# OK,why peeled shrimp over shrimp in the shell?



## olvart

Most guys say they use peeled shrimp as bait.
I do to.
But why?
Seems like the shell would stay hooked up better and last time I looked, live shrimp were in a shell?


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## onemorecast

I do the same. Most of the reasons I've come across are that it gives off more active scent and of course the occasional, "pomp have sensitive bites/lips." I simply do it because it was how Iwas taught and it has become serious habit.


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## Bama Rick

An ole timer schooled me on using shrimp years ago. He would use the smallest head on shrimp he could find. He would leave a little meat just behind the head and pinch the rest off. He would fill up coolers back when there was no limit.


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## Scouticus

Amino acids or something scientific of the sort. It works. I'll forever do it and forever tell people that's the way it should be. Seems to separate those who know how and those who don't at least.


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## GROUPERKING

It's never made sense to me either but it works !


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## AdrenB

Fish them for a while with the shell on, you'll soon see things our way lol


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## BananaTom

Do you like to eat shrimp shells?

Neither do I, neither do them.


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## alwaysinshorts

Not sure you got an answer.


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## Mac1528

Here's an official answer from T A&M. If you use unpeeled shrimp for bait, you will sometimes find that when you retieve your line, it possibly may only contain an empty shrimp shell. If you bait the hook with peeled shrimp...you'll never retrieve an empty shrimp shell. How's that?

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## olvart

OK,this morning I tried some unpeeled pieces of shrimp with a 1/2” piece of fish bites .
3 Pompano in an hour.
Maybe it was the fishbites but 1 rod just baited with bites struck out.
Go figure......

As fast as pomps move I kinda doubt they would pass on a stinky piece of shimp becuse It wasn’t peeled.
Maybe in clear water or off a pier but today was 5 oz sinker day for me.


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## alwaysinshorts

olvart said:


> OK,this morning I tried some unpeeled pieces of shrimp with a 1/2” piece of fish bites .
> 3 Pompano in an hour.
> Maybe it was the fishbites but 1 rod just baited with bites struck out.
> Go figure......
> 
> As fast as pomps move I kinda doubt they would pass on a stinky piece of shimp becuse It wasn’t peeled.
> Maybe in clear water or off a pier but today was 5 oz sinker day for me.


I know that there are guys that when fishing with shrimp always remove the shell. here in Texas most guys that i see fishing with dead shrimp do not remove the shell. 

I grew up fishing with the shell on but i think the idea maybe that a piece of shrimp without the shell on can be swallowed whole by the fish and a piece with the shell on would be bitten by the fish. 

I just made that up. I am with you i think a fish will smell or see it and if it looks like shrimp and smells like shrimp then they will eat it.


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## Beachbum420

I like to pinch off the tail and the head of the frozen skrimps . Also tip the sand fleas with a peeled shrimp nugget about a finger nail size


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## CalvinandHobbes

Ok so how do you guys keep peeled shrimp from flying off the hook when launched? I tried peeled shrimp once and after sending shrimp flying through the air off my hook I gave up.


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## alwaysinshorts

Beachbum420 said:


> I like to pinch off the tail and the head of the frozen skrimps . Also tip the sand fleas with a peeled shrimp nugget about a finger nail size


I have never understood this? if you are fishing with fleas why put shrimp on? or if you are fishing with fish bites why put shrimp on? I guess if the fish are eating the shrimp why not just use shrimp?


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## Mac1528

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=59741

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## Mac1528

CalvinandHobbes said:


> Ok so how do you guys keep peeled shrimp from flying off the hook when launched? I tried peeled shrimp once and after sending shrimp flying through the air off my hook I gave up.


Freeze the peeled shrimp in a heavy salt brine overnight. It will toughen them up.

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## arthurpete

CalvinandHobbes said:


> Ok so how do you guys keep peeled shrimp from flying off the hook when launched? I tried peeled shrimp once and after sending shrimp flying through the air off my hook I gave up.


Try hooking a 1/2 in piece of fish bite after the shrimp.


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## olvart

arthurpete said:


> Try hooking a 1/2 in piece of fish bite after the shrimp.


That’s what I do. For 3 reasons.
1:if I am casting a long distance,even if the shrimp gets thrown off,I still have some bait on the hook.
2: A small piece of fish bites helps hold the shrimp piece on.
3: The fishbites add a bit of color and scent.


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## olvart

CalvinandHobbes said:


> Ok so how do you guys keep peeled shrimp from flying off the hook when launched? I tried peeled shrimp once and after sending shrimp flying through the air off my hook I gave up.


I use salted,peeled shrimp in the winter.
I salt it myself and that stuff is tuff and stays on the hook a long time.
I put a small bit of fish bites below it.

I don’t think salted shrimp is nearly as good as fresh dead but it does catch fish.
I even salted clams this year and when tha big uglies were pretty thick a few weeks ago they bit on the salted baits with small fish bites.

I can power cast with salted baits but soften up the cast quite a bit for fresh dead shrimp.


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## Yakavelli

Reason I prefer peeling shrimp: The ability to thread the entire hunk of meat all the way up the hook shaft.

...making it stay on the hook better during casting and in heavy surf.

...if a fish bites, it bites hook...period.

You can thread a shrimp onto a hook with shell on, but it seems to be FAR easier to have the shrimp stolen. 

The shell restricts the ability to properly thread the hook through the whole shrimp...and if the shrimp is dead, you might as well hook the HELL out of it. 

I also feel that the shell gives the small trash fish (pinfish etc) a good handle to pull the bait off the hook with. If it's peeled, that pinfish will just takes bites out of it. Hopefully the action draws the attention of something bigger before the bait is gone.


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## Here Fishiee...Fishiee

Fresh stays on the hook a lot better than bought frozen, like some have said brine will toughen it up if you have to freeze it.


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## CalvinandHobbes

Thanks for the tips! I will give it a second try next time I get out surf fishing.


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