Shrimp Lure Size, Color, & Rigging Selection Tips [What Actually Matters]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Choosing the right shrimp lure size and color can make a big difference in how many (or few) fish are caught.
We also must factor in depth coverage, casting distance, and snag resistance to make sure we have maximized fish catching with minimized frustration.
Most importantly, we need to make sure correctly prioritize these various factors so that we can consistently get good fish catching results every trip.
This new video lesson below explains what I have found so far in selecting the right shrimp lure for the conditions across the seasons.
Plus, you’ll see which factor matters most of all so that you can make sure to focus on it more than the others.
Shrimp Lure Size, Color, & Rigging Tips
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Thanks Luke another great video.
Why do soft plastic lures need to NOT be stored with dissimilar plastic lures? I see this caution on most lure packaging including the power prawns.
Because some soft plastics react with one another end end up ruining the lures. Here’s a lesson with details and pics: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/never-store-these-lures-together/
I have not (yet) tried the power prawn. I remember waaaay back when DOA Shrimp was the only shrimp lure on the market. I had success with it under a popping cork only. Then Mark Nichols came to speak at our Inshore Club meeting and he said the #1 mistake anglers make was fishing them too fast. He was right! Once I slowed down and fished it the same as I would a live shrimp, I started catching. I live in NE FL (JAX) and we dont have many clear & shallow water applications. 95%+ of the time, we are fishing either dark/stained water, deeper water, or it has a mud bottom. Plus the current/tide is always ripping here. I use a lot of “carolin rigs” with heavier weight to get it down if I’m not on the shallow mud flats. I’ve had the most success with the white glow and another that is red with gold flake. I dont remember the actual DOA names because the packages are not around. But I soaked them in pogy oil for months and it altered the colors (and definitely the scent) quite a bit. Still seem to work the best for me though. Any thoughts to expanding the PP colors? Something in the New Penny or Rootbeer – both with gold flake? I am a big fan of the Alabama Leprechaun & Gold Digger colors. I think those additions to the PP would work well for deeper/darker water as well.
Thanks for posting the helpful comment James! Yes, we’ll absolutely be adding more colors to the Power Prawn offerings soon.
As for retrieve speed, I think a big reason why the DOA shrimp work best on a slow retrieve is due to the legs that cause a lot of drag in the water… if the lure is retrieved anything other than super slow, it does not have natural looking movement in the water.
Awesome! Glad to hear that. Interesting, I had not really considered the legs could do that. I’ve just always used a paddle tail if I wanted/needed to a faster retrieve
I just ordered some Power Prawns, and they are awesome. Caught a Spanish Mackerel and a large Speckled Trout.
So glad to see that you are getting results so quickly! Thanks for sharing.
I have used shrimp tail jigs since 2004 to catch snook mostly.
my favorite colors have always been a gold color with some metal flake in it.
Colors like Rootbeer metal flake, Cuervo Gold or Spicy Gold from Hogie Lures and their Chubbie Shrimp. http://www.hogielures.com/chubbe-shrimp-tails/
You should consider something similar to these colors. http://www.hogielures.com/chubbe-shrimp-tails/
FYI this was from Dave Justice in 2000.
Jig tails vary according to an angler’s preference. Once you find one that works, stick with it – but take at least 20 or 30 per night and carry a variety of colors. Justice raves about his choice for tails, Hogie’s Chubbe-Tail Shrimp (409-543-1123). Made in Texas, these shrimp imitations prove stocky enough to handle larger jigs and attract monster snook. Justice finds the avocado
color most effective in darker water, while the more natural-looking cuervo gold works well in clear conditions.
Thanks for sharing the helpful details from Dave Justice. I met him a few years back… seems like a very nice guy, and he certainly has a unique knack for catching giant snook.
Thanks for sharing the intel Jeff!
Great stuff in this video. Up here in the Big Bend, Gulp shrimp in new penny is always a safe bet.
For the both the shrimp and paddle tails, you guys should really think about adding chartreuse to the color choices. In my experience, chartreuse is effective in near any type of water
Thanks for making time to post the helpful comment Andrew! We’ll be sure to test out a chartreuse tail to see how they perform.
Luke thanks for the lesson! One question though, should you use the rattles all the time or are there specific situations that they should only be used in?
I think they do more good than harm in pretty much all conditions, so it’s smart to use them. I used to think they’d spook fish in clear and calm conditions, but I had a battle rattle cavity in the PP USA on this sight fishing opportunity in super clam/clear water, yet this snook stalked down and struck the lure: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/sight-fishing-lure-retrieve/
First and foremost, thanks for the lessons, advice, tools and the necessities of tackle along with a community unlike no other. Confidence is in no short supply and tight lines with quality fish are the new norm.
DOA/Gulp were the go-tos, dayglow/natural & new penny
Power Prawns, Original and more so the Juniors, either ned jig or twist lock depending on the situation, always with scent and battle rattles. Can’t get enough!
Thanks so much for making time to post the nice comment George!
Hi Luke, Just joined 2 weeks ago… I live up in N.W. Florida area Santa Rosa Beach 12 miles east of Destin been catching some nice Reds & Specs on your Power prawn shrimp on the flats can you tell me the correct way to rig under a popping cork? thanks again
For areas like that with clear water, it’s generally best to not use popping corks so that you can more effectively get the lures down to the bottom closer to the fish.
But if you do want to use popping corks, these shrimp rigged on a ~1/4 oz jig head does a good job. Here’s a recent lesson for using popping corks that features the Power Prawn USA Jr lures: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/popping-corks-mistakes/
Enjoy the explanations.
We had just placed an order and received it going tomorrow and try those juniors already like the big ones and the bombers seem to be getting hit on the flats trolling.
The battle rattles are good for murky water dark water we assume would like to see some tests on that
Voice typing
Thanks so much for making time to post the comment Sonny!