Everybody knows Welaka for bass. Fewer people outside the county know that the St. Johns runs shrimp right past town, and that fall is when it happens.
If you have watched somebody working a dip net off Bryant's Wharf after dark and wondered what they were doing, this is it.
Can you catch shrimp in the St. Johns River?
Yes. The St. Johns carries a shrimp run every year, and Welaka sits on a productive stretch of it. Shrimp here tend to run smaller than they do closer to the coast, but they come through in numbers. September and October are the months people plan around.
When is shrimp season in Welaka?
The fall run, September into October, is what people here mean by shrimp season. That window comes from regional shrimping guides and local knowledge rather than a published state forecast, so treat it as a starting point and ask around when you arrive.
There is also a closure you need to know about, because it catches visitors out every year.
April and May are closed to recreational shrimping in Putnam County, along with Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Flagler and Clay counties. Welaka is in Putnam County. If you plan a spring trip around shrimping, you have planned it around a closed season.
Check FWC before you come. Seasons and closures change, and this page is not your regulations reference.
What are the rules?
| Rule | What it is |
|---|---|
| License | Recreational saltwater fishing license required, unless you are exempt |
| Bag limit | 5 gallons heads-on, per harvester, per day |
| Vessel limit | No more than 5 gallons per vessel, no matter how many people are aboard |
| Closed season | April and May in Putnam County |
| Nets at once | No more than two nets fished at a time from one vessel |
The vessel limit is the one that surprises people. Five gallons per person sounds generous until you notice the boat caps out at five gallons total regardless of how many of you are aboard. Four people in one boat do not get twenty gallons.
What gear can you use?
- Dip nets with an opening no larger than 96 inches around the perimeter
- Cast nets no greater than 14 feet stretched length
- Push nets, beach seines and frame nets, within their own size limits
- Up to four shrimp traps, each no bigger than 3 feet long by 2 feet wide by 1 foot high
Most people here are working a dip net with a light. That is the whole kit: a net, a light, a bucket, and patience.
Day or night?
Both work, and they work differently.
In daylight, shrimp hold in the deeper channels and holes. You are fishing structure and depth.
After dark, they spread out along the river into shallower water. This is when the dip-net-and-light crowd comes out, and it is why you will see lights along the water on an October night.
Night shrimping is the more social version. It is also the version where you want somebody who knows the river with you the first time.
Where do you go?
From the water. Launch at the Welaka Boat Ramp on Elm Street, two lanes of poured concrete with a dock. It is the town's public boat ramp. Shell Harbour Boat Ramp at 141 Shell Harbour Rd in Satsuma is the option just up the road if you want a different stretch.
From shore. Bryant's Wharf Kayak Launch has a floating dock and a viewing area, and its own listing mentions fishing and shrimping right off it. That makes it the obvious starting point if you do not have a boat.
Beyond that, ask. A bait shop in a river town knows more about where the shrimp are running this week than any website does, and that includes this one. Welaka Fish, Crab and Bait at 676 3rd Ave and Betcha Bass Bait Shack are both worth the stop.
What do you do with them?
Eat them. That is the point.
Welaka Fish, Crab and Bait sells fresh fish and the blue crabs it is known for if you would rather buy than catch. If you did catch your own, you need ice, and you need more of it than you brought.
What does a golf cart have to do with shrimping?
The same thing it has to do with fishing, plus one thing more.
Gear to the water. Nets, lights, buckets and a cooler from wherever you are staying down to the ramp or the wharf, in one trip.
The ice run. Five gallons of shrimp is a lot of ice. You will go back for more.
Getting home after dark. This is the one that matters here. Shrimping is a night activity, and our carts are street-legal low-speed vehicles with headlamps, taillamps, brake lights and turn signals as standard equipment. Driving back at eleven at night is exactly what they are built for. Every road inside Welaka town limits is posted 35 mph or under, County Road 309 and 308B included, so the whole town is open to you at any hour.
Take it slow after dark. The roads are narrow and you will not be the only person out.
If you have never done it before
Go with somebody who has, or go stand at Bryant's Wharf on an October night and watch for twenty minutes. Shrimping is not complicated and it is much easier to see once than to read about.
Bring more ice than you think, a light that will not die, and a bucket with a lid.
Booking a cart for the fall run
September and October are also good months to be here generally: strong fishing, fewer boats than the spring spawn, and better weather than August.
If you need somewhere to stay, Stillwater Welaka and Low Tide Welaka both sit about a mile from the public boat ramp with parking for boats and trailers, which is the right setup for a trip that starts after dark and ends with a cooler full of ice.
$80 a day for a 4-seater, $95 for a 6-seater, two-day minimum. Delivered charged to where you are staying, with a cable so you can plug in overnight, free inside Welaka city limits. Every driver 21 or older with a valid license and proof of their own auto insurance.
Book online. Staying outside Welaka? Call (386) 603-0295 first to confirm we can deliver to you.
Read next: Golf Cart Rentals in Welaka, FL, Fishing Welaka: What to Know Before You Come and Where to Launch Your Boat in Welaka
Sources
- FWC Recreational Shrimping Regulations, license, bag and vessel limits, gear, and the April-May closure naming Putnam County
- visitwelaka.com, for Bryant's Wharf, the ramps and the bait shops
- Regional shrimping guides naming Welaka as a September-October hot spot
Last updated September 7, 2026. Regulations change and closures move. Check FWC before you go.
Ready to book? Book online. Staying outside Welaka? Call (386) 603-0295 first to confirm we can deliver to you.