i havent seen any live shrimp up here... we used to use them all the time when i lived in florida... they are probably, in my opinion, one of the better baits... just trying to get those little buggers outta the bucket is a pain.. lol

 

Jerry,

Ya, using live shrimp is a big thing down in Fl. but here the go to bait for reds is usually live gudgeon or mullet. I prefer gudgeon because they last longer, but its all a matter of preference.

-Alex

 

Alex what is a gudgeon ? never heard of that bait before ..... otherwise I use pinfish or finger mullet.
I've been catching pins down by Mallory st in hampton by Ft Manroe

 

cut mullet is the way to go.

 

G(r?)udgeon is just another name for a minnow.

 

This is a gudgeon a.k.a (mud minnow)...

This is my favorite bait for "pups"; however, if your going for "bull" reds, I'd use pinfish or big chunks of mullet/menhaden. But yea for pups I like to use the really big gudgeons. You can buy them in tackle shops, but usually their small and expensive. If you buy one of these...

and put crushed crab in it in an area where there are lots of gudgeons you can catch them for free. Saves lots of $$$ which = .

-Alex

 

This is a gudgeon a.k.a (mud minnow)...

This is my favorite bait for "pups"; however, if your going for "bull" reds, I'd use pinfish or big chunks of mullet/menhaden. But yea for pups I like to use the really big gudgeons. You can buy them in tackle shops, but usually their small and expensive. If you buy one of these...

and put crushed crab in it in an area where there are lots of gudgeons you can catch them for free. Saves lots of $$$ which = .

-Alex

Oh ok , yeah I have used those before , just never heard them called that lol . I also have my pin fish trap from Fla that I use and I thought about one of those. Do you just drop the bait /chum in one side or do you hang a chum cage inside.


thanks jerry

 

I don't know about a chum bag or anything, but I open it up, crush a crab, throw it in there, close it, and set it. If there's gudgeons around you'll catch them. You can bait it with other stuff, but crab is the best.


-Alex

 

Thanks Alex I'll try it

 

Shrimp are illegal

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet. The chesapeake bay is a shrimp sancturary (sp). This means you can't catch or use them for bait. I have lived here for 32 years and heard that the first time last year. I had no idea. I agree completely live shrimp are deadly on specks and redfish. If you do use them be very very careful not to get caught.

 

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet. The chesapeake bay is a shrimp sancturary (sp). This means you can't catch or use them for bait. I have lived here for 32 years and heard that the first time last year. I had no idea. I agree completely live shrimp are deadly on specks and redfish. If you do use them be very very careful not to get caught.

I never knew that. I have caught very tiny shrimps less than 1 inches when cast netting for mud minnows not suitable for bait. I know live mullet which is another very popular bait in Florida work very well for flounders, stripers, etc.

I fish in Florida and use live shrimp. I always wondered how it would do here. To keep the shrimp live, you have to hook em on the horn (it is like their neck or back) but not through their vein. You can also hook them on the tail. I bet they would be deadly here.

 

I was talking to a marine resources officer guy after I went on a trip to the gulf of mexico. We absolutely spanked large speckled trout. I was asking him if he knew where I could get live shrimp (thought if anyone knew he would, they tend to get around) to fish with. He then informed me that it was illegal to catch shrimp inside of the entire Chesapeake bay. He said the bay is a sancturary and live shrimp can't be used. I guess they let the dead ones go, since you more than likely to buy them than catch them and kill them to fish with. Not sure why they let you fish with frozen shrimp, that is a good point with the American Shad comment.

 

No live shrimp here use either dead from the seafood market or like others said use cut mullet.