Sleepless wrote:

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Captain Lee, you deserve a big round of applause for your detailed instructions and photographs.  I have lived in Florida for about 9 years and for 8 shrimping seasons I have been dumping my dipping nets through the hoop end.  You can imagine how many shrimp I have picked up off the boat floor during that time.  Like many other members, I often wondered how to modify our nets with the tied sock end.  Now we know.  So, thank you!!!

My pleasure babe.

Many folks "humbug" the need to re-engineer the net with a "quick escape" plug. I prefer the plug method. I can do it the other way but it is so much faster to use the plug method on my boat especially when I dump the guest's net who is standing on the bow. They just swing it over and 30 seconds they are back in the water and never had to get their hands wet.

Yup, I am a member of the "shrimp on the deck" club too.  I do know how to dump proper to reduce and or stop that. But, it takes to long and to many steps to walk the ballie into the bucket from the hoop side.

Me  <------------ Impatient.

The other benefit, is when we are a few socks from a full pull, those shrimp jump out onto the deck before we dump once the lid is off. Having the plug ending really is an asset to reduce the shrimp splatter on the deck when your bucket is brimming.

I use a igloo cooler for the thermal insulation and it is rectangle, a 5 gallon bucket is easier to "hit" top side. But my boat does not have a lot of area [center console, live well out in front of console] and that 30" hoop is a pain to attempt a top side dump.

I am so glad to get your feedback. I do not want to cause folks more confusion in the process of trying to sort something out.

Thanks babe.