while shad may lack the glamour and cachet of well-known game fish like bass and trout, they put up a robust fight on light tackle, and many shad weigh in at 5 pounds or more, and you can use a variety of live baits and lures to entice them onto the hook. shad are not programmed to feed while they are spawning, so many anglers use artificial lures to trigger a reaction strike. the most common shad bait is a small jig known as a shad dart. most of the small jigs commonly used for crappie and bluegill can also be used to catch shad. spring is prime time for shad fishing, and these fish tend to be scattered and hard to find throughout the rest of the year. two species of shad are commonly sought by anglers: american shad and hickory shad. american shad inhabit waters on both coasts, while hickory shad are exclusive to the eastern seaboard.
a light-action spinning or fly rod spooled with 6-pound line is fairly standard for shad fishing. fishing from the bank is possible in many areas, but a boat allows greater mobility, which can be a big help because shad typically congregate in specific areas. the best places to find shad are areas where fast current forces fish to bunch together in the slacker water between the current and the shore. in many areas, shad are classified as non-game fish, with few or no restrictions on size and the number of fish you may catch. for example, the state of washington has no limit on shad, but oregon does. shad can be prepared baked, broiled, smoked, fried or pickled. since starting out as a writer in 2009, he has written for usa today, the national parks foundation and livestrong.com, among many others, and enjoys combining his love of writing with his passion for hiking, biking, camping and fishing.
the shad spawn is a phenomenon that serious bass anglers look forward to as soon as it ends. this is just a top 10 list of baits and not a full explanation of the shad spawn. this is a tell-tale sign that the shad spawn is active where you are. if a cloud of bait is following your bait, it draws the attention of the bass. it is by far the best during the shad spawn. i love a white swim jig here. the swim jig also is weedless so it can go over and around a lot of the shallow grass and bank debris that the shad spawn on. it can also be fished fast so that is the reason it is number 2 on this list. the bigger swimbait can be fished pretty fast, has a good vibration so bass can track it, and can be power fished. my only drawback of the swimbait is that it does not have a twitch ability or trigger potential like the spinnerbait or swim jig. i throw the missile baits shockwave 3.5 in a shad color (frosted purple and fisholicious are my favs) on a 3/16 ounce ball jig head. the bass are still there waiting to find a shad slipping but are not fooled big bigger baits.
it is great around shallow grass where the shad spawn. the popping version of the spro bronzeye is really tough to beat during this shad spawn. it is hard for me to not throw the original spro little john 50 in a shad pattern if i pick up the crankbait rod. the profile and vibration are keys and get bit around the shad spawn. it is a good option for covering water fast and giving the fish something to key on. the strikes are a ton of fun when they do get it. some people think the chatterbait and spinnerbait are interchangeable but that is not true. i love that missile baits shockwave 3.5 in a shad color on the back of it. i have limited experience using it during the shad spawn but i know that i like how much water you can cover and how the bass smash it. the old toad or kicking legs frog is a good option in some situations. you can throw this bait over cover that you can’t get any other bait through. it is a must have for some shad spawn bites in grassy lakes.
the best bait for american shad are small, artificial lures including jigs, spinners, spoons and similar lures. shiny or brightly colored lures work best, shad darts fishing lures dart head jig underspin bucktail hair jigs head for american shad bass walleye crappie panfish 1/16oz 1/8oz 1/ this pattern of a shad fishing lure can be found on swimbaits, crankbaits, topwater, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and spoons. large schools of, best lures for shad, best lures for shad, shad fishing rigs, shad lures for bass, shad spoon lure.
live baits including worms, small minnows and grubs can be used to catch shad, but artificial lures are usually more effective and considerably more economical. the most popular baits for shad are shad darts, curl tail grubs on a jig, and small spoons. rig them in tandem with one on top and one on bottom you can also fish jigs and darts under a bobber. slip floats are the best type of bobber to use for this style of fishing because you can easily, shad fishing season, how to fish for shad from a boat, shad fishing delaware river, shad lures for striped bass.
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