Hey there fellow anglers! I’m Thomas from FishingPro and today I’m gonna share everything I know about hooking shrimp bait. After spending countless hours on the water and going through buckets of shrimp (and lots of trial and error!) I’ve figured out the best techniques that actually work.
Why Shrimp Make Awesome Bait
Before we dive in, lemme tell you – shrimp are like candy to fish! Almost every gamefish out there goes crazy for them. We’re talking about:
- Redfish
- Snook
- Tarpon
- Seatrout
- Bonefish
- Flounder
- And tons more!
Best Methods for Hooking Live Shrimp
1. The Head Hook Method
Perfect for casting and trolling:
- Hold shrimp gently between your fingers
- Insert hook under the head, coming out on top
- Pro tip: Avoid the dark spot (that’s the brain!) or your shrimp won’t last long
- Works great for bottom fishing
2. The Carapace Cross Method
Ideal for drift fishing:
- Look for the clear spot between dark organs
- Hook crosswise through the shell
- Let those legs kick freely to attract fish
- Warning: Don’t pierce the stomach or pancreas (those dark spots)
3. The Tail Hook Technique
My personal favorite for casting to cruising fish:
- Snip off the tail fan
- Thread hook through tail center
- Push point out through the bottom
- Cover the hook eye with the body
Pro tip Use a baitholder hook to keep that tail from sliding off!
4. The Weedless Rig
Perfect when fishing in heavy vegetation:
- Break off tail fan
- Run hook through tail tip
- Rotate and bury point in meat
- Great with Carolina rig setup
Rigging Dead or Frozen Shrimp
Dead shrimp work differently – it’s all about the scent! Here’s what I do:
Method 1: The Chunk Method
- Cut into hook-sized pieces
- Remove head, feet, and tail fan
- Thread from either end
- Make sure hook shank is covered
Method 2: The Jig Sweetener
- Cut precise pieces matching hook length
- Use sharp knife (not tearing)
- Thread tail-first onto jig head
- Keep body flat against hook
Keeping Your Shrimp Alive and Kicking
Nothing worse than dead bait! Here’s my tried-and-true tips:
The Bucket Setup
- Use 5-gallon minnow bucket
- Don’t overcrowd (18 shrimp per 3 gallons)
- Keep water 65-75°F
- Change water regularly
Oxygenation is Key
Two options
- Battery-powered aerator
- Oxygen tablets
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Listen, we’ve all been there! Here’s what NOT to do:
- Don’t squeeze too hard
- Never add ice directly to water
- Don’t hook through vital organs
- Avoid overcrowding your bait bucket
My Secret Weapon: The Thread Trick
Here’s something most folks don’t know – when I’m casting far, I use orange sewing thread to secure the shrimp to the hook. Just wrap it a few times, and BAM! No more lost bait on the cast.
Final Tips from Years on the Water
- Match hook size to shrimp size
- Use J-style hooks for best results
- Cast to the front of anchored boats
- Let bait sink in anchor debris clouds
Wrapping It Up
That’s pretty much everything I know about hooking shrimp bait! Remember, practice makes perfect, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different methods. What works best might depend on your local fish and conditions.
Got any questions? Drop ’em in the comments below! And don’t forget to check out our other fishing guides on FishingPro.
Happy fishing, y’all!
Would you like me to explain or break down any of the techniques mentioned above in more detail?
StepsSection 1 of 5:
- 1 Hook the shrimp through the head when casting or trolling. Many fishermen like to hook their shrimp through the head. This keeps the shrimp alive (as long as you avoid piercing the brain), and live shrimp is more enticing bait than dead shrimp. There are two ways to do this:
- Insert the hook from under the shrimp’s head, and push the barb out on top, avoiding the dark spot (the brain) in the center of the head. This method is preferred when fishing the bait off the bottom.[1]
- Or, insert the hook through the top of the shrimp’s head, working the point under the vital organs before pushing it out elsewhere on the top of the head. This method is preferred for bottom fishing.[2]
- Note that the shrimp may be more likely to fall apart or slip off the hook when it’s hooked through the head.
Meet the wikiHow Expert Michael Reynolds is a professional fishing instructor with over 40 years of fishing experience. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and is licensed and bonded with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).
- 2 Hook the shrimp crosswise through its carapace for drift fishing or float-rigging. Poke the hook through just under the shell tip, avoiding the stomach and pancreas. (These appear as dark spots on the shrimp’s body.) This takes advantage of the shrimp’s swimming action.[3]
- You can also hook the shrimp just below its head and thread the shrimp so that the hook comes out in the center of the carapace between its vital organs. This lets you cast further and retrieve the shrimp more easily, but it will die sooner than if hooked crosswise through the carapace.
- The carapace is the hard shell covering the shrimp’s head and the vital organs behind it.
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- 3 Hook the shrimp through the tail when casting for cruising fish. This method lets you cast still further, as the shrimp’s head, where most of its weight is, will propel the bait further without tearing the shrimp’s body off the hook. It also allows the shrimp to remain straight on the hook, resembling its natural shape and movement in the water.[4] Break off the shrimp’s tail fan, then thread the hook through the tail center to hide it and poke it out through the topside of the tail, far enough for the shrimps body to cover the hook eye.
- You may want to use a baitholder hook (one with barbs on its shank) to better hold the shrimp’s tail in place.
- Reynolds suggests “holding the shrimp upside down and working the hook through the tail section until it reaches the carapace, then bringing he tip of the hook out through the body past the barb.”[5]
- Make sure to thread the shrimp with the legs facing “out” from the hook. If they face inward (and the hook pokes out through their underside), the shrimp will curl up.[6]
- Breaking off the shrimp’s tail fan releases a fish-attracting scent.
- You can also hook the shrimp crosswise through the tip of its tail. This method is preferred when dealing with heavy bottom snags other than weeds.
- 4 Bury the hook in the shrimp’s body when fishing in a lot of weeds. This method of rigging a shrimp is similar to the self-weedless rigging that bass fishermen use when fishing plastic worms. Break off the tail fan, then run the point completely through the tip of the tail. Pull out the shank and rotate the hook so its point faces the shrimp’s underside, and then bury the point in the meaty part of the tail.[7]
- This self-weedless arrangement can be fished on a Carolina rig. Thread a ½ ounce (3.5 g) sliding sinker onto your line, then tie on a swivel. On the other end, tie 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of leader and your hook, then bait it with a shrimp. The weight will take your baited hook to the bottom, the swivel will keep it from sliding to the hook, and the leader will let your bait rise just off the bottom.[8]
- You can also use this arrangement with a 3-way swivel. Attach your line to one end of the swivel, your bait and leader to a second end, and a ½ to 2 ounce (3.5 to 57 g) bell or dipsey sinker to the third end.
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Methods for Rigging Dead or Frozen Shrimp
- 1 Dismember the body and thread from the head end or the tail end. While live shrimp entice fish to strike by how well they swim, dead shrimp draw fish by how they smell. For that reason, you can break off the head, feet, and tail fan before threading the rest of the body on the hook. Make your pieces about the same size as the hook—fish will just nibble off any excess flesh and swim away without getting hooked if the shrimp pieces are too big.[9]
- Then, thread the hook through the shrimp’s body from the tail or head end. Either way will work as long as the entire shank of the hook is covered.
- 2 Or, sweeten an artificial jig with dead shrimp. Dead shrimp are great for adding the taste of a real crustacean to a jig, whether it has a skirt or a soft plastic body. If you decide to tip your jig, cut the shrimp with a knife into hook-shank-length pieces.[10] This will ensure the bait is the right length and, by cutting instead of breaking, keep the flesh firmer and on the hook longer.
- For particularly meaty pieces of dead shrimp, you may want to add a trailer hook to ensure that the fish don’t take the bait and miss getting hooked.
- Some anglers prefer to pinch off the tail fan and joint above it, then thread the shrimp tail-first onto the jig head, making sure the shrimp body lies flat when the hook is pushed through the body.[11]
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How To Hook Shrimp The CORRECT Way
FAQ
What is the best hook for shrimp bait?
We recommend using a circle hook when fishing with shrimp (or any live bait for that matter) because by using a circle hook you don’t have to set the hook. Simply reel in. And it is better for the fish.
How to catch shrimp with bait?
Make your bait balls about hockey puck size. They will sink straight to the bottom and stay in place. Two per pole is plenty, and these two bait balls will attract shrimp for many hours. It is recommended that this type of shrimping be done by at least two fishermen.