The Ultimate Guide: How to Fish DOA Shrimp Like a Pro in 2025

You’ve got to fish the right one in the right place at the right time under the right conditions.

Shrimp are a tasty treat for briny sportfish. The ability to select the right size, shape, color and weight is key to increasing your on-the-water success. (Photo by Frank Sargeant)

Few lures are as simultaneously beloved and despised by inshore anglers as the artificial shrimp.

When fished correctly, some of these plastic deceivers possess an almost magical ability to transform the wariest redfish, trout, snook or other flats species into fall guys as easy to catch as stocked rainbow trout or farm-pond bluegills. In some situations, they even score better than real shrimp.

On the other hand, when fished incorrectly, these lures catch pretty much nothing, as many anglers have found to their great disappointment. As with most artificial lures, to be successful with a plastic shrimp youve got to fish the right one in the right place at the right time under the right conditions. Advertisement

One of the top plastic shrimp authorities in the business is Mark Nichols, originator of the D.O.A. Shrimp. Nichols grew up working on a shrimp boat, and he knows pretty much everything there is to know about how shrimp move and where they travel.

“Most of the time, shrimp are pretty much going with the current flow, and thats what an artificial shrimp should do to fool fish,” he says. “Fish it where theres good tide movement and just let the water provide the motion—the fish will do the rest most of the time.”

Nichols mostly freelines his carefully-crafted shrimp imitations—from the tiny 2.75-incher up to the 6-inch version—on braided line to provide maximum sensitivity. D.O.A. Shrimp have a rigging channel molded into the body that facilitates securing a hook. A tube molded into the belly holds a pencil-type weight to impart a level drop like a real shrimp.

“It can be hard to tell when a fish takes the lure because youre pretty much slack-lining,” says Nichols. “Keep an eye on where the line enters the water. If it moves at all or if the drift stops, set the hook.” Advertisement

When fishing a plastic shrimp, Nichols pays particular attention to getting the size and weight right.

“Choose the lure based on the weight and the current,” he says. “A 3-inch D.O.A. Shrimp weighs a quarter of an ounce and is good for all-around use in water to 4 or 5 feet deep. But on deeper docks or in the passes with a strong current flow, you might go with the 4-incher because it weighs half an ounce and will get a lot deeper.”

Daniel Nussbaum, president of Z-Man, is another inshore fishing expert who loves artificial shrimp, particularly his ShrimpZ designs molded from the companys soft but super-tough ElaZtech plastic. The TPE plastic is not only amazingly durable, it also floats—a plus in a lure where a slow sink is desirable.

“I like to fish the EZ ShrimpZ in high-current areas where the flow will provide most of the motion,” says Nussbaum. “Rig it with the head forward—[shrimp] travel forward when theyre not spooked. Cast up current at about a 45-degree angle and let it sweep back as it slowly sinks. Our weighting and the flotation of the plastic provide a level drop. Keep a little tension on the line so that you feel the take. Its easy to miss, but when that line jumps just a bit, a fish has it.”

Nussbaum likes to rig the shrimp on a 1/8- or 1/16-ounce wide-gap Mustad UltraPoint hook, with the point skin-hooked in the back to make it weedless. He says this is the ideal setup for sight-casting to reds on foot-deep grass flats.

“Cast the lure ahead of the fish and let them swim up to it, then just shake the rod a bit to make the bait appear alive—thats usually all it takes,” says Nussbaum.

And when hes fishing schooling fish where its likely the shrimp will be fleeing—that is, going backwards—he rigs the bait tail-first and works it in a more typical hop-and-drop movement.

A heavier, keel-weighted hook can be used to fish deeper water and stronger currents, as might be found in major passes, Nussbaum says. Or the shrimp can be added to the companys Trout Eye jighead (available in weights to 1/4 ounce) to get it deeper.

A word of caution on ElaZtech and all other TPE lures: They dont play well with standard plastic jig tails, nor with most plastic tackle boxes. Store them in the sleeves they come in to prevent a melted mess.

Ken Chaumont at Egret Baits—producer of the Vudu Shrimp—says his segmented lure, also made of TPE and highly flexible, works particularly well under a popping cork. Advertisement

“Rig it 18 to 24 inches below the cork, and go with a pop-and-stop retrieve,” he says. “When you give the rod a pull and pop the cork, that makes the lure hop up toward the surface. Then it glides slowly back down on slack. Most of the time they hit as its falling or when its sitting still after a pop.”

He also notes the importance of “matching the hatch.”

Egret Baits Vudu Shrimp

“Early in the summer the shrimp run small, so use a 2- or a 3.25-inch shrimp for best results,” says Chaumont “As the larger shrimp move in late summer and fall, we recommend using a 3 1/2- or 4-inch lure. Corks work best for the smaller sizes and free-lining pays off with the larger models.”

Hes also convinced that certain colors work best in different conditions. “In dark or muddy water and on cloudy day, use a darker color. In sandy or rough waters, go bright with chartreuse or pink. When the water gets clean and green, the natural colors prevail.”

There are plenty of other situations in which artificial shrimp excel. Lighted docks are shrimp magnets after sundown, and therefore are gamefish magnets, too. Shrimp are drawn to the brightness like moths to a porch light. Snook, reds and trout often hang just inside the shadow line, waiting for a shrimp to drift by close enough for an easy attack. Skip an unweighted shrimp lure into these spots and hang on—the take is often instantaneous. Advertisement

The Vudu Shrimp is a multi-jointed soft plastic shrimp that moves in a tantalizing, fish-attracting manner. (Photo by Frank Sargeant)

While there are several varieties of plastic lures with shrimp scent added, some are a better choice than others when visibility is low, such as at dawn and dusk or in muddy or tannin-stained water.

Berkley Gulp! Shrimp perform well thanks to their attractive shape and realistic taste. (Photo by Frank Sargeant)

Unlike shrimp-scented lures that are molded of conventional soft plastic, Berkley Gulp! Alive and Gulp! Shrimp are actually edible (to a fish) and they smell very much like the real thing. For situations where the fish may have a difficult time seeing the lure—in murky water up coastal rivers in winter, around marsh creek run outs after heavy rains or in a rolling surf where loose sand cuts visibility—they can have the edge.

The Fish Bites Fight Club shrimp is another heavily scented composite lure that smells not-so-bad to humans but evidently smells and tastes really good to fish. Its also extremely tough and very difficult to pull apart. You can cut it up, though, and use just the body on a small jig as an imitation sand flea, which is a great way to catch pompano in the surf.

Light tackle is key to fishing faux shrimp baits. Braid of 10- to 15-pound test on a spinning rig is about right. Tie on 18 inches of 15- to 20- pound-test monofilament or fluorocarbon leader with a Double Uni knot. The clear leader is less visible than braid, and also less likely to loop back over the lure. Monofilament allows for tying a good loop knot, like a King Sling, which gives the shrimp better action. Most loop knots wont stay put in braid. Advertisement

A 7-foot, medium-action rod and 2500- or 3000-size spinning reel allows for long casts and plenty of line capacity in case you hook up with a bull redfish. If youre going to throw popping corks, opt for a longer rod, as the extra length helps manage the extra-long leader below the cork.

Some anglers like the simplest popping rig possible—a standard foam float with a weight molded into the bottom and a plastic post inserted down the center to capture the line and set the depth at which the bait will be fished.

Snook are suckers for artificial shrimp worked slowly around mangroves and oyster bars. Note the loop knot and fluorocarbon leader used here. (Photo by Frank Sargeant)

Others are convinced that more noise is better, and some popping corks have a good bit of engineering built in. The Back Bay Thunder has a wire center shaft, two glass beads on top and two brass beads on the bottom, plus swivel line ties top and bottom. In addition to the popping sound created by the cupped bobber head, the setup makes a lot of clicks and rattles, and some anglers believe the clicking sounds imitate noises shrimp make. These work, no doubt about it, though the standard sliding cork allows easier adjustment of lure depth.

The pop or chug, of course, sounds like a trout or redfish attacking bait at the surface—sort of a dinner bell for any fish near enough to hear it. And the cork also acts as your strike indicator—when it dives, youre hooked up.

The bottom line is whatever your brand of choice and favored style of fishing them, artificial shrimp are killer lures anywhere shrimp are at the base of the food chain. Next time out, follow the tactics outlined here and were confident youll put more fish in the boat. Advertisement

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DOA Shrimp Technique – Trout Fishing Tips and Red Fishing Lures

FAQ

Which fish does DOA Shrimp lure catch?

DOA Shrimp lures have caught trout, snook, redfish, flounder, tarpon, ladyfish, jacks, sheepshead, and both large and small mouth bass. Fishermen need only to present the lures with a natural slow retrieve to be assured of many memorable days on the water.

How do you rig a DOA shrimp?

For deeper water conditions, or for fishing where the current is stronger, anglers will rig the DOA shrimp to be heavy-style. Using a CAL jig head on the tip of the shrimp provides extra weight to cast farther. When fishing at bridge pilings the jig head takes the lure down to the deeper waters where the fish are lurking.

How do you fish a DOA shrimp?

Just as a live shrimp would do. You can also fish the DOA Shrimp below a float or popping cork. The distance between the cork and the shrimp depends on the depth of the water and where you want the shrimp to be in the water column. After you hook your fish, reel it in and remember: Don’t reel against the drag.

What is a 3 inch DOA shrimp?

The original 3-inch DOA Shrimp is the gold standard in the saltwater fishing realm. It’s perfect balance and quarter-ounce weight give it the slow to neutral falling action that imitates a shrimp.

Can I use a DOA shrimp lure for salt water fishing?

And don’t forget – if you limit yourself to using D.O.A. Shrimp Lures for only salt water action, you’ll be missing lots of great fresh water fishing fun. The 2″ shrimp may be used as a fly or a teaser in front of other D.O.A. products.

How do you retrieve a DOA shrimp?

This shrimp sinks so slow that some require a learning curve about how to retrieve it. Many work the DOA shrimp too fast, and a good solution is to rig the shrimp underneath a popping cork, which allows anglers to visualize the proper motion.