Live shrimp are a great bait for all types of saltwater gamefish, including the snook. The key when fishing with live shrimp is to hook them properly as not to kill them and keep them in oxygenated water to extend their lives. The use of a bait bucket with aeration holes that you can attach with a thin rope and drop into the water will ensure that you live shrimp remain lively and well until you are ready to use them.
How To Hook A Live Shrimp
The proper way to hook the live shrimp in a way that you will not harm the crustacean is as follows:
Look at the head of the shrimp and locate the horn (rostrum). The horn is a sharp protuberance right on top of the head which extends out in front over the eyes. Just behind the base of the horn is a dark spot that can be seen through the shrimp’s upper body (carapace). This dark spot is the shrimp’s internal organs and we want to avoid that area. The target location for the hook is to penetrate the shrimp’s skin under the horn and before the dark spot.
When hooked correctly, the shrimp will continue to jump around and try to escape even after it is hooked. This is what we want as we need the shrimp to move around freely and naturally when it is presented in the water after the cast. Free lining usually works best when using a feisty live shrimp, just toss him in and let them do all of the work.