Steelhead are actually a form of rainbow trout that have become anadromous. This means that they spend a large portion of their of the lives that sea, only returning to freshwater streams to spawn. While at sea, steelhead feed on a variety of crustaceans but prefer shrimp. Sand shrimp, also known as ghost shrimp, are a favorite food and work well as bait when fishing for steelhead.
Description
Sand shrimp are burrowing crustaceans that spend most of their lives living in a complex of tunnels beneath the surface of muddy tidal flats. They average from 3 to 5 inches in length. Somewhat resembling a crayfish, sand shrimp have translucent shells, colored from cream to pink and tinged with red or orange. Males of the species have one claw that is larger than the other.
Collection
While sand shrimp are commercially available at bait shops, anglers can also catch their own. The first method of catching sand shrimp is the Maori technique. Locate an area with sand shrimp burrow and simply jump up and down on the muddy soil. This will destroy the sand shrimp burrows, forcing the crustaceans to the surface where you can collect them.
The next method involves the use of a device called a "slurp gun." This device is a type of pump made from PVC and parts available at a hardware store. The angler places the pump over a sand shrimp burrow, and draws back on the pump handle to suck the shrimp out of the soil. The angler then empties the contents of the pump to reveal the shrimp.
Care
Once caught, sand shrimp need to be properly cared for. Keep the shrimp cool, preferably below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will keep them alive but dormant. Place them in a plastic container lined with a thick layer of moistened paper towels. Cool temperatures and moisture will keep sand shrimp alive for two to three days. While sand shrimp are best used fresh, they can be frozen and used later.
Rigging
There are many ways to rig sand shrimp. Many fishermen prefer to take the heads off and simply thread a hook through the tail portion. In another method the shrimp is left whole. The fisherman passes a 2/0 hook completely through the back of the tail, then back through the tail and finally under the carapace of the shrimp. A half hitch knot around the tail prevents the hook from slipping. Some anglers prefer to remove the large claw of male sand shrimp while other leave it, believing it presents a bigger, more attractive bait. Some also add fish eggs to rigged shrimp to provide additional scent attraction.
Fishing
Sand shrimp work best when temperatures start to rise toward 50 degrees Fahrenheit and steelhead begin to become more active and aggressive. Techniques for fishing steelhead with sand shrimp include float fishing with a bobber, drift fishing and bottom bouncing with a weight and a cheater or corkie to provide more buoyancy and flash. Many fishermen also like to slip a shrimp tail onto plugs or jigs to add scent to these artificial baits.
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