Shrimp Fishing from Our New Boat: A Day on the Chao Phraya River with My Wife

A Simple Day of Shrimp Fishing

The goal for this trip was pretty simple.

My wife and I wanted to take the new boat out, do some shrimp fishing and hopefully catch enough shrimp for a barbecue.

I'd recently bought a 13-foot fiberglass boat with a 70 HP Yamaha engine, so this was also the boat's first proper trip.

We weren't in any rush. We left home at around 7 AM, stopped at 7-Eleven on the way through for drinks, ice and some food, and then headed out for a full day on the water.

By around 8:30 AM, we were fishing. We stayed out until roughly 6 PM and managed to find a few good shrimp.

Launching the Boat

We launched the boat next to a restaurant called Quay Side, which has a boat ramp available for people bringing their own boats.

The launch fee was ฿200. This also gives you a place to park your car and trailer while you're out on the water, which makes the whole process pretty straightforward.

For us, it was a convenient place to get the new boat into the water and start the day.

Shrimp Fishing Doesn't Need to Be Complicated

One of the things I like about shrimp fishing is how easy it is to get started. You don't necessarily need a boatman.

Having a boatman is definitely more convenient because you don't have to worry about positioning the boat in the current, finding productive areas or constantly moving around to locate shrimp.

But if you're fishing from your own boat, the basic strategy is simple. Find an area that looks promising, anchor up and fish it. If you're not getting shrimp, move. Try another area. If that doesn't work, move again.

You can keep repeating the process until you find somewhere the shrimp are holding. There's no need to overcomplicate it.

Fishing Next to a Moo Krata Restaurant

On this particular day, we eventually anchored next to a little Moo Krata restaurant. It turned out to be a good place to settle down and fish for a while.

We were using simple drop-shot rigs with 15-gram sinkers, fishing close to the bottom.

The bait was probably the cheapest part of the setup. We bought a pack of CP Bologna from 7-Eleven for just ฿30.

CP Bologna: Our Shrimp Bait

We sliced the bologna extremely thin. Rather than putting a big chunk of sausage onto the hook, we cut it into tiny, thin strips that looked almost like little earthworms. The thinner you can slice it, the better.

For the shrimp hook, we were using a 1/0 shrimp hook, with 6 lb line on the rods. The setup was light, simple and easy to fish all day.

A Few Good Shrimp

The goal wasn't to fill the boat with shrimp. We just wanted to catch a few good ones for the barbecue. And that's exactly what we managed to do.

There is something satisfying about catching your own food, especially when the whole trip is this simple. A light rod, a basic rig, some cheap bait and a boat are really all you need to spend the day doing it.

Fishing Your Own Boat vs. Using a Boatman

Having your own boat does make shrimp fishing a little different. With a boatman, you can sit back and focus entirely on fishing while they handle the boat positioning and move you between productive areas.

When you're driving your own boat, you have to do all of that yourself. You need to pay attention to the current, choose your own spots and decide when it is worth moving.

But there is also a big advantage. If a spot isn't producing, you can simply pull the anchor, move somewhere else and try again. That freedom is one of the best parts of fishing from your own boat.

A Full Day on the Water

We spent around ten hours on the water. We didn't leave particularly early, we weren't chasing a difficult species and we weren't trying to turn the trip into a serious fishing mission.

It was just a good day out with my wife. The new boat performed well, we found some shrimp and we ended up with exactly what we'd set out to catch. A few shrimp for dinner. Sometimes that's all you need from a fishing trip.

Josh’s Pro Tip

Don't overthink the bait. For this trip, our bait cost ฿30 and came from 7-Eleven. The important part was cutting the CP Bologna extremely thin and keeping the bait small. You don't need expensive specialist bait to get started with shrimp fishing.

From the Water to the Dinner Table

We originally went out hoping to catch a few shrimp for a barbecue. In the end, we never actually had the barbecue. My wife took the shrimp we caught and turned them into a noodle dish instead.

There's something satisfying about a fishing trip when you can bring the catch home and have it on the dinner table the same day. A simple day of shrimp fishing, a few good shrimp in the boat and a meal prepared at home by my wife. That's a pretty good result.

Final Thoughts

This was a pretty perfect first outing for the new boat. My wife and I left home around 7 AM, grabbed some food and drinks from 7-Eleven and spent the day on the water from roughly 8 AM until 6 PM.

We fished simple drop-shot rigs with 15-gram sinkers, 1/0 shrimp hooks and 6 lb line, using thinly sliced CP Bologna as bait. We moved around until we found shrimp holding in an area and eventually managed to catch a few good ones.

The goal was never to catch hundreds. We just wanted enough shrimp for a barbecue, and while the barbecue never happened, my wife turned our catch into a noodle dish instead.

More importantly, it was a great way to put the new 13-foot fiberglass boat and 70 HP Yamaha through its first proper trip.

For anyone who has access to a small boat, shrimp fishing is definitely worth trying. You don't need complicated tackle, expensive bait or even a boatman. Find the shrimp, drop your bait down and keep moving until you find them. Then take them home and have your catch for dinner.

FAQ

Can you go shrimp fishing without a boatman?

Yes. Shrimp fishing is relatively simple, and anglers with their own boat can move between areas themselves. A boatman simply makes things easier by handling boat positioning and finding productive areas.

What bait did you use for shrimp?

We used CP Bologna purchased from 7-Eleven for ฿30. We sliced it extremely thin into small strips before putting it on the hook.

What fishing setup did you use?

We used drop-shot rigs with 15-gram sinkers, 1/0 shrimp hooks and 6 lb fishing line.

How long did you fish?

We were on the water from approximately 8 AM until 6 PM.

Where did you launch the boat?

We launched next to Quay Side, which has a boat ramp for private boat owners. The launch fee was ฿200 and included parking for the car and trailer.