coon shrimp cure

im sure this has been asked on here a thousand times. but i checked the archive and got tired of sifting so ill just ask again. i want to put my own coon shrimp up for drifting steelhead. ive tried both a dry borax/procure shake on turn everyday method as well as trying to wet brine. i cant figure it out. my bait always ends up soft. anyone know a sure fire way of wet brining and or dry curing a good coon shrimp?

Pro Cure's website has a great one under prawn curing...it will give you step by step instructions...it's one hell of a process.

When I dry cured them I got a better result by not putting them in a bag and turning. Instead put them in glass bowl, turn & mix with the dry cure then leave in refrigerator uncovered for a while, usually overnight.

An aside: I prefer cured or raw prawns over the coon striped, easier to cure and results seem to be the same.

well i havent been able to find anything besides the coons small enough. these steelhead wont hit big bait. the smaller the better

I just get 51-60 count prawns and cut them into 1/2, or 1/4 for really small.

salt tends to harden things.....

Coon stripes are to brittle to drift...everytime you reel in the current rips the head off the body, Unless you don't mind rebaiting every drift. They're best float fished or stationary off the bottom. you could magic wrap them too tho!
As for cures I would agree with rotten chum, go with pro cures recommendation

Nate's Bait Prawn Cure.

It's a one step process.

More bites less mess.

I would agree that they aren't the best for drifting though.

Good luck!

boil them until they float, eat.

Go to the wind river market off Hwy 14 and buy a couple quarts,cheaper in the long run.Good luck,
SZ

Exactly what I was going to suggest. Cure them "whole" and cut them on site to the size bait you want.

Remember to store in individual day sized packages after making big batches.

i don't even bother curing my prawns any more. i like to get them thawed out, then freeze individually and bag them up. when i want to go fishing i'll grab a half dozen of them(i don't think i've ever used more in a day of steelheading) and toss them in the bait box, then cut them to size on the river.

+1

Just toss them in a big bowl, add cure, mix, and your ready to go.

well ive tried cutting the bigger ones into sections, but these fish will NOT hit shrimp without a head. i will look for nates bait. thanks.

anyone got a link? cant seem to find it

http://pro-cure.com/technique3.html

I'm glad the fish where I live aren't that smart. I would get skunked every time out!

Hey Mowsley, check out the pair of following how-to sheets from the Bait Lab on shrimps for steelhead:

Shrimp Science: Coon Shrimp

Shrimp Science: Simple Tiger Prawn

JS/NWWC