Catching shad for catfish bait?
Question:i am wanting to catch shad to use for bait for catfish.i need good size shad,and by that i mean like 6-10".
i plan on using rod and reel to catch these critters.
which brings me to the question:
what is the best bait to catch shad with?are artificial lures required to catch them or can i use live bait?
what kind of setup do i need to catch shad?
any help is great,thanx.
Answers:
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Well I usually wait till late summer when the big shad are out . I use a castnet . I find lots of shad at night near lights over the water. Now shad are fragile and hard to keep alive so I use them for bait but they usually die so they make the best baits for blues and channel cats.The best bait I have found for large flatheads was bluegill . I use them in all sizes I prefer hand sized ones. Also large shiners work or suckers that you can catch out of creeks work well.
As far as catching the shad , I hear some people snag them when they run up rivers(not sure if thats legal though) and I have heard small white streamer flies work.
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Go pick yourself up a throw net friend. Save yourself some time. I find catching your live bait in the area you plan on fishing to offer the best results. Looks like you're a flathead fisherman. Try catching yourself some palm sized sunfish(absolutely the best)and use them on a 7/0 stainless hook with one 3 oz egg weight. I too use a PENN 209 and 309 for flatheads. Match them BOTH up with a BWB1100 Ugly Stik rod and use between 40 to 60 lb test monofilament(not any braided or other crap.) line. Trust me, you'll see immediately what i'm talking about. Sunfish though(Bluegill work but they too have to be palm sized as well.) Biggest one i've caught to date (so far) one rod and reel has been 64 lbs on the Lamine River. And i always net my bait in the same place i fish. What i dont use i dump out of my holding bucket(that i tie off in the waters where i fish to keep my bait alive and well.) when i'm finished fishing. No waste that way. And if later i return to fish that area (or any other area for that matter) I repeat the same process. Shad however are hard to keep alive in captivity, so if they die before i'm done fishing. I take those home, package them whole, and freeze them immediately to use as bait when cold waters set in. There again, not wasting anything. hope this helps you some friend. get a 4 ft and 5ft throw net. they normally cost between 30 to 40 dollars for both. have any questions, email me. Catch some more big ones. If they're full of eggs though remember you might want to throw them back till after spawning season.Anyone ever used a coleman pontoon boat bass classie 8 seeking information about it?
I agree a Cast net is your best bet.Use a large (soft ball) sized ball of corn meal dough ball to attract them and cast away.GOOD LUCK and KEEP FISHING!!!!!!!Any ideas where i can buy a cheap pre-built kid's go kart?
A cast net would be much easier or even a seine! I sell guys a number 12 gold hook and some even buy the small size 16 to fish with. They use small chuncks of waxworm or wigglers and even bread!I use a umberella net and bread crumbs!
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