Grass shrimp or ghost shrimp?
- Thread starter Ken Jones
- Start date
That’s pretty much correct Ken and not. Sacramento River, I’ve never really heard of anyone using grass shrimp.
The best sturgeon bait is what’s seasonal and what they are feeding on naturally. I would say the best frozen bait is lamprey eel (especially when you hit inland waters). Fresh salmon roe inland when salmon enter the river. Herring, when they enter the Bay. There is no exact formula however Ken. World record-holder Joey Pallotta: “forget all the exotic baits, I only fish grass shrimp.” Told me this in 1996 when I fished with him.
The best sturgeon bait is what’s seasonal and what they are feeding on naturally. I would say the best frozen bait is lamprey eel (especially when you hit inland waters). Fresh salmon roe inland when salmon enter the river. Herring, when they enter the Bay. There is no exact formula however Ken. World record-holder Joey Pallotta: “forget all the exotic baits, I only fish grass shrimp.” Told me this in 1996 when I fished with him.
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I'm curious about the lamprey eel given that its introduction as a bait was, in part, due to the difficulty anglers were having keeping mitten crabs from attacking bait. I never thought that it, in itself, was considered that good of a bait. In many cases it was added as a second bait so that if the mitten crabs ate the softer bait the tougher eel would still remain in place.
Don't tell anyone Ken (ha, ha) it really works. Even the boat captain's favor it. Wish I would have known about it years ago when I was fishing through the mitten crabs. The one bait you can leave out for two hours at a time (if you want) and it will still be there and be a viable bait to catch your sturgeon. Some people will dip it in some scent (like lamprey blood, bloody tuna, or sturgeon frenzy from Procure) to freshen it up between casts. Especially with the gel or the injection needle. Oh, and one note that Glen is always saying: Mr. Lee caught more sturgeon on frozen anchovies than many people at Point Pinole Pier. Sardines and American shad work, as well as squid and smelt... anything fresh!
Huh, American shad works for sturgeon? Good thing I’ve got an uncle that keeps a steady supply of it going. I guess I’ll try shad heads more for my heavier bay fishing rigs. Tried it once and didn’t catch anything, but then again, neither did anyone else on the pier. Guess I’ll try it again when he decides to drop off some fish.