Bubba Gump Trout Strategies

In the Oct. 2012 edition of Texas Fish & Game, I have a story called “Bubba Gump Shrimp” about myriad ways to use live and faux shrimp to catch specks.

Here are three of those techniques. Pick up the current issue or view the online version of you are a subscriber to get more.

Chester Moore

Carolina-Rigged Shrimp: Here is another one for soft plastics that will catch good trout, especially when you need to get down deep. Rig with a ½-oz egg weight above a swivel, attach an 18-24 inch long fluorocarbon leader with something like a DOA Shrimp. This can be great under the birds if you want to see out the big fish below the surface fracas or if you find big trout in deeper water in a channel.

Free-Lined Shrimp: Hook a live shrimp just behind black area on the head on a wide-gapped hook, put a split shot 6-12 inches above it and pitch this against rocky cover like jetties or rip rap. The only drawback (if you call it one) is sheepshead love it too.

Tandem Shrimp: Remember the old “Speck Rigs” that had two lures attached to one lead? Well,  you can easily make a tandem shrimp rig with either a soft plastic or live shrimp and drive the fish crazy. You might even catch two at a time. Texas-based Logic Lures has an awesome scented tandem rig that while not exactly a shrimp imitation mimics their shape and movements close enough to make it part of my shrimp buffet arsenal this fall.

To learn more about trout fishing pick up Chester’s book Texas Trout Tactics by clicking here.