Hammockben1
Senior Member
I am new to trying to gather shad and sites anyone have any good pointers to locating them or time off year or anything to help out?
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Shad
- Thread starter Hammockben1
- Start date
Right now, as of this weekend anyway, there are tons of shad in the backs of any creeks/pockets on West Point. As the water gets colder, they will move out into the main creek and river channels. This pattern is usually true on most lakes in the South.
Hammockben1
Senior Member
I've only been to west point once. I wonder if I could do the same in Jackson lake or even along the rivers here in the mid
Thunder Head
Gone but not forgotten
It also can depend on what type and size of shad your looking for.
As of monday. All the bait of any size was below 20' depth range on hartwell. There was some very small baits in the very shallow backs of creeks. Im talking crappie minnow size. Its been that way for several weeks now. It was that way on clarkeshill 3 weeks ago.
Makes bait very hard to catch.
When the water gets cold enough. They will return to the shallows were it will be warmer than the main lake.
In general:
The creeks are good. Could be anywhere from the mouth to the very back.
Bridge pilings regularly produce a few.
Concrete boat ramps do to.
At night any dock lite. Or you can put one out and wait a bit. Turn lite off and throw net. Its pretty easy if you have side scan.
As of monday. All the bait of any size was below 20' depth range on hartwell. There was some very small baits in the very shallow backs of creeks. Im talking crappie minnow size. Its been that way for several weeks now. It was that way on clarkeshill 3 weeks ago.
Makes bait very hard to catch.
When the water gets cold enough. They will return to the shallows were it will be warmer than the main lake.
In general:
The creeks are good. Could be anywhere from the mouth to the very back.
Bridge pilings regularly produce a few.
Concrete boat ramps do to.
At night any dock lite. Or you can put one out and wait a bit. Turn lite off and throw net. Its pretty easy if you have side scan.
mlbowfin
Senior Member
like Thunder Head said, at night under a light! I always throw a handful of rock salt (ice cream) salt into the tank. it tends to keep them frisky for a while
Rhodes
Senior Member
Hmmm....never heard of this trick. Do you know if it would also work with purchased minnows (tuffy's)?
mlbowfin
Senior Member
doubt it, shad are naturally salt/ brackish, minnows are not. minnows do pretty well without adding anything. keeping the water cool helps minnows. freeze a bottle water and put in bucket or tank
Hammockben1
Senior Member
I do the same thing when I catch catfish in tournaments and catch live brim for bait
brianj
Senior Member
building on the original post - i can find tons of shad, but most are deep. what's your go to net (diameter & mesh) for catching shad in the winter? throwing on Lake allatoona
thx
thx
Hammockben1
Senior Member
I am not sure what others are using but I have a 10 ft net I am using. I just don't know where to catch any in my area. The closest lake I can not use a net
Thunder Head
Gone but not forgotten
Brianj,
When they go deep it makes it tuff. Especially in the daytime. Unless you can get right over the top of a big school they swim out from under it. Even then you rarely catch bigger ones.
The more weight per foot on a net will make it sink faster. Mesh size is determined by what your trying to catch.
For small baits like threadfins and bluebacks we use 3/8 mesh 8'. Heaviest weight you can find.
For bigger gizzards i use a 5/8 x 8'. I think its 1.5 lbs. per foot. Mostly the small baits will swim thru the mesh.
If the water gets cold enough the shad will return too the shallows were the sun makes it just a little warmer.
When they go deep it makes it tuff. Especially in the daytime. Unless you can get right over the top of a big school they swim out from under it. Even then you rarely catch bigger ones.
The more weight per foot on a net will make it sink faster. Mesh size is determined by what your trying to catch.
For small baits like threadfins and bluebacks we use 3/8 mesh 8'. Heaviest weight you can find.
For bigger gizzards i use a 5/8 x 8'. I think its 1.5 lbs. per foot. Mostly the small baits will swim thru the mesh.
If the water gets cold enough the shad will return too the shallows were the sun makes it just a little warmer.
across the river
Senior Member
You do it with freshwater fish, and is even done with aquarium fish to some extent. Catching the fish in a net, removing it from the tank, etc... stresses the fish which increases its cellular activity in the body which causes it to use energy, give off ammonia into the tank, and increase the sodium concentration in the dishes body. By increasing the salinity of the tank water you reduce then concentration variance of sodium (salt) between the fish and the water in the tank and reduce the amount of energy the fish has to use to try to achieve balance by expelling water, which is typically a lot in freshwater fish since they have more salt in them than in the water. You more importantly have to pump the tank with oxygen so the cells can produce energy through aerobic respiration, which uses oxygen. Oxygen is the main need to keep them alive, but salt helps reduce the energy usage of the fish while they are stressed by preventing them from have to spend extra energy regulating their salt to water concentration.
