Help with sandshrimp

[drift fishing fool]

hey all,
i need some sort of a way to make a sandshrimp really hard. i thought freezing might work but it needs to stay solid for about 5 hours. it also needs to hold its shape during this time. got any ideas? would curing them like eggs stiffen them up? would love to tell why i need them like this, and i will when the time is right, but for now it must remain top secret

[MADWIZERD]

plaster :grin:

[David Johnson]

Freezing them will probably make them softer.

What about the Pro Cure bait preserver? Fisherman's or BC Angling should have it.

[big n bright]

Epoxy resin!! :grin: :grin:

[Hoosier Daddy]

What about formalin or formaldehyde type stuff??
Epoxy might actually work if you thinned it down. There's a way to do that, try some searches.

[Sliderite]

How about spraying the sandshrimp with a spray can of lacquer or other type of fast drying finish. Maybe brush shellac on the shrimp. I think you are trying to make an exact mold and if you do.. make sure you have a place to inject shrimp scent. :wink:
Good luck and let us know of your results.
Madwizerd's suggestion of plaster is also a good idea.

[ 11-29-2002, 07:43 PM: Message edited by: Sliderite ]

[skrimmy]

Bionic Brine....www.bugembait.com Works great for brining plug cut herring, firms it right up. Might be worth a shot on your shrimp. Or, go with the plaster like Madwizerd said :grin: :grin:

[MasterCaster]

What about just drying them? I have seen them on the river banks in the summer that are solid and stiff just from being left out in the sun.

just a thought

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

[Snapset]

I have tried preserving shrimp, and in my opinion, it can't be done without seriously compromising the taste of the bait. A couple options I would recommend are to get some very thin netting, and wrap it around the shrimp with Stretchy String, after the hook is in place. The other is to put a few shrimp in the blender. Then take 2 4" pieces of White or pearl fat yarn, and sandwich a Piece of orange, Pink or Red yarn between them. Put some tiny rubber Bands around the yarn to bind this together. Rub the shrimp paste into the yarn, then mold to shape on a 2 hook leader, and freeze until ready to use. If you are reasonably artistic, you can make this rig look as well as smell like a sand shrimp having a very bad day.

[First Light Bite]

If your molding :whazzup: send me and e-mail I may be able to help. There are lots of materials that will harden faster than 5 hrs.
:wink:

[POS Clerk]

Freeze dry and then baste with some cyano-acrylate (Super Glue) :wink:

Sautee, then serve to your in-laws :shocked:

[ry]

dry ice??

[cannonball]

dip it in liquid nitrogen found at your local gas dealer.

no not that kind of gas, welding gas. :rolleyes:

[drift fishing fool]

well, thanks to all that replied, very helpful. sliderite, shhhh! and i think im going to try the laquer idea. not trying for an exact copy though, just want something a little more fishy than a pink worm. first light bite- i pour plastic worms for my bass fishing all the time. i make custom molds for myself out of a 2 part rtv silicon. i dont know what you are product you are talking about but the stuff i use is extremely durable and makes very detailed molds

[Hummingbird]

I was going to say "soak it in cider" :grin: :cheers:

[Pitch Pocket]

compromise the taste? How bout adding a little salt and cayenne? I like them with a little bite.

[Snapset]

Hey Rhansme,
your question is not quite as silly as it sounds. I have been asked several times by bay strollers what I was doing while I was pumping sand shrimp. One reply I would like to give them is: after they have seen me pump a few shrimp, and asked: "What do they taste like?", I have thought about saying, "Just like an oyster, they are better when they are raw."

I can't bring myself to do it, but I bet I could talk someone into eating one, if I was willing to stoop that low. As well as get sued for making someone sick by eating raw sandshrimp.

On the other hand, one time I boiled a mud shrimp, peeled the claw and tail, and ate the meat. It was not particularly good, and there wasn't much of it. The next time I do that, I will be very hungry, I will guarantee you that.

[ 12-03-2002, 09:48 AM: Message edited by: Snapset ]

[rhansme]

hehe....I always thought they would taste like chicken.....

[rhansme]

Hey Snapset..How do they taste?....I always let the fish taste them, however they never talk to me and let me know about the flavor!