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An oldtimer I work with was telling me about grass shrimp, and how good they are for Crappie, as well as other panfish.
Where can you find them? How do you catch them? How do you present them?
Saw the pic in the Lake George thread, and that reminded me of the conversation I had with the oldtimer.
Are these little shrimps abundant in the lakes? We would use live and/or frozen shrimp over in the Banana and Indian Rivers, but I have never heard of grass shrimp.
JTE
They're plentiful in grass beds around the edges of most lakes. You'll need a small mesh net with a long handle. I use my landing net and it works just fine. Dip it in the grass and jig it up and down about 6" or so while moving it into the grass. The trick is getting those little rascals out of the net and into a bucket. I use a 5 gal bucket with about 1" of water in the bottom and I dump the net into it, then pick out the trash later. Use a small long shank bream hook for bluegill and you will only need to thread one on. I use them for specks when they move near the shore and you will need to put 2 or 3 on your hook. I use an eagle # 4 or #6 octopus circle hook. Most everyone uses the standard gold crappie hook, but I find with the circle hook with live bait the fish get hooked in their throat area rather than the mouth and I seldom loose one. It's a great bait for any panfish. Hope this is some help.
JTE what part of the state you in. If you come over, will take you out and show you how to get them and what to look for.
Dusty
Like the other thread I started, do us a favor and put what lake or town is near you on your profile, please. It may encourage some one in your area to answer. May get to know who all is around to go fishin with.
Hey !
Wikipedia is asking for donations !
I don't donate to nothin but rarely.
This is one of those times.
I think this endeavor is one of the worlds greatest things that "all" can use and participate in too!
So, I donated !
Wikipedia's founder is asking for help, go there and read, etc.....
They (Wikipedia) "DOES NOT" have an entry describing "Florida Grass Shrimp".
If anyone has the knowledge, they can go there and enter their info and have an entry on Wikipedia !
How bout that ! !
Please donate ! ! ! !!
I do not know what the proper name would be. Freshwater Shrimp, Miniature Shrimp, Grass Shrimp, Shellcracker nibbles....I do not know. Just know where there are a few.
Dusty
P.S. I do depend on Wikipedia a lot, for a lot of definations on things, but think I will wait on the donate thing.
You're not.......... "One of them".............Are you ????????Quote:
Originally Posted by centerdriver
As to the shrimp, well............................ we understand :)
Thanks Speckanator.
Centerdriver: I thought I did put that info in. I'll have to go back and check/update my profile.
Thanks,
JTE
you havent seen Dusty if you think he is a shrimp. 6 ft something and bear hunts with a switch.lol
Yeah Its the lazy way. But I thought that E-How could explain it better than I could.
How to Collect Grass Shrimp
Step 1 Purchase a minnow net with fine mesh and a handle 4- to 6-feet long. A dark green or black net works best. (small tight mesh)
Step 2 Venture out to the edge of a lake, pond or a slow-moving stream in the early morning (they are more active in the morning) with net and bucket. Fill the bucket about 1/3 full of water.
Step 3 Look for grassy areas along the shoreline. Patches of tall grass growing out of the water are the best spots. Gently place the minnow net in the water, with the open side of the net facing the shore. Quickly pull the net toward the shore through the grass.
Step 4 Grasp the lower part of net, hold over the bucket and dump the contents. You should have a good number of 1/2- to 1-inch long transparent shrimp. Continue netting until you have about 100 shrimp.
Step 5 Slide 2 to 4 shrimp over the end of a #6 or #8 hook and fish with a small bobber or free-line over the side of a dock. Pan fish will attack this bait voraciously.
In Florida these Specks have been eating these shrimp almost from birth and prefer them over minnows.
I'm rather new to this Grass Shrimp Phenom. Heard about them before, but never fished Crappies enough to be enlightened. Now things have changed. Got this Crappie bug that's itching me as of late. Read a lot about them here recently. Can they be found year round or does winter put the ka-bosch on them?
I hear they like the tall grass, what about hydrilla? I thought I read on another post(s) they also inhabit hydrilla.
Thanks,
Buck
Was wondEring if anyone hAs been getting any in this cold temps. I have not been out to try to get them......grass shrimp that is {Danny}. Have never tried for them when it wAs this cold. Anyone try for them lately?
Please excuse the spelling. Doing this on the. BlAckberry.
Dusty
Up here where Im at we cant get them(or I cant find em). Well last year I got a website from a guy here and bought some(live) ver the internet. I had ok results here and I took the left over's home to Mississippi and fished them durring my spring break. The slabs in Mississippi SLAMMED them! Anyone know of that website?
Do you keep the grass shrimp in an aerated bait bucket and how long will they keep alive?
Buddy of my here in the park, took a milk crate, covered it with screen, and hangs it so about half of it is in the water. He keeps some of the grass and stuff in there to give them something to hang on to. He has kept them this way for weeks.........in warmer weather than this. I would guess that as long as it is cold, they will live a lot longer??
Dusty
Grass shrimp populations fall in winter. Their lifecycles slow with the cooler temps... there is less for them to eat, but they are eaten on less too... fish need less nutrients in colder water.
From a 3rd generation 50 yr. old south Floridian: GRASS SHRIMP is what theys called. Outstanding for blue and channel cats as well.
CRACKER DAT!!!!!
I have heard all kinds of ways to keep them alive. They really don't need a lot of water to live. I have kept them alive in wet newspaper *with a few pieces of ice thrown on top*. They will die it hot stagnant water though, probably more from temp issues than lack of air. Grass shrimp can survive in pretty nasty places.Quote:
Originally Posted by centerdriver
They can be harder to find in the cold weather. Shrimp larvae or nymphs (and even the eggs) slow their growth. These things don't live a long time as adults, but the mature fast from juevenilles. After a bit of warming in the water there will be a surge in their populations... sounds like spring shrimp whoopy time to me. You can raise your own, but it looked a little to much like a pain when I read up on it.
Dip netted a good mess of these out of milifoil (submerged lake weeds) in about 1 1/2 foot of water. They were the go to bait on Friday. Hooked 1 large one on a hook, or 3 to 4 of the small ones. Fish hit either, readily.
Been wanting to buy a cheap pool net with a telescoping handle and see if I can harvest some grass shrimp for bait. Never attempted this before, so I just look for grass beds and rake through the grass right? need to find a few spots to try this in central florida. I hear Lake Okeechobee has em but thats wayyy too far for a bait run lol
When it warms up most all waters will have em. And even some bonus crawfish.
Here's some more input and junk to keep in the boat. We used a styrofoam swim ring like the kids play with, then sewed a piece of fiberglass screen around it with a bit of a sag to the middle creating a fine mesh strainer. Pick up a cluster of hyacinth and drop it quickly into the screen and shake it a few times. The grass shrimp will be in the screen when you lift the hyacinth to return it to the water. The fine mesh hand net thing worked for us too, but there was so much hyacinth in the St.Johns it was easier if mot as productive. Bull gills love the things.
Have caught them dragig hydrilla to shore with a net. Shake hydrilla and pick shrimp off the ground and drop in bucket.
Good info Skeetbum guess what i'll be making soon. Thank's for the st johns tip.Quote:
Originally Posted by skeetbum
Thanks for the info guys! Always look forward to reading your replies. :)
I've never seen those lil shrimp let alone use them for bait, though I think I've seen them at Petsmart. 33 cents each lol
not too long ago (2-3 weeks back) I got word that the cappie had moved out of Lake Harney into the Puzzle Lake area. On a spur I shot out to the east side of SR46 and set-up under the bridge. The fish were BOILING the water; 5-8 spots were popping at once. I tried everything in my arsenal trying to get a bite but had no luck. I noticed that they were hitting the small grass shrimp and even managed to catch a couple. Those things were no bigger then 2cm but they were everywhere. They were also congregated at the surface.
I'll keep this one in mind for the future. Might be worth while to learn to throw a fly rod for this one.
Rigs Walmart has em. Got em in me bag of tricksQuote:
Originally Posted by Jacob
If you use a #8 or #6 bait holder hook with two barbs on the shank and a down eye you only need to thread one grass shrimp on the hook. I've caught multiple fish on one shrimp. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen. It's almost as if the hook was designed for the shrimp. You can keep using your long shank Aberdeen hooks but they don't work as well and you have to use multiple shrimp to cover the hook. Additionally, I like to use a Thill Mini Shi Bite bobber and 4lb test with a bb split shot in combination with the tiny shrimp.
I have been fishing pan fish my entire life. Mosty in Michigan where we don't have these shrimp and I can tell you there is nothing more lethal for any pan fish. As soon as they hit the shrimp it is their mouth and the bobber combo I described above goes under immediately witht he most subtle hit. With the Mini Shi Bite bobber made by Thill they never feel it and let go like I see happen with so many of you guys using gigantic styrofoam bobbers big enough to hold up a ten inch shiner.
Also, any one who has ever fished with minnows or worms knows what I mean when I say they can "steal your bait" when using these larger baits. That almost never happens with grass shrimp. Crappie, shell crackers, blue gill, and even bass and catfish I've caught on them. If you use light line, the proper, hook and float combination nothing is more effective.
Man I can't wait to find some grass shrimp now. Have a feeling it's going to be awhile until I can dipnet them around here though. We just had two mornings of freezing temperatures here in FL. Been shopping around for a long handled mesh net and it seems the pool skimmer nets would be effective and cheap. The nets are usually wide with very fine mesh.
Do any central FL baitshops sell these grass shrimp in the meantime?
I have seen em at Sandy's when i was there and Johnson's might
Thanks man, Sandy's is the one in Tavares right? Not sure if Johnsons in Sanford has them, but I never really asked.
Yes in Taveres, and i never asked Johnson's either.
Only time I've seen fish feeding on the grass shrimp is late spring/early summer.
I would like to put my two cents in. I would like to caution the newer fellows when collecting grass shrimp. If you are collecting in hydrilla be CAREFUL when you dump the contents out and start sorting. I have run into snakes, and small catfish, been stung by the small catfish that i couldn't see and swore that i had been snake bit. Them little fellers can sure make you hurt. Found turtles and all sorts of guppies, killifish and such
Luther
Luther, that's why we used a floatie outside the boat. I don't bring anything in the boat that hasn't been identified first. A ball pushed into the screen and then sewn was how we made ours, gave just enough depression.
I see fish feeding on blind mosquitios alot and think the same thing. It's been several years since I used a fly rod but I'm going to give it a shot this week once it warms up. They were going ballistic last week in the evenings and I struggled to catch a few fish on minnows.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob
The fish boiling in the st johns between harney and puzzle are feeding on the huge mosquito fish hatch. (mosquito fish = small wild minnows)
4 months ago the river was high up and into the pastures - the hatch is giant this year. Recommendation: use small baits. I took a simple white 1/16th oz. maribou, dipped it in the water, then cut the feather in half after the hook. The crappie and shad started killing it. Use baits no larger than 1.25 inches. Of course, always tip with a minnow :0)
That's a great tip...i've been using too big a jig. I used to fish that area a lot before I discovered productive waters closer to home. I always did pretty good around the mouth of the Econ.
what do you recommend when they're feeding on blind mosquitos? I'm seeing this on Lake Apopka and it's definitely blind mosquitos landing on the surface that they're eating.
Hey, guys, this is a great thread on a great subject. Nets: Skinnyhoops, thee pool skimmer net is way, way too flimsy. Try to find a net that has a hollow aluminum tubing forming the ring. Those are stronger than those which have a solid ferrous metal ring for the net. I've tried them all; hollow tubing is stronger. You'll need strength when dragging in a ball of hydrilla, milfoil, whatever. Walmarts in FL used to buy the hollow tubing types at the beginning of the tourist fishing season. Why, my goodness, they bought around 6 to start the season.....Those six usually lasted a couple of hours on the shelves, then no more replaced them. Just think, 6 whole nets for a season on Lake Okeechobee. Luckily, I got one at the start of a season....then several years later I happened to get one for a spare.....I have not seen them since. Anyway, the aluminum handle and ring were "corrugated" aluminum. Hope you can locate the best. Ray
Luther, great advice man. Definitly will be careful. Your right, those catfish can put a hurting on ya. If you think thats bad, a saltwater catfish sting is MUCH worse and will hurt for many days. That includes both saltwater species, Hardhead Catfish and the Gafftopsail Catfish.
Thanks for the info bryophyte. One thing I know about walmart is it's usually a goose chase trying to find an item, one store sells it and another store has a completely different line of products. lol
I might be able to find something online but will be hard to know if it's hollow aluminum without a detail description. May have to do a little digging around, good tips though.
Sorrento bait and tackle has good nets for grass shrimp.