The shrimp has the worst job in the world — everything wants to eat it. But what’s bad for the crustacean is good for anglers. Why? Because if ever there was an “easy sell” in the fishing world, it is the shrimp.
Free-lining or floating live shrimp is one of the most common presentations for a variety of species, so match your Mustad O’Shaughnessey Hook to the targeted fish. It’s hard to argue with the nearly immediate response to the real deal; however, artificial shrimp eliminate the time and hassle of acquiring and holding live bait.
The new LIVETARGET LIVE SHRIMP – winner of the “Best Saltwater Hard Lure” award in the ICAST 2022 New Product Showcase – features an ABS plastic body for durability and TPE soft plastic legs for maximum lifelike motion. The profile matches the natural shrimp look, while a unique swing weight system ensures a horizontal profile as the shrimp falls through the water column or crawls across the bottom.
Built with a line tie on the tail end, this bait casts efficiently and offers three fish-tempting retrieve options. You can crank it to quickly cover water, twitch it for enticing vulnerability or pull it with the hopping motion of a fleeing crustacean. Two sizes and two weight choices allow you to select slow, medium or fast fall rates to match your scenario. Throw this innovative bait for snook along mangrove edges, oyster bar drop-offs and late summer beach spawning. When open water that’s clear of floating grass allows, try that straight pull with occasional hops.
For speckled trout in deep grass beds, twitching works best when good tidal movement has the fish actively feeding. Otherwise, try a subtle, sneaky crawl across the bottom. One of the most incredible applications for an artificial shrimp is the hunt for giant bull redfish. The Mississippi River Delta’s outer bays offer thrilling shallow water opportunities, but you have to cover water to locate the school.
One of the best tools for this pursuit is a LIVETARGET Rigged Shrimp beneath a noisy popping cork. Aggressively chugging the cork across the water’s surface attracts reds from a distance and when they run in to investigate, the sight of that LIVETARGET Rigged Shrimp is too easy to pass.
Worth a note: Coastal marsh anglers from Jacksonville, Fla. to Venice, La. should keep their LIVETARGET shrimp on the deck, even when their day reaches into the freshwater stretches of creeks, bayous and canals. Fact is, largemouth bass become well-accustomed to exploiting the crossover forage opportunities that tidal fisheries offer.
Chug a popping cork rig with the LIVETARGET Rigged Shrimp, along the marsh grass edges or hyacinth banks, toss a free-lined LIVETARGET Live Shrimp into a marsh drain and let it tumble out with the falling tide, or target cast to laydowns, docks, rock points or anywhere an opportunistic bass may sit.
Wherever you fish your LIVETARGET shrimp, expect aggressive bites. Remember, everything eats shrimp, so a fish that spots one of these tasty crustaceans knows that hesitation equals loss. Eat it now, or someone else will.
About
Mustad has led the global hook market since 1877. Mustad’s mission is to create a comprehensive multi-brand company that leads the fishing tackle industry while focusing on innovation, employee and customer satisfaction, and sustainability. With the addition of TUF-Line and LIVETARGET, Mustad continues to solidify its position as a complete sports fishing brand family.
