All right, maybe it's just been too long between fish. (And maybe I should eliminate that original "maybe.") BUT...I was thinking last night -- oh, about 3 am -- about steelhead baits. The idea of a nice, juicy, medium-sized cooked shrimp popped into my fuzzy head. You know, a shrimp cocktail shrimp. Nice pink coloration, durable, smelly, aquatic-looking -- not to mention convenient and cheap if you buy 'em previously frozen. Anyone ever try these? Did I hit my head too hard on those river rocks the other day?

I see shrimp baits on peoples lines all the time. Usually the raw prawn style though.

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Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

A friend I fished with years ago, used spawn netting with cooked canned cocktail shrimp. When I first saw his setup I was somewhat sceptical. A couple hours later, when I saw him hook a nice 10 to 12 pound fish I was much less so. I don't know if the shrimp helped, but it sure did'nt hurt. Good Luck!

My $.02: I use both, Prawns & Cocktail Shrimp. However, both are not usually my first choice of baits either. Both I fish with a bouyant lure of some kind.
Prawns: I use them usually under heavier river flows, either murky or clearer water. Prawns are tough and stay on the hook with the heavier flows, much tougher than most baits which saves your premium baits for prime times.
Cocktail Shrimp: Use 'em in medium to low flows, unless ya put them in a mesh. I have seen Steelhead chase 'em before as I'm reeling in. I have seen fish and had fish comeback and pick them up several times in a row while I was suffering through missed takes.
It seems good eggs usually will outfish both, C.S. & P. Could just be a confidence factor, etc. too.
X

Previously frozen, medium-sized cooked shrimp work in a pinch (like the kind in the seafood section of a supermarket - had some success a couple of years ago on the Wynoochee when I ran out of bait and resorted to that. They stay on the hook pretty good, too. Definitely not my first choice, but it does work.
-Mark.

I fish prawns on a regular basis and have had great success with them. I like to dye mine a light pink with bait coloring such as Beau Mac Pro Glo. I fish them with a drift bobber such as a Corky or Birdie and yarn. They are very durable and will last for many casts, or until you catch a fish. I use them for Steelhead, winter and summer, and coho salmon. Try them you wont be dissapointed.

I've used strictly raw prawns for maybe the last 15 years. They cast better, little fish cannot strip them and steelead and salmon hammer them. With corkies and such I use a piece about the same size as the lure. With Spin N Glows I use a wiggly strip of prawn. fifty cents worth of prawns will last me two days. Also they can be re-frozen over and over. No more messy eggs or soft sand shrimp for me.

i have used cocktail shrimp for salmon and steelhead for many years. try the cooked shrimp that come in the styrofoam trays for shrimp salad and such. i fish em in deep holes were the fish are kegged up and there is not a lot of flow. i use the miniture mash mellows just above the shrimp. both salmon and steelhead love em. i have seen many days that shrimp out fished roe. the fish usually just barely pick up the shrimp, so you really have to watch your rod.

Just like the other guy's, I've been using raw and cooked shrimp and prawns for several years and they work great for me. I always cut it up into smaller pieces and tie it up into "shrimp balls" with netting, from dime to quarter size. Use the smaller size in clear conditions and the larger in high water cloudy situations. I fish them with drift gear and/or under floats. However I don't put them on the hook, I use a large needle and thread them on the leader above the hook. This allows me to put a small bit of yarn in the loop if I want but it also leaves the hook bare for better penetration.
"shrimb balls" are clean, can be colored, and I store them in old plastic film cans in the freezer.

I have used the cooked salad shrimp many times with good success. And if the fish are not biting you can always eat you bait!
I fish them with peach colored corkies in all water conditions.

I havn't used the small cooked shrimp but I often use the medium size uncooked. I use half inch to one inch size pieces with a rag on the Clearwater( Idaho )with unbelievable success . The shrimp( peeled tail sections ) has out fished roe on several occasions. Pieces of shrimp( small prawn ) will stay good for twenty to thirty casts. Try that with roe or sand shrimp.

i haven't tried prawns enough to form a valid opinion but i do know that i have hooked a few spring chinook on them.

FISH ON!!!

As I'm sure SBC can confirm, over here on the east side shrimp are probably the main bait (if not a close second) for people fishing from the bank on our rivers (Snake, Clearwater, ID. Grande Rhonde etc). Almost all of the grocery stores and tackle shops even sell specially packaged "not for human consumption 'bait shrimp". The majority of the people here use shrimp under a bobber with a marabou or bucktail jig or just plain hook. But shrimp certainly work well on a drift fishing outfit as well. I always dye the shrimp I use with just a little red food coloring. I too have had great success using this method but I always have some good eggs ready if thats what the fish are willing to bite. Gotta be versatile to be consistent!

Duke