Fishing With Live Shrimp

Fishing with live shrimp is a favorite for many trout anglers ... especially with those fishing for speckled trout.  It's a well known fact that many speck fisherman will follow the shrimp boats when fishing for speckled trout. 

Rigging your pole with live shrimp can be done a couple of different ways.  Regardless of the method used, be careful when hooking the shrimp so as to not kill him.  The best thing to do is to hook the shrimp in the tail.  This will not only help to keep him alive, but also allow the shrimp to swim freely.  Small light-wire hooks are also preferred when fishing with shrimp because they allow the shrimp to swim more freely.

Not sure how to properly hook a shrimp in the tail?  Watch the video below.

Free Lining

One of the most popular (and easiest) methods is to put a live shrimp on a hook and toss your line into the water.  You don't need any additional weight if you're fishing near the surface, although you can add weight if you want to fish below the surface. The goal is to let the shrimp swim freely so they look more natural to trout feeding in the area. This means you need to leave the bail open after tossing your line out.   Because line is being pulled off the spool (either by the shrimp or by you letting more line out as needed), this method is often called "free lining".   You can see free lining in action by watching the video below.  

 

Popping Cork

Fishing shrimp with a popping cork rig is a favorite tactic among anglers. In this method colorful, trout-attracting floats that make a popping sound are used. The popping action of the cork mimics feeding fish. The video below shows how popping corks work.  Plastic or live shrimp can be used with popping corks.

Jigging

Live shrimp can also be attached to jig heads and fished deeper around docks and other deep water structures. Jigging works best in the colder months when trout are feeding in deep holes in channels off the main river. A 1/16 oz jig head with a size 2 hook should work well.  

Putting shrimp on a jig head is done differently than putting shrimp on a hook for free lining.  When jigging, you'll want to hook the shrimp from the underside through the head between the eyes and the brain.  Amazingly enough, this will keep the shrimp alive and allow him to swim freely. 

Live Bait Versus Artificials

Some anglers look (especially fly fishers) down on those that use live bait to catch trout. They consider the practice sort of like cheating. The use of live bait, to some, requires less finesse. These same anglers will argue that it takes more skill to fool a trout into taking an artificial fly or lure than it does to dangle live bait in front of trout.

While I can agree that it sometimes does take more skill and finesse to get trout to strike an artificial bait, I also believe that the use of live bait takes a bit of skill.

For one thing, it doesn't matter if you're using live natural baits or artificial, you still need to have the skills to figure out where trout are holding. It also takes a bit of know-how to properly hook your live bait and present it in a way that looks natural to trout (or they won't strike).

However, one of the downsides to using live bait is that trout will often swallow it making it difficult or impossible to remove the hook. This doesn't normally happen with lures.

If you plan to practice 'catch and release', you should avoid fishing with live bait. However, even when fishing for dinner there are times when you may need to release your catch (like when it's too small to keep). Fishing with live bait in this situation is perfectly acceptable, but you still may face the problem of having the fish swallow the hook.

One way to combat this problem is to use single barbless hooks (which are easier to remove). You can also pinch down or file the barb off your hooks to make them easier to remove from fish.
In situations where you can't remove the hook without causing internal damage to the fish, it's best to clip the line as close as you can to the hook without trying to remove it. Trout do have digestive enzymes that can dissolve the hook over time (unless it's stainless steel).

Whether you choose to use live bait (worms, minnows, etc.) or artificial lures, understanding the common problems associated with each as well as how to overcome them will make you a better angler while preserving trout fisheries for future generations.