try out they're new toy, one of the officers looked down at the screen and saw a CAR, lying upside down ten feet below the surface. Hey ... the sonar works! And, works pretty well! He was not only able to tell that it was a car, but one that was upside down!

So, after 4 hours of waiting to launch, we decided that shrimp trawling was not going to happen. We set our sites for the following morning.

So "bright and early" Saturday morning (actually it was pre-dawn so it wasn't "bright" at all, however,  it was quite "early") AnnahBelle and I set out for a spot offshore of Morris Island. And, we hit shrimp! And we hit jellyfish !!!! Jellyfish slime gets on the lines, the net,  our gloves, and the sorting table. When the stinging starts, your skin turns red, and the burning sets in. Oh fun! To combat this we have white vinegar in a spray bottle for just such occasions. And, we drenched ourselves in vinegar to quell the burn. It worked pretty well. We spell relief ... v-i-n-e-g-a-r!


We slipped up into Shem Creek and sold our catch to the wholesaler. The price  just about covered the fuel expenses. As the season progresses, both the amount of catch, the size of the shrimp, and price should increase. Today the shrimp were 26-30 count, which means it takes 26-30 shrimp to make a pound. We ended our day with a dinner of shrimp we had held back from the wholesaler, along with wings of a nice size stingray that we filleted and sauteed in garlic and butter. Bon Appetit!

SCK's Finale !!!!!

The Stone Crab Kids wrapped up the research project with a presentation from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Mel Bell, the Director of Fisheries Management, accompanied by DNR Officer Ben Whaley, read and presented Josiah, AnnahBelle, and Sarah with letters of appreciation for their research efforts on behalf of SCDNR. The letters were beautifully composed, and eloquently portrayed the value of the kids' efforts. (I plan to publish and share that letter on the blog at a later date.)

What the SCK's didn't know was that a few other letters had shown up in the mail. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley sent individual letters stating how proud she was of the SCKs. The letters arrived in dark blue folders with the SC State Seal embossed in gold print on the cover. United States Congressman Tim Scott, born and raised right here in Charleston, wrote a friendly letter of congratulations. And United States Senator Jim DeMint, followed up the letter of encouragement he wrote a year and a half ago when the project first started, expressing his desire to see the SCKs taking on future projects.

All in all, it was a fun little ceremony surrounded by our friends and supporters from the West Ashley Outboard Motor Club. 

But just remember this ... Officials can make memorable presentations, politicians can write glowing letters ... but after the hoop-lah is over, it is Capt. Dad that takes the Stone Crab Kids out for ICE CREAM !!!!!

* As I compile information and gather thoughts, I will write about some of the interesting findings we captured from this research. *

A heart felt thank you to all who shared in this adventure.

Next up for the SCKs ..... the love affair with salt water continues in the form of shrimp trawling!

Capt Don - Hook the Future

Every year the Boat Show comes to Charleston. And, the Spivey gang is always present. Some years, with as many as 11 kids in tow. (Note: Not all of those kids were ours.) It is hard not to notice 11 kids, most under the age of 10, lined up like a family of ducks moving through the isles and past the booths. And, over the years, many of the vendors have taken an interest in our gang. PierSide Boatworks supplied us with sturdy carry bags. SeaRay gives the kids un-inflated beach balls. (The first year they handed out inflated beach balls and you can only imagine the time we had trying to keep up with 11 bouncy beach balls.) First Federal Bank hands out koozie cups and water proof cases. Dan-the-Knot-Man spends tons of time teaching the history of knots and making knots crafts with each child. West Marine gave the kids key chains to hang on their knot craft. Capt. Mike of SeaTow always has a special a gift. Yellow Fin Galleries has coloring crafts and The LowCountry Lady Anglers has a fun little gamefish identification test. And SCDNR, with their fish tattoos as well as  the most popular 'Fishing Simulator' that gathers big grins and giggles as tiny people get tossed about trying to reel in a video trophy wahoo. 

Capt. Don Dingman, host of the 'Hook the Future' TV show, holds a fishing clinic and raffle just for kids. Capt. Don does two shows a day and the Spivey gang are there every time the doors are open. Again, it would be hard for Capt. Don not to notice 'the herd' coming in and out every show, every year. One year we came home with 15 fishing poles. With all the kids we entertain, those poles have been used on our pond to help many a child learn the thrill of catching a fish. And that's a big part of what 'Hook the Future' is all about.

For the past couple of years Capt. Don and I have talked about 'Hook-the-Future' doing a show in conjuction with the Stone Crab Kids. That should be a lot of fun. And another opportunity for 'memory building'. Someday, many years from now, Kim and I will sit at the Thanksgiving table listening to our kids tell our grandkids about all the adventures they had when they were young and life was as simple as going fishing.

Rising Temperatures

Freezing temperatures triggered the annual stone crab 'mud-in' late last November. And now we are on the reverse side of that process. Once the water temperature reaches 56-57 F, the first of the stone crab will make their appearance for a new season.

Through the off season there are research duties that must be performed. The compiling of raw data into SCDNR's software being the most important for the kids. Getting the boat back in shape is Capt. Dad's priority. The engine, despite all of our hopes still does not run properly. It has been in the shop for nearly three months with a number of highly qualified folks working on, trying this or that, re-testing, and scratching their collective heads.

Capt. Dad and first mate Mom are also scratching our own heads. As we pulled together receipts in preparation for filing our income taxes the reality of the costs associated with this research is staggering. But as I think back over the season and all that these kids have accomplished, we could have gone to Disney World ten times and not had had as much fun or created as many memories.

Mini Mariners Program

Stan Jones, Harbor Master of the Charleston Harbor Marina, runs a kids program for his marina residents and visitors. The program, called Mini Mariners , teaches kids about different aspects of their marine environment.  Stan asked if he could have a trap at the marina for the Mini Mariners. Periodically we stop by to get gas, say 'Hey', and check on things. And if we have extra bait .... we donate !

While leaving the marina, Josiah spotted the sun set over the peninsula city. He grabbed the camera and snapped this shot. The folks at Charleston Harbor Marina have it made in the shade.

Despite the mocking origins of Charleston being tagged the Holy City, the splendor of the Lord reigns down over the skyline.

It runs and runs good!

As those who follow this blog have been aware, we have had a constant string of trouble with the 225hp Yamaha OX-66 purchased for this research project.  In that 'engine talk' is not particularly tantalizing journalism, our followers have been spared the infinite, unyielding details.

Yesterday, for the first time in 8 months of operating this engine, I was able to run the kids out to the crab grounds, pull pots, and get back to the landing without any sputtering, skipping, or knocking.  What a huge relief.  And, a pleasure to finally begin to develop some degree of confidence in this engine.

Some months ago I decided to try and track down this rough running problem that has plagued this engine.  After some tinkering and fiddling around, I found that one of the coils had a different ohm reading than the other five coils. Changing that single coil rendered instant success. The engine's idle smoothed out beautifully.  (Question: Is it socially acceptable for a grown man to cry over a smooth running engine?) I made an immediate beeline for the landing and put the boat in the water for a test ride. The idle was perfect. When I reached the end of the creek, I gave it the throttle and the boat leaped forward with power. As the boat planed out and cut through the water that urge to cry with joy was about to burst forth. And then the sputtering started. The power eroded. The hull struggled to stay on plane. And that urge to cry came back really strong. (Question: Is this form of crying socially acceptable? - No.  Potential emotional breakdown? - Yes.)

Every indicator pointed to either a $900 high pressure fuel pump or a $1200 computer because this sputtering only happened at high RPM.  Oh goody!  Clyde Umphlete of Liberty Marine had offered to  help but I knew that he was incredibility busy trying to keep up with summer business. With the cooling weather Clyde was able to pull away long enough for a test ride. Long story made short, Clyde found the problem. A clogged oxygen sensor was the culprit. A 'dog bone' valve in the sensor was making the engine run like a dog. But now, thanks to Clyde, it runs great. So good in fact, that a lesser man may have been tempted to cry!

** A link to Liberty Marine can be found in the sponsors section of this site. Just click on the Statue of Liberty. **

Crabb'in -n- Contrasts

Working on the water constantly presents new challenges and unexpected treasures. Part of the data the SCK's collect is 'by-catch'. Incidental catch such as dogfish, blue crab, whelks, etc. are counted and recorded. A while back when we set out near a golf course we discovered a golf ball in a trap. Today, it was a sock. The mind swirls as we try to figure out how someone's sock gets into a crab trap. Is this even a local sock? Could it be from Bermuda or England or Morocco or ..... ? Well we saved the sock so if you recognize this sock as one that belongs to you or someone you know, feel free to contact the SCK and we will promptly return it to its rightful owner.

Just moments after dislodging a dirty sock from the clutches of a crab,  Josiah turned and was struck by the splendor of the setting sun.  From dirty sock to dancing sun rays, man is trashy, God is certainly good.

Temps Drop yet Crab are Active

The whole SCK's crew is enjoying the luxury of having room to work aboard Dirt Claw'd. The engine is still surging at higher RPM's but runs beautifully at lower RPM's. I suspect we are loosing pressure at the fuel pump. Which is an expensive repair. Par for the course with this engine. However we are able to maneuver around the pots and get the job done. 

The water temperatures have dropped to the mid 70's and the crab are still active. Last time we checked pots, we had mostly big males. Yesterday, we pulled mostly females. Quite odd, but interesting.

At present, our pots are now split between the south end of the Charleston Harbor Marine at Patriot's Point and across the harbor off the Battery at the Coast Guard Station.  

FYI - You know you are dirty when you feel the need to scrub your clothes with the deck brush. Research is a dirty job but somebody has to do it! Well actually ... better these kids than me. I stay where it is clean and dry !

Video of the LowCountry Live Interview

Appearance on LowCountry Live

AnnahBelle and Sarah, as well as Kim Counts of SCDNR,  appeared on the WCIV LowCountrry Live show this morning. They all did a great job. Dave Williams, who went out to pull pots with us Monday evening, conducted the interview. And as Kim answered Dave's questions, I learned details about our research project that I had never heard before. The original research project had been a three year grant. South Carolina had not lost its funding as much as the money, i.e. the grant, just ran out. Either way, the SCK's, are happy to continue the gathering of information.

The interview will be posted as soon as we receive a copy from the station.

As has become a custom, Dave Williams continued teaching the kids about the weather and the inner workings of a television production. The kids helped create the graphics for the news, assisted in the taping of a weather segment, tested their skills (or lack of) at announcing the weather in front of the 'green screen', toured the control room,  and pretended to read copy from the news desk. And in the great tradition of home school moms, Kimberly counted this as a field trip.

After the show there was talk of the SCK's making another appearance during the holidays. This time we will do what everyone in the studio wants most of all .... cooking stone crab claws...which inherently involves the consumption thereof. All hail the dedicated folks at WCIV who are willings to eat stone crab for their ... fans.

TV Crew Rides Along

The SCK's will be making another appearance on the Lowcountry Live program on Charleston's Channel 4 WCIV - ABC.  David  (Host) and Richard (Camera and Production) climbed aboard the F/V Dirt Claw'd to get video for the upcoming show. David is an avid saltwater fisherman and took to the pitching deck with ease. Richard, however, spent a few moments in a state of equilibrium challenge. As the SCK's began the process of pulling pots, harvesting claws, and recording data, it was Richard that got right into the action. Soon enough, he was leaning over the gunwale ... not from seasickness but rather filming with one hand and pulling pots aboard with the other. It may have been Richard who enjoyed the trip more than anyone.

Stan Jones (Harbor Master) of Charleston Harbor Marina graciously allowed us to used their docks to shuffle people on and off the boat, as well as putting us onto some nice stone crab at the south end of their marina. That made it super convenient for filming!

Kimberly (also know as Mom) stayed on the dock to take some pictures of the crew while we worked. Walking along the dock afforded her the unique opportunity to hear conversations from aboard various boats moored in the marina. Boaters explaining to other boaters who the SCK's were and what they were doing. It is always amazing how many people know about the Stone Crab Kids. Some with binoculars eyeing the operation and taking note of the camera crew. Sometimes, when filthy clothes cover the laundry room floor, when we consider re-decorating in a puff mud colored pattern to match the stains, or when the house has the faint scent of day old menhaden, we can forget just how wonderful it is to be blessed with these precious children. Oh yea ... and the dog too!