Sturgeon Baits

Sturgeon are bottom feeders. Their natural food will make the best baits. A lot of fishermen like to see what is in the fishes stomach. Then they can match the bait to what the fish are feeding on. I prefer to use Grass Shrimp at all times and locations. It's just not always available. I've ranked the baits in the order I like to purchase them.

Grass Shrimp: These are a small, naturally occuring, shrimp. They are netted in the bays by commercial shrimpers and distributed to local bait shops. The shops keep them in a tank and sell them by the pound. After major rainstorms the influx of freshwater wash them out to sea. They also become scarce during the many sturgeon derbies due to the demand. Unless your feeding them to junk fish a pound should be enough for two fishermen on an all nighter. 1/2 pound is least I buy although it's sold in as little as 1/4 pound increments. I thread the hook through the body starting at the head. Two or three per hook depending on size. Some folks impale them through the dark spot on their back but this uses a lot of bait. I have caught fish both ways.

Mud Shrimp: These are the largest of the shrimps for bait. Although they occur here naturally the ones the bait shops sell are shipped from Washington. You buy these by the dozen. I also thread mud shrimp on the hook. I start the hook in under the tail at about the second joint. Then sort of roll him over the bend until the point comes out his face. One per hook is plenty.

Ghost Shrimp: These guys are actually sand shrimp. They are smaller than Mud Shrimp and orange in color. They also go on the alone, threaded from the tail. Magic thread is wrapped around the tail above the eye of the hook to keep it from sliding down. Since Ghost Shrimp are not as durable as the others you will need to keep the hook freshly baited. I like to add a new shrimp alongside the old one, securing it with the thread.

More Baits

Most of these are good stand-bys to compliment or be used instead of shrimps. Sometimes when nothing is hitting a particular bait all it may take is something a little different on the menu. I will start the list of others with:

Pile Worms: Sold by the dozen and looking like long green centipedes these make exccelent hook tippers. I really like to use them in combo with any shrimps.

Anchovies: Frozen and sold by the bag or tray, they don't stay on the hook well. Sturgeon will eat them!

Herring: Also sold frozen by the bag. I have never used herring but it sells at the bait shops.

Nightcrawlers: Yes, nightcrawlers! When a lot of runoff due to heavy rain washes the grass shrimp out making it unavailable, give them a try. It has worked for me!

Keeping it Fresh and Alive

You are going to want to keep your bait as fresh as possible. The package you recieve at the bait shop will suffice for short trips or cold days. You will either get a soda or beer flat folded in half. This will work well if you can fit it in your ice chest or cooler where it will stay upright and dry. Even though grass shrimp is kept in a tank at the shop, do not try keeping it in water! A lunch or six-pac size cooler makes a great bait box. Fill the bottom half with ice and use a peice of screen or pegboard as a shelf to keep the bait dry.