Low tide after cold front best time to find ghost shrimp

Low tide after cold front best time to find ghost shrimp

By David Thornton
Though pieces of fresh dead or frozen shrimp are the most used baits, beach ghost shrimp are natural baits most commonly found throughout the surfzone. But they are often the most difficult to procure. Gathering ghost shrimp with a suction pump is exercise for anyone and an exercise in futility for many beginners. But once you become successful and learn what to look for, and where, and when it gets much easier. Low tide the mornings after a cold front is the best time to search the beaches for the tell-tale inch high mounds of these burrowing arthropods. They look like three-inch-long soft-shelled saltwater crayfish, and everything that swims in the surf zone loves to eat them. But they easily fly off the hook when casting, so securing them on the hook with a piece of Magic Thread is the best way. This thin, elastic thread is available at many of the coastal bait and tackle shops that carry surf fishing tackle and have sales associates who can assist you where to find it and how to use it.