How To Fish Docks With Live Shrimp Rigged Weedless
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Everybody knows you can catch tons of fish by pitching a live shrimp under a dock…
But everybody also knows that you’re going to lose a lot of hooks and jig heads when you do that.
So is that just the price you have to pay when doing this type of fishing?
Actually, no!
In this video, I’ll show you how to rig shrimp weedless for pitching them under docks, plus how to catch more fish with them.
Enjoy!
How To Fish Docks With Weedless Shrimp [VIDEO]
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Equipment used in the video:
- Rod: Bull Bay Stealth Sniper 7’6″ MH
- Reel: Quantum Smoke 25
- Line: 10 lb. PowerPro
- Leader: 20 lb. Ande Mono
- Hook: Eagle Claw Plain Shank – Size 1
- Weight: 3/16th oz bullet weight
- Glasses: Smith Optics Guides Choice
Why Do You Need To Rig Shrimp Weedless?
Sheepshead, redfish, snook, snapper, and trout can all be found under docks, but there are two problems here.
The first problem is that they like to stick really close to the structure.
If your shrimp is even just a few feet away from where they’re comfortably waiting in ambush, you might miss out on them.
So you need to get your lure close to structure.
In addition to that, you also don’t know where all the structure is.
Under these docks, it’s likely not just sandy bottom near the pilings.
Who knows what type of fish-attracting hook-snagging structure could be down there.
So if you’re fishing docks and you don’t want to waste time and money getting snagged every other cast, then you need to rig your shrimp weedless.
How To Rig Shrimp Weedless
This way of rigging shrimp is like Texas rigging them.
Here’s how you do it:
- Pinch off the tail
- Put the hook through the hole where the tail was and out of the belly about a quarter of an inch up
- Thread the hook through the shrimp until the shank is all the way in up to the eye
- Turn the hook around and bury the point in the body of the shrimp.
With the hook point buried in the shrimp, you’ll get snagged a lot less.
However, you’ll want to check your rig after every cast to make sure that the hook point is still buried.
Also, a bullet weight will get your shrimp down into the strike zone.
6 Tips To Catch Fish With Shrimp Under Docks
Once you’ve got your shrimp rigged weedless, here are 6 tips to help you catch more fish with them:
- Get the shrimp on the bottom near the pilings (this is where the fish are feeding).
- Set the hook on the thump (not the tap).
- Fish docks with lots of barnacles or older docks that are likely to have more structure and growth below.
- Use a high-quality rod with a fast action tip and braided line to better feel the thumps vs. taps.
- If it’s cold, the fish will probably be deeper.
- Match the size of the hook with the size of the shrimp (I usually like a #1 hook with a shrimp about 3″)
Conclusion
Pitching shrimp under docks is a great way to catch tons of fish.
You can use bigger hooks and bigger shrimp for bigger fish, or you can use smaller hooks and smaller shrimp for more volume.
Have any questions about fishing shrimp under docks?
Let me know down in the comments.
And if you know someone who’s sick of getting snagged, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Would’ve been nice to include a closeup of inserting the hook in to the shrimp. Maybe next time?
Here’s a post that shows a good closeup of the rigging process: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/texas-rig-weedless-shrimp/
appreciate the info on quantity v. quality. would like to see the splash of the cast to see how far under the docks or close to the pilings you are talking about. you’re a pro, we will all be watching, no judgements 😉
I was trying to angle the boat so that the splash of the bait hitting the water could be seen, but the wind was not cooperating with such plans that trip. I at least got some in the shot towards the beginning… the key is to match the cast placement to the current and wind so that the bait can get right up close to the piling when on the bottom.
This was as good an informational and instructional video as any you put out!! You really do get down to the basics and for any person new to fishing the salt, like me, I find in terrific information!!!
Thanks for making time to leave the nice comment Jack! So glad to see that you enjoyed this lesson.
Great video – I’m going to try it today. Two Questions: I ordered some plain bait hooks, but I only have circle hooks today. Will they work weedless? Second Q: Why did you toss back the Grouper? Not good eating? Regs? Mercury?
The circle hooks can work well too since the bend of the hook is pointed down (inline circles work much better than offset). To rig it, all you need to do is simply slide it through the shrimp from the bottom up and keep the hook point just over the torn end of the shrimp.
I released the grouper because they were too short to keep (must be at least 24 inches long) and the season was closed. Otherwise, I definitely would have kept one because I love some fresh grouper fillets.
Omg!!! Did you see that big fish jump behind you??
I missed it… what time point in the video was it?
hey Luke,
how shallow can you troll in your 2400?
I’m not sure… I generally wouldn’t want to troll in less than 3 ft of water, and that’s definitely possible in the new boat.
Your background music is too loud and most distracting,
What part of the video on this page did you have an issue with background music?
Thanks for another great video Luke.
I am hoping you can clarify some other aspects of your set up. It looks like you’re using a swivel to connect your main line to your mono leader. Why not just use FG knot? I am curious about what lb braid you are using with what lb mono.
I saw one of your videos where I thought the swivel wasn’t necessary so I have been planning to use the fg knot from now on.
I have one rig set up with stronger braid to lower flouro, although the diameters are similar. I have pulled on it and it seems strong.
Would you be able to do a video testing “Sunline FC100 System Leader Salt Water Special” tied to “Power Pro Spectra Braid” using the FG knot? I have heard this leader can be used repeatedly with multiple catches without having to change your leader because it maintains its strength. It also seems to be fine with smaller test leader tied to stronger test braid which appears to be opposite of what was recommended.
Thanks for all the advice! I appreciate the frequency as I am a new angler.
I was not using a swivel in this video… just the FG knot from braid to leader and then an orvis knot from the leader to the hook.
I was using 10 lb powerpro braid and 20 lb ande mono leader.
As for the sunline, I’m sure it’s fine but I highly doubt that it can compete with the bigger brands since they have much bigger R&D budgets.
Outstanding site.
Thanks William!
Would using a weighted jig head work the same for this?
A weighted jig head would not be as favorable in my opinion because it’s not going to be as weedless.