# Ice Out Shad



## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Ice Out Shad

Guys, a few years back we hit Cowan right after ice out. There were dead shad by the thousands but tons of ones that were still swimming (barely) yet ready to die. I am guess would you pick up a ton of these near dead shad by nets while boating. Would these shad be effective as a frozen bait, or by this time have they lost most of their oils and things like that?


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## dinkbuster1 (Oct 28, 2005)

as long as you would use the dead ones imediately i think they would be ok. the dead ones i wouldnt freeze, they have been sitting just under the ice or on the bottom dead for who knows how long and would no doubt thaw out really mushy. the fact that they are floating shows that they are inflated with gasses and have started decomposing. years back before i knew how to throw a cast net i would go over to eastwood lake right at ice-out and pick up what little shad it offered and freeze them. if it wasnt almost dead, or was dead and still looked shiny with a little blue-ish tint to their backs (recently died) i would leave them alone.


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## joadb (Feb 19, 2007)

i have frozen large dying shad and they have worked for me,but something i have discovered is that right after ice out shad congregate at any warm discharge of water no matter what the depth.Last febuary i was catching them in 3 feet of water on portage lakes right by a creek mouth.There were hundreds of them well within reach of my cast net.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Yea, I knew the dead ones wouldnt be worth much, I was more wondering about the ones just under the water that look like they could die any minue. I may have to make a trip to Cowan at the end of the month.


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## joadb (Feb 19, 2007)

i think the dying ones work fine.Cats gorge themselves on dying shad during winterkill.Last year i caught a 10.5lb chanel on nimisila in febuary fishing near a creek entrance . There were dying shad all over the area.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

mellon..im glad you asked this question because at Tappan there are thousands of shad dying right at ice out and like you said thousands of the half dead ones everywhere too. i was gonna go out and get as many as i could get PERIOD now i think ill try to get the ones that are still kicking and pass on the dead ones !!! i want to get as many as i can get for the freezer in the Spring so i dont have to be out throwing a net in 90 degree temps !!!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Instead of gathering bait for future trips, you fellas need to be fishing now. When all those shad die, and the wind blows them to one side of the lake, guess where the channel cats are.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

As soon as that ice get off, I plan on making a channel trip to Cowan. It's a lake where my massive 9.9 Merc is king of the hill!!!!


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## wagonsarecool (Feb 26, 2005)

im sure everyone appreciates the info everone gives on here , but whats going to happen when you tell someone your tricks or your spots and they are fishing in your spot next time you go out? just something to think about.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I see someone is going to be a wealth of information. 
Come on now, we're talking about ice out channel cats. Not usually a lot of competition.


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## big_b16 (Oct 17, 2004)

Last 11 words of the question is the answer.


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## joadb (Feb 19, 2007)

wagonsarecool said:


> im sure everyone appreciates the info everone gives on here , but whats going to happen when you tell someone your tricks or your spots and they are fishing in your spot next time you go out? just something to think about.


none of us would be the fishermen we are if other fishermen didnt offer the info to us that they did.


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

yeah i can see that happening IF we were giving out specific locations but i dont think anyone has !!! believe me ive lost a few good spots by sharing them with others  , but like someone said the sharing of fishing tips is what makes these sites so popular !!


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2007)

Will the channels be in the shallows with the shad right after ice out?


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## Snobal (Jul 26, 2005)

wagonsarecool said:


> im sure everyone appreciates the info everone gives on here , but whats going to happen when you tell someone your tricks or your spots and they are fishing in your spot next time you go out? just something to think about.


Honestly???? I would introduce myself and hope to have someone new to socialize and fish with. I haven't MET anyone from this board I wouldn't want to fish with and share a few spots!


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Well with all of your massive 4 posts in two years, I can tell your one of the folks who are benefiting from others. 

I don't think there is a sole on here that prob doesn't know how to catch channel cats and you know what..... If they got any help from this thread, so be it, good for them.


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## poormanspalmbeachfishing (Feb 19, 2007)

i never really knew about the big "ice out shad" thing. never knew they died off like that or do that cycle or whatever - but thats cool man. if someone is uptight about a catfish spot, lol, then whatever DUDE


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## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

every year i go get some shad i try to stick with the ones still swimming at the surface..and they work great for channels and the occasional bass


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I catch a ton of barely alive shad each November when the water cools off and freeze 2-3 a bag for the next summer. They work just fine.
I leave the dead ones alone.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Lewzer, thats a cool picture! I bet a few days later it was not the rosey-est of smelling places..... Where was that if you dont mind me asking?

Yeah, for winter fishing, Ill wrap 1 shad per bag,( since we dont go through as much bait per outing as in the summer) but in Summer ill wrap about 3-4 in a bag with some ice water, and freeze so as I use it durringt he day, what I havent used is still semi frozen and i just thaw out accordingly.
Sometimes I just wrap them in seran wrap individually and then freeze them into a block, that way you can pull one off at a time and still have the frozen block in the cooler. Learned that from Dinkbuster

Salmonid


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## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

ooooh yeah that smell will put some hair on your chest...yeah i forgot about before the freeze they move in..you can see them swimming along the banks..cool pic


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

> Will the channels be in the shallows with the shad right after ice out?


 Yep, they'll be where ever there is a congregation of dead and dying shad.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2007)

cool:F Hopefully I can get out soon. Thanks for the info.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2007)

let me know if you wanna hit cowan soon. This post really got me pumped up again for cats. PLus I had a dream last night that I was slaying them on cut shad, so I think it may be a sign.


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Trap, that sounds like a plan. If your right around there, let me know when the ice is out & I can get my boat in there.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2007)

I will do.........


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

i cant wait to get out fishing, looks like weds or thurs of next week is gonna be WARM unless they change the forecast again before then !!


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## poormanspalmbeachfishing (Feb 19, 2007)

yeah brian we might have to meet up man hope the forecast stays for the good


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

That's the boat launch at E72nd or Gordon Park. When I opened the door of the truck the smell hit me and the wife like....you know what your hands smell like after handling them. Think thousands of rotting and decaying shad. It was like a wall of stank. 

Here is Edgewater Park on the opposite side of the wall where we fish for smelt.


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