I had one old man on the boat who spend most his life running long range boats out of California. He swore that kittens were the best ling bait he'd ever used. I tied him on a black scampi and he limited on 2 fish over 40 lbs, still swore by the kittens though. For a little bit of preventive mainenance, try wrapping to bodies of your scampies with electrical or duct tape when they're brand new. It seems like a horrible way to treat a new lure, but they'll last much longer, and I haven't noticed any difference in their effectiveness.

david