Downsize Your Shrimp Imitators to Fool Lethargic Fish

I’d need a couple more hands to count how many times I’ve had the smallest shrimp in the livewell catch the biggest fish of the day. Why that is, I’ve yet to decipher, but the cliché saying “elephants eat peanuts” definitely stands true when fishing crustaceans.

Being that I tend to fish artificials more than ever nowadays, I applied this theory to soft-plastics on all inshore species with great success.

You have to modify your tactics and tackle a bit to really implement this, but it can pay dividends on those lethargic fish. Which is when I see this really out-fishing other baits; on opposite ends of the weather spectrum.

It comes down to the metabolism of a fish. During those harsh winter fronts, where water temperatures can drop drastically and a fish’s digestive tract slows, a big bait doesn’t seem so appetizing.

Scorching hot days during the summer, when the water is bathtub hot, metabolism of fish rises, but the oxygen level drops, and fish need whatever oxygen they can get to survive. This causes the sluggish behavior. Eating a small shrimp is a lot easier than catching a mullet or fast-moving pilchard in this instance.

When searching for small baits, I tend to like them under 3 inches. Two inches seems to be the sweet spot. Baits of this size are often hard to rig, let alone find a hook for. Companies such as Z-Man have recognized this finesse approach and offer hooks such as the Finesse Bulletz, which is a weedless hook that fits their 2-inch Salty Ned Shrimp, and comes in various weights. Ned style jigheads are also popular for this finesse presentation.

There’s a fine line with these baits, where they still land soft, offer natural action, but are heavy enough to cast. I love fishing lures like the 2-inch D.O.A. Shrimp around docklights, when fish are keyed in on tiny baits. To add a bit of weight, I like to add a split shot or two 8 inches or so up my leader.

Down-sizing your tackle really helps casting and fishing these baits. A lot of folks look at me crazy when I tell them I fish a 1000-sized spinning reel spooled with 8-pound braid, rigged on a fast-action, light power rod. Twenty-pound fluorocarbon is my leader choice. I can now cast a bait an adequate distance, plus I can feel even the lightest bite, which lethargic fish are notorious for. Yes, you’re going to lose fish to structure at times, it’ll happen. But getting a bite when it’s tough is better than not, in my opinion.

As far as action of these baits, a slow, subtle, hop near the bottom is typically best, this is where you will find lazy fish. And when I say subtle hop, I basically mean just a wiggle of the rod tip. Which is easy with the light tackle. I relate it to slow-fishing a worm for bass.

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• This article was featured in the December-January 2025 issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe.

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