The types of bait we prefer to use here in Southwest Florida change with the time of year. Basically it breaks down into two parts. Summer is whitebait season. Bait schools are fairly abundant, and predatory fish focus on them. But summer is over, and the rest of the year belongs to the shrimp.
Sure, there are a lot of other baits you can use: Pinfish, crabs, ladyfish, mullet, and so on. But the overwhelming majority of bait fishermen are going to have shrimp on their hooks. They’re easy to get, not too hard to keep alive, and just about any fish will eat them. So let’s take a look at Shrimp 101 — where to acquire them, how to keep them healthy, how to rig them, and just generally what to expect.
Getting shrimp
If you’ve done this once or twice, it may seem silly to talk about going to buy shrimp. But for newbies, they need to know that they’ll need a bucket. No, the bait shop isn’t going to put them in a plastic bag. Shrimp have very sharp horns on the front of the head and the end of the tail, and they’ll poke thru a bag — leading to leaks in your vehicle and dead shrimpies.
At many shops, you will have two or more size options available. Since bigger shrimp are more expensive, you might automatically assume they’re going to be better. But that’s not always the case. Sheepshead are a good example. They’ll often bite large shrimp in half, leaving the rest behind. But a small shrimp will be eaten whole, along with the hook.
Before you go to the shop, plan ahead for how you’re going to keep your shrimp from dying (covered in the next section). You also need to make a plan for what to do if live shrimp aren’t available. I’d go to frozen shrimp, which work just about as well for most species and techniques.
By the way, if you’re from one of the areas where shrimp are plentiful enough to castnet, you’ll be disappointed to learn that’s not going to happen here. You’ll occasionally have one turn up in the net while catching other bait, but there are just not enough to make it worth your while. Shrimp here are caught in trawl nets (unless they’re running), and very few people go to the trouble to catch their own.
Keep ‘em alive
Live shrimp are a lot more expensive than dead ones, and if you’re going to buy them that way, it only makes economic sense to keep them that way. It’s doesn’t take a whole lot of water to do it — in fact, filling the bucket more than halfway is a bad plan.
The two enemies here are high temperatures and a lack of oxygen. Keep your water cool and aerated, and the shrimp will last for days. Temperature is easier in winter. Don’t leave the bucket in direct sun, and you’re good on all but the warmest days. If it’s hot out, our summertime trick is a frozen but sealed water bottle. You don’t want fresh water leaking. That kills shrimp.
Now, for oxygen: The holes in bait buckets are not to let air in. It’s not like putting fireflies in a mayo jar. They’re to allow water flow through if you submerge your bucket while you’re fishing or for longer storage next to your dock. If you’re not doing that, you need an alternative method of letting the shrimp breathe.
Some tackle shops may carry O-Tabs, which are blocks of a chemical that slowly releases oxygen on contact with water. They work, but they aren’t renewable and the supply is spotty. A battery-powered aerator is a better choice. Keep it dry, and keep spare batteries on hand.
There’s also a method called dry-packing, which is more involved but can keep shrimp alive for days with no batteries required. The technique: Put block or bagged ice in the bottom of a cooler that has a drain. Soak a towel in salt water. Lay it on top of the ice. Pour the shrimp on the towel, then fold it over to form a pouch. As the ice melts, it needs to drain. Contact with the icy water will kill your shrimp. They’ll live for several days this way, or as long as you have ice to keep them in suspended animation.
Rigging tips
There are a lot of different ways to hook a shrimp, and I know I’m not going to dissuade you from your favorite. However, it’s important to try to match the size of your hook to the size of your shrimp. A hook that’s too big acts like an anchor, and one that’s too small may not be strong enough. As a general rule, a 1/0 hook is about right. However, I want a range of sizes from 4/0 to No. 4.
Do you want to use a hook or a jighead? Either can be good, depending what you want to do. If you need weight to get the bait down fast — for example, dropping alongside a piling, or dragging across the sand for pompano — the jighead is good. However, it will prevent the shrimp from swimming. If a more natural presentation is needed, as in for freelining baits to snook, then the plain hook is much better.
By the way, for most of our gamefish, using treble hooks with natural bait is illegal. Best to just skip them and stick to singles.
Are you head-hooking or tail-hooking? I do both. If I’m putting the shrimp on a jighead or trying to maximize my casting distance, then tail-hooking is the way to go. But for ease of rigging and to get a more lifelike swimming motion, head-hooking is better. (If the shrimp are dead, tail-hooking is mandatory. The heads will simply fall off.)
The problem with shrimp
Shrimp are excellent bait because everything eats them. However, one of the problems with using shrimp as bait is that everything eats them. If you cast a shrimp into a mangrove pocket, there’s a good chance the tiny snapper and pinfish will pick it apart before the redfish or snook even come over to investigate. Now, that can help attract fish — but if you have no bait left, that won’t matter.
I recommend having at least one other bait option available, even if it’s just a frozen ladyfish or mullet that you keep in the cooler. Being able to switch to something else that is more durable can take a lot of the frustration out when you’re losing shrimp after shrimp to the bait thieves. By the way, squid is durable, but don’t use it inshore. All you’ll catch are catfish and stingrays.
Just about every angler in this area fishes with shrimp at least sometimes. It’s easy to do and the fish are always happy to eat them. Now that you have the basics under your belt, go out and get you some.
Robert Lugiewicz is the manager of Fishin’ Frank’s Bait & Tackle and a co-host of Radio WaterLine every Saturday from 7 to 9 a.m. on KIX 92.9 FM. For more information about the shop or for local fishing tips, call 941-625-3888 or visit FishinFranks.com.
December 10, 2020 at 06:00AM
https://ift.tt/3a3OijL
Shrimp fishing basics | Waterline - yoursun.com
https://ift.tt/3eNRKhS
shrimp
No comments:
Post a Comment