Tackle tip for   Steelheading

Steelheader Legend: John Mair

by Peter MacPherson

There are lots of ways to rig up a ghost shrimp. They vary from simply hooking the shrimp through the tail and back, to using wire, toothpicks and "spider thread" in other elaborate ways. Here is what I believe to be the most quick and effective way to do it. Follow the pictures, beginning with the knot:
1. Tie a simple square knot in the middle of a 4" piece of 10# line. Insert both free ends of the line through the eye from the rear of the hook.
2. Tie your "snell" or "bait loop" knot over both pieces of line and the hook shank, leaving the knot trailing to the rear and the free ends extending through the eye in front of the hook.
3. Pull each of the free ends tight until the knot butts into your "snell" or "bait loop" knot.
4. Retighten your "snell" or "bait loop" knot and trim the end which protrudes to the rear. Cut the two free ends of the knotted line about 1 cm. long. Using the edge of your scissors and your thumb, draw the short free ends through until they start to curl. *note: Through these steps do not of course cut or damage your leader!
  With the shrimp knot and leader complete you can now hook up the ghost shrimp. The point of the hook penetrates the back of the shell, centered in the last segment to the rear of the shrimps abdomen. Wiggle the hook completely through taking care to make the smallest hole possible in the shell back of the shrimp. Now take the hook point and penetrate, from the belly side, the largest segment of the abdomen. With the hook point exposed up to the curve, the eye of the hook (with 2 curled lines) should end up almost at the tail. Provided you were careful when wiggling the hook through, you should find it quite difficult to get the hook eye to push back up the entry hole. The eye of the hook and curled line act like the bait barbs on a hook and prevent the shrimp from sliding down and off. As long as you are fairly gentle with your cast you will find the shrimp will stay on your hook for many casts.*note: Check regulations for possible bait bans before assuming you can use shrimp or other baits. Also be aware that a tidal water license is necessary to harvest ghost shrimp and that the maximum possession of ghost shrimp is 50.

Back to the Steelheader

Steelheader 

Archives