Live shrimp are the candy of inshore gamefish. Trout, redfish and flounder will rarely turn one down. However, procuring a consistent stock can be challenging. To up your odds, it’s best to couple an area likely to hold shrimp with a little something extra.
“In June, the shrimp will be in the creeks,” said guide Wayne Crisco. “I’ll ride until I see them pop up in my prop wash. They’ll be in the grass at high tide and in deeper areas at low tide.”
Locals and captains usually know just where to go to load up, but weekend warriors could benefit from a little help.
Relatively new to North Carolina is a technique known as shrimp-baiting: the process of combining fish meal with a binder and dropping the concoction in areas holding shrimp to concentrate them for easier cast-netting.
For years, South Carolina sportsmen have mixed fish meal with mud or clay. David Gasque, a South Carolina native, has developed a product he calls Bait Binder that makes the process quick and easy.
“I pour the product into a container and slowly churn with water until I have a good even mixture,” said Gasque. “ I place two hockey puck-size patties 5 to 20 feet from the low-tide mark and use bamboo or some kind of pole to mark it.”
Gasque, who will place up to 10 poles with adjacent patties, makes sure to line those poles up with the tidal flow because it’s easier to steer the boat directly against the tide.
“I place the bait balls 5 to 6 feet perpendicular to the pole so I can get a good open cast,” he said. “Wait about 15 to 20 minutes and start casting a net over the baited areas,” said Gasque, who will make multiple passes over the baits until they are unproductive.
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