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Catching shad is just like catching any other fish. By that I
mean they follow patterns just like other fish do. So
learning to pattern them will greatly improve your chances
of catching them. But like other fish, they are sometimes
hard to locate. I will break this article down into seasonal
patterns that will give you the basics on how to locate
gizzard and threadfin shad. Plus I will also give some great
information on how to keep them alive. Hopefully, you already
know how to throw a cast net, but if not there is already a
lot of info on the internet about that subject that
you can refer to. |
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Spring |
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Early spring locating is up and down with the weather but shad can be
caught every day of the year. I like to catch bait in the
late afternoon this time of year and keep them overnight.
Shad are easier to catch on warm days. Locations would be
the backs of coves and creeks where the water has been
warmed by the sun all day. Look for stained water since shad
will rarely be in clear shallow water. Even if they are
there they are very hard to get a net on. You can also catch
them before daylight in the mornings around lights. You may
catch threadfins and gizzards using this pattern. Starting
in late April, the threadfins start to spawn and catching
them can be a one throw deal if you know how to find them.
You have to be on the lake at daylight and look along the
wind blown shoreline for white and blue herons. When you
find them, you will see the birds fishing them out and if you
look closely you will see shad flipping or you may see a big
black cloud of shad .Ease in and make sure to make a good
throw. Threadfin will spawn on just about anything that has
moss growing on it such as rocks, docks, and boats. They
spawn by hitting at about surface level and deposit the eggs
in the moss so you can see them pretty easy. Wind direction
is the major player for locating them every morning. |
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Summer |
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Summer gets a little tougher but I usually catch them before
daylight around marina lights and in the mouth of creeks and
coves. Sometimes the best way to catch them is to hang a
light over the side of the boat and just drift in the open
water. Afternoons they will move into some coves. |
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Fall |
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Shad move back into the creeks and coves but cold fronts move
them out into deeper water. Best bet is to try and get bait
before a front hits. Threadfins can be hard to get this time
of year but the gizzard shad that hatched in the spring are
usually big enough by the fall. |
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Winter |
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I usually don't fish bait in the winter but they are easy to
catch and not so easy to keep. Gizzard shad do fine in the
cold but threadfin will not last long. In the winter time,
the shad will group up into very dense schools, especially
when it gets really cold. Since they are grouped up, that
means you have to be in the right place or you get nothing.
Try deep coves and marinas. Nighttime is better then daytime
and as always check the lights. Winter can be tough but with
decent electronics and confidence you can catch more shad in
the winter than any other time of year. |
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Keeping Shad Alive |
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First thing you need is a good bait tank. I really don't have
much experience with anything other then a Grayline because
I have never used anything else, but you need something that
is at least 25 gallons. I use poly-fill for my filter and
please throw it in a trash can and not into the lake like I
have seen a lot of people do. A good tank will cost
$400.00-$600.00 but will last for many years. About the only
thing to replace is the pump and it is a must to always have
a spare pump. Next, you need a pump to fill and drain the
tank. I use a Rule 1500 and about 15 foot of bilge hose.
Just drop the pump in the lake to fill and drop the pump in
the tank to drain it. Some tanks have a drain in them but it
is a bad idea to drain saltwater into your boat. Next is a
plastic wash tub from the dollar store which will be used
for culling and counting bait as you move them to the tank.
Plus gizzard shad should never be put directly into a tank
because they need to go into the tub first so the excess
slim can wash off. With the tub you can easily dump out your
net without putting unnecessary stress on the bait. Fill the
tub about half full and keep the water clean. Always fill
your tank before you start catching bait and add a hand full
of stock salt for every 10 gallons of water in the tank.
When the water temp gets over 80 degrees you will have to
add ice to the tank and keep the temp below 80. Don't go
crazy with the ice because you can shock your bait if you
cool them off to fast and I would not cool it below 75. You
can get a thermometer at any pet store. |
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Basic
Fishing Math ...... Good Bait = Big Fish! |
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Remember ice has chlorine so you need to treat the tank with
Sure-Life Better Bait. I only use the Better Bait if I have
to ice the water or when keeping bait over night. Also,
another good product that I use from Sure-Life is the Foam
Off. Not going to go into why but foam= bad. The million
dollar question is how many shad should you put in the tank
and there are way to many variables to figure that out but
300 3 to 4 inch baits in a 50 gallon tank is about the edge.
You can always keep them better in the spring and fall but
really you will just have to find your limits for your set
up. Watch your bait close at first and if the bait is
swimming low in the tank you should be good but if they are
swimming close to the top you might want to pull some out
and cut them into chum. Here is another thing you can learn
the easy way or the hard way. When leaving bait unattended
at night always use 2 sources of aeration because pumps
sometimes burn out or get clogged, the best thing for back
up is a aquarium pump with a good diffuser stone. Always
leave the lid open enough to get fresh air into the tank but
watch out for birds getting bait out of your tank. If
there is a way for it to get in you could end up with a
snake in your tank because snakes love shad. |
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Editors Note: The
Fishing Blitz would like to thank Capt. Steve Barnes
for this great article. Capt. Steve is a
professional captain and guide concentrating on
specialty fishing trips for "studs" on Lake Texoma
and the Red River areas. He is USCG licensed and
also licensed in both TX and OK to guide you to the
fish of a lifetime. Check out Capt. Steve's website
at
http://www.txfishingguide.com/
and let him put together a
dream fishing trip for you.
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Blitz! ...... Into The Best Fishing
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