# Fresh dead shrimp for redfish?



## scott44

I been using live shrimp since I moved here but had to use dead ones today and I couldn't tell the difference.Are live ones mostly a waste of money for reds?


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## Bravo87

Depends how picky they are on a given day. %s say live is the way to go


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## scott44

Bravo87 said:


> Depends how picky they are on a given day. %s say live is the way to go


That's kinda what I figured. They were hitting this afternoon just about as soon as it hit the water and it's usually not like that.


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## smooth move

i think redfish will eat anything that gets in their face!


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## 49913

I never buy live shrimp for Reds. Never. If a Red is eating along a bank and I put a fresh market shrimp in front of him, he's going to eat it. That's my experience anyway. You can only keep 3 in Bama and just 2 in FL. Buying live shrimp for that is a waste.


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## scott44

I'm gonna start getting a pound of dead ones for awhile,4 bucks a doz gets old when catfish and crokers show up.I just don't think a red is as picky as a trout.


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## Bravo87

Artificial baits have to be your bread and butter


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## markbxr400

Typically use artificials, however, used frozen whole shrimp (fresh dead that I throw in serving sized bags and then into the freezer) over the last few weeks as the river I live on has been muddy, and we're hammering the reds. We're getting a fish on every cast.


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## scott44

markbxr400 said:


> Typically use artificials, however, used frozen whole shrimp (fresh dead that I throw in serving sized bags and then into the freezer) over the last few weeks as the river I live on has been muddy, and we're hammering the reds. We're getting a fish on every cast.


I'm glad to hear the fish are back! I stopped trying that hole(I think it's same one) after the spring flood.I couldn't buy a fish after that happened but caught em all last winter.


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## Desert Eagle

A $6 artificial will catch more Reds than $60 worth of shrimp...


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## Justin618

Desert Eagle said:


> A $6 artificial will catch more Reds than $60 worth of shrimp...


Well yeah. But cast for cast? Maybe. All my buddy uses is live shrimp and he slays the reds. Doesn't matter the time of day. 6am, 6pm or 1 in the afternoon even when it's 200° degrees out.

Some people hate shrimp and some hate artificials. Both will catch fish


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## scott44

Desert Eagle said:


> A $6 artificial will catch more Reds than $60 worth of shrimp...


I'm trying to move that way,I have caught a few on a storm swimbait and one on a bomber longA.It's a confidence thing..lol


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## johnf

Desert Eagle said:


> A $6 artificial will catch more Reds than $60 worth of shrimp...


Which one?:notworthy:


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## scott44

johnf said:


> Which one?:notworthy:


I hear that!! I got a whole box full that I've drug all over these fish and they didn't catch a thing.


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## stauty trout

A good weedless spoon or inline spinner are usually pretty reliable... I've also caught em on DOA or VUDU shrimp imitations


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## scott44

stauty trout said:


> A good weedless spoon or inline spinner are usually pretty reliable... I've also caught em on DOA or VUDU shrimp imitations


I just gotta get confidence in it,I haven't tried the inline though.I can be catching fish on shrimp and throw artificials to them and nothing.Throw shrimp and get a fish.I know they work,guess I just suck at working them.


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## stauty trout

scott44 said:


> I just gotta get confidence in it,I haven't tried the inline though.I can be catching fish on shrimp and throw artificials to them and nothing.Throw shrimp and get a fish.I know they work,guess I just suck at working them.


haha I hear ya bud! try to find you some Pro Cure... it works wonders on artificial baits... they got it in every flavor too haha


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## badonskybuccaneers

My wife loves live shrimp, and most of the time, she'll out fish me most of the time. I'm an artificial man myself. But on certain days I can beat her- I'm not saying I don't catch the fish, she can usually catch more. My "go to"s are a Strike King Redfish Majic, a Heddon Spook Jr or Mirrolure SheDog & MirroDine or SoftDine, and a DOA shrimp. And, yes, some ProCure bait scent will sweeten the deal!
Also, when they are biting, they will most often eat a dead as live shrimp, they'll usually bit the live better if they are being finicky. They will most often also eat cut bait and live baitfish. Lots of anglers use small croakers to catch the big bull reds. Advantages of using cut baits, especially when the fish aren't feeding heavily or the water may be murky, is because redfish are naturally bottom feeders, and also have a good sense of smell- a nice piece of fresh cut bait may entice a bite quicker than that live bait. Just have patience and ignore the little "pecks" and wait for the big bite!
Hope this was helpful, have fun!
Mike


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## johnf

What is "White Bait"? I was reading on another forum about hook size and a bunch of guys were mentioning using it. I didn't want to join another forum for one question.


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## badonskybuccaneers

"White Bait" is a term typically used to describe a small juvenile fish- but cover a variety of fishes, and can vary widely depending on your geographical location. 
ie- juvenile croaker or southern king fish, but could also refer to threadfins or pilchards.


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## johnf

Thanks, the hook size recommendations were 1/0-4/0 leaning toward the smaller. 

Would we agree with that?


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## scott44

johnf said:


> Thanks, the hook size recommendations were 1/0-4/0 leaning toward the smaller.
> 
> Would we agree with that?


I settled on the 2/0 for shrimp,I moved up to a 3/0 because I was missing fish and that didn't help a bit. Later I learned treble hooks were the ticket,they hook bait stealers,crabs and all.


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## Amarillo Palmira

Reds are dumber than stumps. You don't need live bait to catch them. Dead shrimp, cut bait, whatever. As far as lures, you can use anything you would use to catch a bass: crankbaits, plastic worms, jerkbaits, etc. They will hit anything. My favorite go to is a hard plastic jerkbait. It catches everything that swims. 

Trout on the other hand are fussy and that is where you need a live or fresh dead shrimp, better off alive and kicking or something moving like a jerkbait, rattle trap, or jig head with a gulp jerkbait or gulp shrimp.

AP


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## markbxr400

Desert Eagle said:


> A $6 artificial will catch more Reds than $60 worth of shrimp...


I've used artificials exclusively for the past year+, and have done really well with them. However, recently I've been fishing with a buddy who uses fresh deads and I decided to do a test. The test was under dock lights along our river. He caught 5 fish for every 1-2 I caught. I tried Savage Gear Shrimp, Zoom flukes on jig heads, my own custom river runts, Mirrolures, DOA's, Gulp and VooDoos over the last couple of weeks, but results remained about the same. So for the past couple of weeks, I've been using fresh deads. At $5/lb, we have repeatedly caught 25-35 fish an evening on 1 lb of shrimp. I don't think I've caught but about 25-35 reds across the entire year on any single artificial. For $60 of shrimp, we could catch several hundred reds.

So I'm not buying this.


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## scott44

About how many shrimp are in a pound? I know it depends on the size but ballpark on medium ones.


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## markbxr400

scott44 said:


> About how many shrimp are in a pound? I know it depends on the size but ballpark on medium ones.


I pick up the medium size, and am getting around 30-40/lb. We've pretty well caught a fish on every shrimp and caught 35 the night before last.


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## scott44

markbxr400 said:


> I pick up the medium size, and am getting around 30-40/lb. We've pretty well caught a fish on every shrimp and caught 35 the night before last.


I'm sold!..I fish around the causeway and bait snatchers are pretty plentiful.It wont hurt so bad when they show up.


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## johnf

scott44 said:


> I settled on the 2/0 for shrimp,I moved up to a 3/0 because I was missing fish and that didn't help a bit. Later I learned treble hooks were the ticket,they hook bait stealers,crabs and all.


What size treble hook? How do you rig it?


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## Desert Eagle

From my humble opinion, I can fish artificials for years. $60 really doesn't buy that much shrimp - what, maybe a half dozen fishing trips. So, you catch 5 fish to my 2 for six fishing trips but I'm using that artificial for many more fishing trips. Go figure...


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## badonskybuccaneers

markbxr400 said:


> I've used artificials exclusively for the past year+, and have done really well with them. However, recently I've been fishing with a buddy who uses fresh deads and I decided to do a test. The test was under dock lights along our river. He caught 5 fish for every 1-2 I caught. I tried Savage Gear Shrimp, Zoom flukes on jig heads, my own custom river runts, Mirrolures, DOA's, Gulp and VooDoos over the last couple of weeks, but results remained about the same. So for the past couple of weeks, I've been using fresh deads. At $5/lb, we have repeatedly caught 25-35 fish an evening on 1 lb of shrimp. I don't think I've caught but about 25-35 reds across the entire year on any single artificial. For $60 of shrimp, we could catch several hundred reds.
> 
> So I'm not buying this.


I'm willing to bet scent has SOME to do with it. At any time during your "test", did you "scent" your artificials up (ProCure, Lunker Sauce, etc)?


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## scott44

johnf said:


> What size treble hook? How do you rig it?


4 I think but I threw the pack away,medium sized.I just hook mine through the tail like a regular bait took on live ones.I kill mine hooking through the horn.Last joint of the tail works good though.


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## scott44

Desert Eagle said:


> From my humble opinion, I can fish artificials for years. $60 really doesn't buy that much shrimp - what, maybe a half dozen fishing trips. So, you catch 5 fish to my 2 for six fishing trips but I'm using that artificial for many more fishing trips. Go figure...


I get it,folks are different though.I know you shouldn't but I figure gas,launch fee,snacks etc when I figure how much is spent.I don't want to make bunches of trips for a fish or two each time,


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## Desert Eagle

Scott44: Yep, all that figures in and yep, many of us are different. I really enjoy "watching" that bull hit my top water lure after "seeing" him chase it a few feet before he nails it. Can't do that with live or dead shrimp. And not all of us pay launch fees nor do some of us, that live on the water, have to pay the fuel bill to get the boat to the water. I'm certainly NOT arguing the point but only stating my humble opinion. Just like I think that for inshore fishing, bait casting rigs are hugely better than spinning rigs - many/most will disagree - just my opinion...


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## scott44

Desert Eagle said:


> Scott44: Yep, all that figures in and yep, many of us are different. I really enjoy "watching" that bull hit my top water lure after "seeing" him chase it a few feet before he nails it. Can't do that with live or dead shrimp. And not all of us pay launch fees nor do some of us, that live on the water, have to pay the fuel bill to get the boat to the water. I'm certainly NOT arguing the point but only stating my humble opinion. Just like I think that for inshore fishing, bait casting rigs are hugely better than spinning rigs - many/most will disagree - just my opinion...


Definitely not a right or wrong at all I'm trying to get into the lure thing,they cover water,plus I'm learning where a few fish hang out and I can try a few knowing there's fish there.I like all opinions,only way to learn different things.I'm anti C&R..I'm there for fish I caught for supper even if I do have no telling how much in em...lol


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## Desert Eagle

Fishing is kinda like golf - both are expensive when you throw in the cost of the boat or the green fees w/ cart. But if it's something you like - then do it and do it often before you get too old to be ABLE to do it (kinda like sex)...


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## badonskybuccaneers

Desert Eagle said:


> Fishing is kinda like golf - both are expensive when you throw in the cost of the boat or the green fees w/ cart. But if it's something you like - then do it and do it often before you get too old to be ABLE to do it (kinda like sex)...


Yea- the first time we started looking at boats, my stepson tried justifying the expense by sayin "we can catch all our food"- and I was quick to point out the cost of the boat and upkeep, tackle/ gear, ice and bait, etc... totally outweighs any advantage to putting any food on the table with it. That's just the monetary aspect, not to mention the hours of labor you put into cleaning, polishing, maintaining, etc. Owning and operating a boat for fishing (as previously stated) is an expensive recreation and sport. But I always forget about that when we pull that monster on board or see a big pelagic all lit up on a bait!:thumbup:


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## Desert Eagle

And that, my friend, is what it's all about!!! 
TIGHT LINES...


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## 49913

Desert Eagle said:


> Scott44: Yep, all that figures in and yep, many of us are different. I really enjoy "watching" that bull hit my top water lure after "seeing" him chase it a few feet before he nails it. Can't do that with live or dead shrimp. And not all of us pay launch fees nor do some of us, that live on the water, have to pay the fuel bill to get the boat to the water. I'm certainly NOT arguing the point but only stating my humble opinion. Just like I think that for inshore fishing, bait casting rigs are hugely better than spinning rigs - many/most will disagree - just my opinion...


LOL. You're right, but to be honest, I get the same thrill seeing a popping cork get slammed deep when a big one hits it. Or that moment when you set, and you wait a bit to find out if it's a runt, or a 25.


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## Desert Eagle

Kinda like Bream fishing... BUT, nothing wrong with Bream fishing. I also use a popping cork but always with artificials hanging under it.


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## 49913

Desert Eagle said:


> Kinda like Bream fishing... BUT, nothing wrong with Bream fishing. I also use a popping cork but always with artificials hanging under it.


 LOL. Last week I was way up a creek off of Oyster Bay, had barely enough room to turn the boat around. Threw a dead shrimp under a popping cork in front of a Redfish, he ate it, and turned out to be a 25" er. As I ran up front to stick the tip in the muck and work it around the trolling motor as the fish went under the boat, ran to the back so I could do it again under the outboard, my exact thought was, "Yep, this is juuuuuuuuuussssssstttttttttttt like Bream fishing. Maybe I should figure out a way to make this more difficult."


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## Desert Eagle

Funny... As I said - I also use popping corks and have caught lotsa fish with 'em using artificial shrimp. This is another point with using REAL (live or dead) shrimp vs. artificial shrimp and the cost. Pack of 3 artificial shrimp will last much longer than the same amount spent on REAL shrimp???


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## 49913

Desert Eagle said:


> Funny... As I said - I also use popping corks and have caught lotsa fish with 'em using artificial shrimp. This is another point with using REAL (live or dead) shrimp vs. artificial shrimp and the cost. Pack of 3 artificial shrimp will last much longer than the same amount spent on REAL shrimp???


 I'll have to work on building some confidence with plastics. Trying to find fresh shrimp that won't fall apart on you gets old.


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## stauty trout

UncleMilty7 said:


> I'll have to work on building some confidence with plastics. Trying to find fresh shrimp that won't fall apart on you gets old.


check out some of these artificial shrimp:

live target shrimp










The vudu pink is my favorite










unfair dinkum shrimp










savage shirmp









and the classic DOA










I'm sure there's others... I just know people that throw these with success... Personally all I throw are DOA and vudu with the vudu have more success than the DOA... but I also throw it more.... caught trout, reds, black drum, and flounder all on the small pink vudu...


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## Desert Eagle

That's some good looking artificial shrimp. Speaking of colors, with all my lures, pink is my favorite with top water, lipless cranks, Mirrolures, etc. 

Does anyone out there have any Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper top water lures? CC is a cheaper brand but that particular lure has some possibilities. It's weighted on the rear so casting distance becomes greater. May come in fresh water colors (who cares) only. Haven't found them around here - except online...


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## stauty trout

never heard of em... but they remind me a lot of the big offshore poppers for tuna... my favorite topwater is a rapala skitterwalk


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## badonskybuccaneers

Artificial shrimp- 
I bought some of the Live Target shrimp, very realistic looking- maybe good for really clear water conditions. But I think in most RedFish situations in our area (stained or cloudy water) a vudu, Berkley, or DOA will do very well. 
My main problem with the Live Target is the strong plastic smell- and fish have good sensory organs too and I'm afraid I would have to slather them up an awful lot with ProCure to overcome the artificial odor.


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## gastonfish

I actually build my own shrimp lures from wood and they work really well. I have caught nice specks, redfish and bass with them. Actually have caught Trout with the lure almost completely still with a slow sink. Have also done OK on both dead and live shrimp, just choose to fish artificial. Never been a DOA fan


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## stauty trout

gastonfish said:


> I actually build my own shrimp lures from wood and they work really well. I have caught nice specks, redfish and bass with them. Actually have caught Trout with the lure almost completely still with a slow sink. Have also done OK on both dead and live shrimp, just choose to fish artificial. Never been a DOA fan


are you still making lures? I might be interested in one of them... a good broken in wooden lure is tough to beat sometimes


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## gastonfish

Always building something send me a PM


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## scott44

stauty trout said:


> are you still making lures? I might be interested in one of them... a good broken in wooden lure is tough to beat sometimes


You can't go wrong.If it don't catch fish just take the hooks off and use it for a paperweight.I saw some pics in another thread and he has some mad skillz!:yes:


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## punisher338

gastonfish said:


> I actually build my own shrimp lures from wood and they work really well. I have caught nice specks, redfish and bass with them. Actually have caught Trout with the lure almost completely still with a slow sink. Have also done OK on both dead and live shrimp, just choose to fish artificial. Never been a DOA fan



I would be interested in trying one of those shrimp lures!!!:whistling:


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## gastonfish

May build a few in the next few weeks


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