# anyone ever use shrimp steelhead fishing?



## Silver Steelies

I was wondering if any of you have ever use shrimp and with any luck? And ways you rig up would be nice to know. I have seen a few people use shrimp and I wondered if they cutt the shimp in half and just put it on a hook or something


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## toto

Yep, done it years ago. Actually I used prawns that I ordered through SSTmagizine. I cut off chunks, and tied em up like spawn bags. Used them in the AuSable river and did okay. The best advice I can give, is get raw, uncooked shrimp.


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## LuckyChucky

I have tried shrimp dyed red before,but never had much luck(think I only have caught a skipper).You basically take the unshelled shrimp and cut it into small chunks,about the size of a dime then dye them in red food coloring and fish on the back of a jig/float or just drift like u would a spawnbag on a single hook.It seems to be more of a pacific NW thing using prawns but ya never know.I might try it again and experiment in differant colors


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## diztortion

In the pacific people sometimes "pump" sand shrimp and use those.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/user/ScreamingReelsTV#p/a/u/0/x2FJ8lOEk4Q"]YouTube - ScreamingReelsTV's Channel[/ame]


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## Robert Holmes

I have too much spawn saved up to resort to shrimp, without spawn it might be another story.


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## steely74

Shrimp seems to be more popular on the southern end of the lake. For some reason our Indiana fish go bonkers for shrimp. Stupid southern fish... :lol: :lol:

Small pieces seem to work well or small whole shrimp.


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## LuckyChucky

one of these years im gonna have to try tiny crayfish for skams.Heck theyre just big wigglers anyway


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## REG

I think shrimp is the best bait in the world. What other bait can also double as a snack?


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## Fishndude

I am mostly a spawn fisherman, but I had a guy fish behind me on the Ausable one winter day, a few years ago, using spawn. In a 200 yard stretch of river, I pulled a little Skipper, and he tagged two Steelhead that passed on my spawn, right after I fished through. He just used cooked Shrimp from Meijer - the kind they put on special for $4.99/lb. He cut it into chunks the size of a spawnbag, and just put it onto his hook. He told me that he tried it years before, when he was a spawn fisherman. It worked so well, took so little time to prepare (vs tying spawnbags), and was so much less messy, that he quit using spawn entirely. I haven't converted yet, but I have used Shrimp with some success. Cheap Shrimp. Pre-cooked. 35-40 count. Cut into dime-sized pieces. Except when I am pier fishing for Summer runs - then I typically use a whole Shrimp. 
And, yes, I take cocktail sauce on the piers, in case the fishing is slow.


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## friZZleFry419

summer run like the shrimp and crayfish .


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## Robert Holmes

I might try some ice fishing this winter


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## Manthus

Robert Holmes said:


> I might try some ice fishing this winter


 
I have caught fish on shrimp while ice fishing, but wouldn't say it was the best bait ever. I do believe in them & think they would work on steelhead...interesting topic.

I also used them when we went out catfishing on a private pond. I put them under a bobber & boom...we were catching cats.

I have tried both the larger one's (cut up) from meijer as well as the el cheapo's from sav-a-lot...I think they were the popcorn shrimp. Basically, you get a shipload (sp?) for under $2.

One of the convincing stories I have....a friend of mine had an aquarium catfish. For his "treats" he got a popcorn shrimp. All my friend had to do was put that shrimp by the jet/stream/bubbler of the aquarium and within seconds, that cat knew there was a shrimp in his tank. It was a fairly large aquarium, and, believe it or not - the cat was facing the opposite direction at the time. If that flow could push that odor through the tank that fast & a cat not even near where the shrimp was inserted could smell it, I knew it would work.

The next time out steelie fishing, they will be in the vest.

Also, next time I go Ontario for trout through the ice (in a month or so), I will probably put them on a tipup and see what happens.

Separate story...had no bait other than crawlers up at Tippy one summer & the crawlers just weren't cutting it that day. Crayfish...I was ripping them apart and using tail only...hooked a very long & slender steelhead out of the main current up near the cable. Lost that beyatch!

I have opened up a few steelies, browns, brookies, splake, etc...guess what? Their stomachs sometimes contain crayfish. I THINK that they prefer the tails moreso than the whole thing...


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## ausable_steelhead

I've ran them all 3 summers I've fished up here and never hooked a single summer run on shrimp. I've hooked a couple early kings, but not a bite from a skam on them. I still have some, so maybe I'll try them a few more times(maybe on some fussy cohos).


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## Toga

Shrimp are deadly for skams. It is pretty much the bait of choice down in Indiana. I have seen guys use them under a float on the BM with some success. I watched the old guy who fishes from his canoe above the coffer at tippy hammer 3 fish in less than an hour on shrimp back in July.

Rig up with your float of choice just as you would with spawn or a jig with waxie. Put the hook into the shrimp so it is riding tail up and drift it. No need to cut it up or tie into bags with spawn bag netting. Hook the whole thing. I do not recommend trying to bounce bottom with shrimp due to how fragile they are.


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## LuckyChucky

think Im gonna dye some chartreuse.some red and pink and fish them on the back of jigs this winter.I cant imagine they smell a whole lot differant then eggs


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## wintrrun

Shrimp can be deadly, especially when the majority of the crayfish start molting.
I have had dynamite luck on summers fishing sand shrimp, prawns and raw shrimp. Sand shrimp are the top of the bait chain but once they reach room temp they spoil quickly. Trust me on this one. Keep them on ice.
Sand shrimp and prawns can be expensive to get and have shipped.
Raw shrimp work in a pinch. Depending on size i try and fish them whole underneath a float.
You can use dyes to color them up or just use netting and bag them.
I have had some good success on fall/winter steelies but its hit or miss. Have had most success with small shrimp or shrimp chunks. Most my action comes when the water reaches and stays at 39 degrees or above.
I can say they have changed the tables on a few fishing trips in the past and are worth carrying.
Cheapest place to find raw/ uncooked shrimp is Aldi's. I think i pay 3.99 a bag which is half of what ya pay at the major food chains.


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## steely74

A little sprinkle of non iodized salt toughens up the shrimp so that it will stay on the hook better. It makes sense considering that's what wild west coast steel eat some kind of shrimp. Down here squid works well for coho and that's part of what wild west coast coho would eat. I think I've mentioned it before but I read some where that shrimp and crayfish have a somewhat similar amino acid makeup being they are both crustaceans.


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## Fishslayer5789

LuckyChucky said:


> one of these years im gonna have to try tiny crayfish for skams.Heck theyre just big wigglers anyway


Wigglers are mayflies, not crayfish lol.


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## LuckyChucky

Fishslayer5789 said:


> Wigglers are mayflies, not crayfish lol.


no you misunderstood what I meant,Im saying the shell and apperance are like a big wiggler.I am aware they are differant critters? think Im multispecies-like dumb do ya?


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## jatc

LuckyChucky said:


> no you misunderstood what I meant,Im saying the shell and apperance are like a big wiggler.I am aware they are differant critters? think Im multispecies-like dumb do ya?


 
:lol::lol::lol:! Don't know about river skams, but those baby lobsters sure work good for smallies!


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## Fishslayer5789

LuckyChucky said:


> one of these years im gonna have to try tiny crayfish for skams.Heck theyre just big wigglers anyway


Huh. I guess I missed the implication. It almost sounded like you thought wigglers grew up to be crayfish :cwm27:


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## LuckyChucky

nah I shouldve just inserted the word like in there,wouldve better described what I wanted to say :gaga:


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## Treble

I was told years ago that crawfish are a steels food of choice when they hit the rivers. I find it to be true. In early season or when spring comes, REBEL crayfish crankbaits work well for steelies. Try it out.


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