[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ NMS WWWBoard Version 1.0 ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by jas on 12:40:07 10/24/03
In Reply to: Mantis Shrimp posted by jesdarryl
: I was fishing in 100 ft of water just outside of Santa Barbara harbor looking for T Sharks. I metered some stuff on the bottom and decided to drop down a sardine with a trailer hook. It felt a little funny so I wound up and holly Molly, I got this thing on my trailer hook that looks like it came from outer space. It was about 12 in long, kind of transparent green with blue legs and looked just like a lobster. I grabbed him very carefully and got the treble hook out and stuck him in my bait tank. I called my son Toby over to see if he knew what this thing was. He didn’t know either, so I tossed it back in. The next day I asked a diver at sports Chalet. He told me it was a mantis shrimp and that I was lucky to have all of my fingers. I guess they are pretty rare and very dangerous. I did some research on the net, and wow!!! I guess I was pretty lucky I didn’t get hurt. There is a story of a diver on there that got his thumb cut clean to the bone. I suggest if you ever get one of these guys, you proceed with caution. They are supposed to make excellent table fare, but if I ever get another one, I’ll cut him off. Check out these web sites: http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/pics/full/news_killershrimp.gif http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/
I've put a couple in my game bag and then set my bag inside my tankwell. They assaulted my tankwell with about 8 strikes. "SMACK!" It doesn't sound like a gunshot but I'd say the decibal level was about the same as a .22 cal. It may not sound like a gun but I read the velocity of their calcified claw was about equal to that of a .22 cal bullet.
I heard the Monterey Bay Aquarium was having some problems with the shrimp. They snuck in "via" new rock structure and reef additions to the tank. They killed some fish and crabs in the tank.
Some people eat them. When prepared correctly they're suppost to be tasty.
jas
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ NMS WWWBoard Version 1.0 ] [ FAQ ]