Thursday, 20 November 2008

Get shrimping




If you're new to fishing on Anna Maria Island there are so many things to learn it can turn your head. On this blog I'll be trying to help you out as much as I can, so let's start with one of the most popular baits for the beginner - live shrimp.
Using sand shrimp as bait is an excellent choice because it is a favourite food of bottom feeders and emits a powerful scent, which will attract them.
Unfortunately, they are fragile and almost impossible to keep on a hook, something a lot of newcomers get wrong. Try using a safety pin hook, which is designed to hold soft baits like sand shrimp. It has a pin which runs the full length of the back of the bait, leaving the tail and pincers free to move. Some people go as far as to use a few turns of wire, such as the kind used for weighting flies, to help hold the shrimp.
Taking good care of your shrimp is important also. It is important to make sure they are alive and kicking – they will catch more fish this way.
Keep them uncrowded, well aerated, and cool in an ice chest. The strong lid that can double as a seat, it has a plug for easy draining, and is well insulated to guard against the heat.
And here's one final useful tip. Instead of using ice to keep the shrimp cool, freeze water in plastic bottles so that when the ice melts it won’t dilute the water and kill the shrimp.
When the shrimp is failing to get strikes, use brightly colored shrimp by dying them with food coloring. This will stimulate strikes if regular colored shrimp aren’t working. So now you know all about shrimp.
You can buy it at all the bait shops on or near Anna Maria Island, so why not give it a try.

Tight lines!



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