Fresh water shrimp ??

[twintrades]

First time ive heard of them. Any one use them? And with any luck?

Thanks

[njsimonson]

I've never used them for bait, and only once saw them for sale, at a baitshop in Park Rapids, MN. 

What I can tell you, is that many incredible ice fishing lakes - particularly Devils Lake, ND - have their food pyramids based on gammarus (freswater shrimp).  What I have also learned is that lakes with abundant freshwater shrimp can provide very DIFFICULT fishing, if the fish can just swim around with their mouths open, picking off these high-protien morsels. 

As bang-for-the-buck goes, freshwater shrimp provide a lot of energy for fish, and the expended energy to catch them (as opposed to minnows, or crayfish or other prey) is virtually nil.  If you're fishing a lake with limited freshwater shrimp, you should give them a try, I know they are a good prey item for almost all species, from bluegill and perch on up to walleye. 

If you are ever in Devils Lake, try to find a tumbleweed or old tree branch laying just off shore.  Pick it up, it will be covered by THOUSANDS of larger-than-normal freshwater shrimp (up to 1.5" in length!!!).  There are many anglers on DL who complain about the shrimp when they catch fish in the summer, because the walleyes will be puking up these shrimp in the boat when caught, and the digested shrimp turn orange, and they can really stain a boat carpet.  LOL.  But those shrimp are what make the fish big, and the fishery great!

(And that's all I have to say about that.)

[felix]

I'm no expert on this topic, however I will share what I know. There is a small lake in northern Ontario that I have fished several times. It has lakers and brookies. Every fish I have seen caught has been loaded with shrimp, I believe they are also called scuds. When you open their stomachs that is all there is nothing else, yet we catch them on shiners. We have tried using small shrimp bought from the grocery store and had a few flags, but no hookups. One of the guy's I fished with has caught brookies on a different lake using store bought shrimp and I have caught browns and rainbows in rivers using a scud pattern fly, but it has been my experience that live bait is a better option when ice fishing. Please keep in mind that our experiment using shrimp was limited. Perhaps our better success using shinners was due to specific lake conditions. Perhaps in a lake where the main food source are scuds "matching the hatch" is not as effective as using something that stands out as being different, and on a different lake with a different food source the results may be different. I am interested to know if anyone else has tried shrimp or scuds.

[muzzy]

  Hey, hows it going, Ijust thought I would share this little bit of info on shrimp, i thought i would get a leading edge on trout fishing,instead of just using waxies or minnows, so a friend told me he did pretty good using shrimp,letting that little tail flip around down their was the ticket, so i went to Vados Bait, and they had them,so tomorrow im gonna try my hand @ it for some browns or bows. we have had fair luck in the past with other baits, but i think if rigged properly, w/a lite wire hook, it just might be the cats meow, good luck with it and keep me posted

[Barleydog]

I would love to sell the fw shrimp in some of our weedy lakes up here in AK.  They're the size of your thumbnail!  I don't know if it's common to find shrimp that size, but they make great bait for trout on a single salmon egg hook free swimming.

[walkonwater1]

Can these shrimp be stored for any length of time?

[twintrades]

Well i just found out that no one around here carries them

I might have to order some.

[musky8it]

not sure what shrimp you are talking about. But for summer gill fishing. I have bought the tiny shrimp from stores, about 1-1/2" long. I think they call it salad shrimp. Soaked them in salt water for a day or so, then dried them out a little to make them tuffer. Then cut them into small pieces. They work good in the summer. But have not tried them in the winter, they may work.

[SPARKYICE]

http://vadosbait.com/index.html

i've never tried them, but from what i've seen they should work

[scavengerj]

Have heard that a couple of years ago a guy caught a near record muskie out of a local lake on a canned shrimp   Okay, I know these are not what you're talking about but, he really did. I guess they are as felix called them, scuds. I know there are different species of these things. What I recently started to do was to tie on a Genz bug or worm and about a foot or two above that I tie dropper with 1#-2# test line. Making it about 3" to 4" long. Then I tie on a flyfhishing shrimp patterned bait. Very real looking imitation on about a #14 to #16 hook. The light fly and light line allow this to have a different behavoir then the heavier jig and seems to get more bites. Barleydog, I'd be interested in some of those shrimp if they are under 1/2" and I could get them alive. The whole DL systems depends on those shrimp for food.

[Barleydog]

I would love to ship some out, but I don't think they'd make it...  1/2 or larger shrimp for sure!  I'd love to find a way to harvest some eggs and keep them dormant til hatching time.  Then again, I'm not sure I could grow such sea monkeys in captivity!

[scavengerj]

Would be nice to be able to have yourself a supply of'em when needed 

[rgfixit]

Try some scuds as a dropper fly. I tie these specifically for perch.

RG

[The Darkness]

Used some on the ice last year myself.
They actually worked pretty good.

[ChillerThriller]

if you have them live you take tiny little hooks and hook them through a couple layers of back skin so their legs are still kickin. put 2 on a hook with a split shot and send er down. the legs kick and NO perch or whatever will turn it down. whenever i clean perch it is often all i find in their bellies.