Power Prawn USA Lures: How To Rig & Use These Lures To Maximize Results
- By: Luke Simonds
- on March 7, 2022
- Found In: Mini Course
This page will show you how to catch the most fish possible while using your Power Prawn USA shrimp lures.
The videos below will walk you through the essential details to make sure that you know the specifics for the following:
- What’s the difference between Power Prawn USA & the Brazilian Power Prawn?
- How to retrieve the Power Prawn USA to trigger strikes
- How to rig the Power Prawn to get the best motion in the water
- Ideal equipment and hook set technique
- When to NOT use the power prawn
- Rattle tips
- Storage tips
Just click on the respective videos below to see the details:
Power Prawn USA vs. Brazilian
We launched the Brazilian Power Prawns at the end of 2019, and they have been a great success in helping us and members catch many great fish. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and it sure has been awesome seeing so many new Personal Best catches caught on these great lures.
Although the feedback was extremely good, we did receive some constructive criticism from members to highlight things that could be improved. Here’s a quick list of the most common issues listed from members about the Brazilian Power Prawn lures:
- $3+ per lure is too expensive
- Too difficult to rig
- Doesn’t skip well
- The segmented tail creates a weak point
We of course listened to all feedback and began searching for solutions to fix the issues. And that quest for getting the ultimate shrimp lure has finally resulted in the Power Prawn USA which we are very happy to report is manufactured and packed in the USA.
The Power Prawn USA lures are superior to the Brazilian lures based on the 4 bullets listed above (cost, ease of use, skipping, & tail support).
The only con of the Power Prawn USA lures compared to the Brazilian made prawns is the overall strength of the material. The Brazilian lures are made from TPE which is tougher than even the strong plastisol used for the USA made prawns. We did go with a strong version of plastisol for the Power Prawn USA lures so they can still catch a ton of fish per lure. And with the significant savings per lure, the cost per fish caught metric favors the USA prawns in our opinion.
How To Rig The Power Prawn
The following videos show how to rig the Power Prawn lures to maximize your fish catching. You’ll see the top ways to rig these great lures on jig heads for covering the deeper water as well as a unique weedless rig for covering shallower water with a lot of structure.
Weedless Weighted Hook Rig
These Power Prawn USA lures can be rigged on a variety of weighted hooks. You’ll just need to make sure that the hook has a wide enough gap to enable good hooksets.
Here’s a video showing the best weighted hook we’ve found so for for these lures:
Click here to get these Hoss Helix Hooks
Jighead Rig
Rigging the Power Prawn USA lures on jigheads is crucial when in need of fishing water more than 3 ft deep because they enable the lure to get down to the bottom where most of the feeding activity takes place.
These lures can be rigged on a variety of different jig heads, but these Mag Shroomz jigs have made it to the top of our list of jigheads to use based on how well they work:
Click here to get these Mag ShroomZ Jigheads
Here’s a table for selecting the right jig head based on depth zone coverage needed:
- 1/8th oz – ideal for fishing the shallows down to roughly 4 ft of water
- 3/16th oz – ideal for covering ranges from 3 ft to 5 ft of water
- 1/4th oz – ideal for 4 ft depths down to roughly 7 ft of water
- 3/8th oz – ideal for 6 ft depths down to roughly 12 ft of water
Notes:
– These depth zones are just estimates… you may need to go heavier if you’re fishing an area with strong currents or if you’re fishing with thick lines.
– We’ll be bringing on larger jig heads soon for those who want to fish these shrimp lures in deeper water.
Retrieving The Power Prawn
The following videos show how to rig the Power Prawn lures to maximize your fish catching. You’ll see the top ways to retrieve these great lures on jig heads for covering the deeper water as well as how to use the weedless setup for covering shallower water with a lot of structure.
Shallows With Structure
Click here to order Power Prawn USA Lures
Skipping Under Docks/Trees
Click here to order Power Prawn USA Lures
Ideal Equipment & Hook Set
This video explains the type of equipment that will help maximize your results using these Power Prawn USA lures along with some hookset tips from a fun video I filmed with the original Power Prawn lures.
Rod
I highly recommend 7′ to 7’6″ Fast Action blanks with Medium Heavy power (Medium for some brands like TFO).
- [Spinning] Click here to see the overall cross-brand rod review for Club Members
- [Baitcasting] I am newly starting to use baitcasting for saltwater fishing when using these lures for dock fishing because it helps me get better casting performance when using stronger line (30 lb braid). The rod I’m testing is the Omen Black from 13 Fishing (7 ft Moderate power… I wish I got a MH power because this one is only rated for 8-17 lb lines)
Line
I highly recommend using a braid mainline and a ~2ft mono/fluoro leader for maximizing your results when using the Power Prawns… I like 10 lb for the open flats, 30 lb for bigger fish close to structure (docks, rocks, etc.), and in between 10 and 30 if used to fish a heavy mix of structure and open.
- Click here for the overall cross-brand line review for Club Members
- Click here to get PowerPro from our online store
Reel
In my opinion, the reel is not as important as the rod and the line. I recommend 3000 sized reels for inshore fishing with the Power Prawn lures because they hold plenty of line and have sufficient drag strength while they weigh much less than the larger reels.
- [Spinning] Click here for the overall cross-brand reel review for Club Members
- [Baitcasting] I am newly starting to use baitcasting for saltwater fishing when using these lures for dock fishing because it helps me get better casting performance when using stronger line (30 lb braid). The reel I’m using is the Quantum Smoke SM100 HPT, and I have been extremely happy with it. Click here to get this reel from our online store.
When To Not Use The Power Prawn
This Power Prawn lure is at its best when fishing coastal areas with shrimp populations, so these lures get less effective when pushing up into inland creeks and rivers with lower salinity.
Also, this lure’s core appeal is that it has great action in the water (similar to a bucktail jig) clearly looking like a shrimp (big benefit over bucktail jig) which is why it has a knack for catching very big fish.
Given that its motion and visual definition are its top attributes, this lure is best suited for clear to moderately clear water. If you’re fishing in murky water zones, I’d recommend adding rattles and perhaps even using it under a popping cork so fish can feel it better. Otherwise, use a paddletail lure so that you’ll have more vibration in the water.
Rattle Tips
One of many great things about these Power Prawn lures is that they are made from a material that can allow for rattles to be inserted into it without any negative consequences.
The use of rattles seems to help draw more strikes in most conditions. But I prefer to not use them when fishing in calm and clear water because the extra vibration can come across as unnatural and spook fish off.
So having the ability to quickly and easily add and take away the rattles is very helpful for us to maximize our time out on the water.
My personal favorite rattles are these Battle Rattles because they are nice and small while having a good amount of noise/vibration
Here’s a video showing the best way to insert them into the Power Prawn USA lures:
Battle Rattles: https://fishstrong.com/products/battle-rattle
Storing Tips
Just like all soft plastics, it’s important to not mix them with other brands when you’re storing them because some materials have a chemical reaction when exposed to different materials from other soft plastics.
I personally recommend storing them in their packages they come in to make sure that keep their form and which will ensure that they look great in the water.
Note: This material does not require that you keep it wet, so you can store it for long periods of time while rigged on your rod.
Conclusion
These Power Prawn lures will enable you to catch quality fish across all regions in areas where predator fish are feeding in the shallows even when other lures don’t seem to work.
The key is to practice the rigging and retrieve techniques shown in the videos above.
In a short amount of time, you’ll undoubtedly be catching more and bigger fish up in the shallows by using these unique lures.
Click here to order these awesome Power Prawn USA lures
Please leave a comment down below if you have any questions… I am here to help!
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
What effect if any does using Dr Juice Shrimp scent have on the material used for this lure.
Nothing other than simply making the lure more slippery
What is the best season for dock skipping power prawns? Best tides? Most of our canal docks are in 4-8 ft. Good tidal flow with mangrove canals nearby. SWFL
My favorite tide for dock fishing is when the water is low because it pulls the fish out towards the deeper section of the docks so they are easier to access.
As for seasons, it seems to work throughout the year… only difference is that different sections of docks work at different times of the year. For example, a dead end of a long canal without much water flow will not be very good during the summer months, but it could be great during the winter since it can hold a lot of heat.
Hi Luke. Love the power prawns! I’ve been very successful using these (natural) by themselves and also with some “doctoring”. On both the large and small ones I have used the chartreuse spike it (garlic flavored) to color the tails and also blackened the eyes with a permanent marker. Also since we have an abundance of live shrimp here in SE Louisiana and when fishing under a popping cork (murky water), I will tip the hooks with the tiny shrimp that come with a batch from the marina.
Thanks for posting the helpful comment Ron!
Have you tired these with a popping cork?
Here’s a lesson showing the Power Prawn USA used under a popping cork: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/popping-corks-mistakes/
Note: I only recommend using the popping cork if you’re fishing in murky or very churned up water.
After fighting the woes of trying to pitch live shrimp under docks from my kayak, I have decided to try switching to these power prawns. If I can catch a few fish with them to gain confidence, I’ll probably not go back to live bait. I also ordered some slam shady paddle tails to try. Wish me luck.
Glad to see that you are giving lures a shot. Just know that there will be a learning curve as you get used to skip casting and tweaking the retrieve to generate strikes. So please don’t give up if the early trials are not as productive as you’d like. Once you get the hang of it and build the confidence in relying on lures to consistently catch fish, the effort to get to that point is well worth it given the ease of all future trips not having to deal with live bait. Best of all, you can better manage the size of your catches by lure selection… the larger lures will weed out the smaller junk fish (for max quality) while going to a smaller lure will open the flood gates for fish of all types/sizes.
Hey Darrell….so did you try the power prawn yet? IF SO, what’s your experience?
TK YOU
Bertha, I haven’t tried them yet. Hoping to get on the water again this coming week. I’ll try to remember to come back and post results. I’ve caught lots of bass on soft plastics so I don’t expect a huge learning curve. We will see!
Loop knot on the helix hook. What knot are you using on the jigs?
Yes. I use the non-slip loop knot.
Good tips I had a question regarding the hooks being used because I bought a bunch of hooks for the Brazilian power prawns I really didnot want to buy anymore especially if they work for the new use power prawns considering I have tons of tackle already i hope you could and would understand and although this bait is primarily for clear water and the water here in jax fl is rarely clear except in very early spring and winter I do catch fish on other shrimp lures like my favorite the chasebaits flick prawn in jelly color a much more realistic looking bait then either power prawns they are not great for anything over about 5 ft to light weight and unless I add weight to the already weighted worm hook its rigged with it falls way to slow but a great bait for winter fish where slowness is needed but I’m hoping to use the USA prawns for deeper water around docks and pilings thanks for the info and all you do😉👍
I’m glad to see that you’ll be using the Power Prawn USA lures! For using the jig heads that were designed for the Brazilian Power Prawns, you’ll just need to use some super glue to enable the lure to stay up on the hook.
One trick is to put the glue on the shank and let it dry after having it form some points off of the shank.
Also, you can glue the lure itself onto the jig head as shown in this video: https://www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tip/super-glue-jighead-tricks/
Tutorial’s, R&D on fishing stuff, A wealth of knowledge. Thanks for all you do for our beloved SS Community. Can’t wait to apply this to the Power Prawn in the next couple days.
Thanks so much for making time to post the nice comment Jan!
So how is the slam shady color working out,is it as good as the original color and when should you use it.
The slam shady color seems to work best in murky water… especially if the water is chalky. But since shrimp don’t have white undersides like most baitfish, the natural color pattern seems to work best in clear to moderately clear waters.
I like to keep things simple, so I now only use this natural color pattern for Power Prawns lures, and I only use slam shady for paddletails since those colors seem to work best most consistently across the board for those imitations.
Upon receiving my new PPUSA I watched your video “Many Times”. I sacrificed one Shrimp while trying to center the hook. I placed my finger where hook is to come out but centering it is a challenge for me. Always ends up with a bend & not centered. What am I missing?
When rigging the Power Prawn USA lure on the 4/0 Hoss hook, aim for the middle of the “N” in the logo on top of the lure… that’ll ensure that it’s centered and it’ll ensure that the lure is not bent.
Note: Please know that it doesn’t have to be perfect… being slightly off will be fine as long as it’s not off the point where the lure helicopters around in the water during the retrieve.
Thanks Luke! I’ll look for the N , good to know!