CrustaceanintermediateFlorida Keys & South Florida
Spawning Shrimp
$8.95
Available Sizes#2 - #6
Color Variations
Tan/OrangeRoot Beer/OrangeOlive/Orange
Permit have an obsessive relationship with spawning shrimp that borders on the pathological. This pattern replicates the egg-laden shrimp that ride the tides across the flats in late spring, complete with an orange egg sac that acts as a visual target roughly equivalent to putting a neon sign on a snack. The EP body breathes in the current while the egg sac says 'high-calorie opportunity' in crustacean.
Quick Facts
TypeCrustacean
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsSpring, Summer
Target SpeciesPermit, Bonefish, Redfish
Sizes#2 - #6
Best LocationsContent Keys, FL; Marquesas Keys, FL; Florida Bay, FL
Where to Fish It
Content Keys
FL · Flats
Marquesas Keys
FL · Flats
Florida Bay
FL · Flats
Map unavailable. Locations for Spawning Shrimp: Content Keys, FL; Marquesas Keys, FL; Florida Bay, FL
Related Reading
region guide
Florida Keys: Chasing the Flats Grand Slam
The Florida Keys Grand Slam — bonefish, permit, and tarpon on the fly in a single day — is saltwater fly fishing's ultimate test. It demands mastery of three different species, three different presentations, and an almost unreasonable amount of luck. Here's how to stack the odds in your favor.
species science
The Grey Ghost: Bonefish Biology and Behavior
Bonefish appear as shadows on the flat, eat with the subtlety of a vacuum cleaner, and run like they've been personally offended by your hook. Their biology — from tidal feeding patterns to crushing pharyngeal plates — explains every frustrating refusal and every screaming run.
species science
The Holy Grail: Why Permit Are the Ultimate Challenge
Permit are the most selective, most maddening, and most rewarding fish in saltwater fly fishing. They eat crabs, they refuse crabs, and the difference between those two outcomes is a mystery that has consumed anglers for decades. Here's what science and experience have taught us.
hatch guide
Saltwater Forage: Matching the Bait
In saltwater fly fishing, there are no hatches — there is forage. Mullet, shrimp, crabs, baitfish, and worms drive every feeding event on the flats, in the surf, and along the mangrove edges. Understanding the forage base and matching it precisely is the difference between a fish of a lifetime and an empty line.
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