Sorry to disappoint those looking for an article on shrimping, but this article is on bait. Not shrimp bait, but bait shrimp! With shrimp readily available in the harbor and creeks it is not only a good time for shimping, but is also is great time to catch up several dozen and float them for Trout, Bass, Sheepshead or Flounder. With strong local populations throughout most of the year and Florida bait shrimp available in most tackle shops the rest of the year, live shrimp are now available in the lowcounty all year and are an excellent bait.
Due to the nature of their swimming habits most anglers prefer to float shrimp and these days there are multiple different style corks available for floating. Here are a few different style floats and their most common applications:
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Cajun Thunder and Equalizer corks – These corks are most often used in the creeks fishing the grass or over shell rakes. These corks offer the advantage of being able to more or less jig the cork and though a series of rattlers mimic the sound of shrimp popping and attract fish. The one disadvantage to this style cork is it is difficult to change fishing depths as each time the leader must be retied to the proper fishing depth.
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Popping cork – Perhaps one of the oldest style corks these corks are cast with the bait and then worked slowly back to the boat like a top water plug. Several quick twitches of the rod tip cause the cork to pop like bait thus attracting fish. These corks are available in both a weighted and non-weighted version. I prefer the weighted as it eliminates the need for additional terminal tackle and they are easier to cast. Fishing depth is easily adjusted with this style cork making it a great choice for most locations.
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Float High cork – The old standby. These tall cylindrical floats are also available in a weighted and non-weighted version. I prefer the non-weighted floats fished with a small cigar weight matched to the float. The main line is passed through the cork and attached to the weigh and the leader