# How do you net shad/skips?



## Catslammer (May 17, 2004)

What's the best way to catch shad and/or skips? I fish the GMR. Should I use a throw net? Do these come in different sizes? Where are shad usually caught? So many questions........any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Catslammer out.


----------



## flathunter (Apr 5, 2004)

Throw net for shad is the wat to go, you can snag them but it takes longer..Just get you a 4 or 5 ft mono castnet and you will be ready to go


----------



## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

Skips are usually in the Ohio River, sometimes the GMR near the Ohio. They are caught on sabiki rigs and/or 3-4 small jigs on a line with 2" curlytails. 
Shad are caught in throw nets, best to learn with a smaller net 4-5' before you get a larger net. I used my 5' net & got more quicker Monday as it opens better & also less weight, less weight- easy on the arm & quiker recovery to set up to throw again. If you're throwing from the bank, you will tear up your net quick on rocks & debris.


----------



## Catslammer (May 17, 2004)

Can I find shad in the shallow flats, or deeper water? 

Catslammer


----------



## Guest (Jun 30, 2004)

They usually congregate below dams and spillways.


----------



## dip (Apr 5, 2004)

the GMR is right across the street from the shack i live in..... have not been able to pop the 1st shad from the GMR!  reservoir spillways are great for shad but i gotta VENT!  2 SMALL spillways with NO FISH WORTH CATCHING ON ROD/REEL that i go to for shad almost ALWAYS have amateurs staking it out fishin for who knows what.


----------



## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

I net most of my shad from Clark Lake. There was just another hatch out there recently and the shad are plentiful. Monday I took my boat out and stocked up on shad for the freezer. There was a guy in chest waders over at the dam getting shad too. I was even catching them just making random throws in the middle of the lake. I never keep too many frozen, but I gathered about 4 dozen.


----------



## Catslammer (May 17, 2004)

Does anyone know of any good places around middletown to catch shad? I know of a few ponds. I work close to eastwood metro here in Dayton, so I may try there. 

How hard is it to keep shad alive in a tank? I'm getting ready to build a large garage and one thing I was thinking of doing was getting some tanks and keeping my own live bait if possible.

Also, where is clark lake?

Catslammer out.


----------



## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

> How hard is it to keep shad alive in a tank? I'm getting ready to build a large garage and one thing I was thinking of doing was getting some tanks and keeping my own live bait if possible


Maybe a huge tank with carbon filtration & a compressor to keep it cool...or run a filter line thru an old refrigerator/freezer to cool the water. I'm sure it would be possible, but probably way more work than it's worth. I bet you'd need something like a small swimming pool, then you always have the problem of keeping them alive to & from the tank.  For about $300-$00 you can purchase a tank to put in your boat or truck that will keep them alive a few days.


----------



## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

Clark Lake is in Clark county over near Springfield, very close to CJ Brown.

It is tough keeping Shad alive, they are very fragile, scales pop off in a heartbeat and then it cuts there gills, plus they dump ammonia like crazy which is a different problem in itself.

You need a round type tank, you need a filtration system, and the water has to move in a circular manner in the tank, and it can't be overpowering or they will tire out and die on you. The water temprature needs to be maintained cool as colder water will hold more oxygen vs. warm water.

Two things that are killers to them, overcrowding and Ammonia, overcrowding is easy to maintain, the ammonia is a toughy,ammonia will collect on there gills and keeps oxygen from being absorbed so they just will suffacate in the water, signs of ammonia poisoning are a red tint to the body along with a red nose condition but there are chemicals out there that will aid you and clean the water up.

When Shad get excited they drop there bowels which is nothing than pure ammonia, It is a byproduct from all the algae that they filter from feeding. Taking the water in a tank and spraying it out across the water is one way that allows the ammonia to turn back into a gas and it will then disapate into the air, chemicals called no Ammonia are added to the water to encapsulate the ammonia while it is in liquid form and then it is broken up when it hits the air.

The more water area you have the better survival rate with the Shad, the small ones are real hard to keep alive vs the 4-6 inch size. The water has to be kept clean to get rid of all the bad stuff they dump, I like to use a lot of Shad Saver, turns the water greenish in color, calms them down and maintains a slime coat on there body and gills, I also use pickling salt, it locks there scales down solid and when they breath scales it cuts there gills causing them to hemmorage and just adds more to the problem.

I have owned two of the best tanks out there, my latest is a Grayline baittank, 30 gallons and I normally can keep 4-5 dozen large 6-8 inch shad alive in it over a 48 hour period, I have to do several filter changes and sometimes a water change to maintain very frisky bait.

Bluegills are much easier to maintain as several people have used the stock tanks that farmers hold water in with a pump and a sprayer bar and will maintain them for a couple of weeks.

Shad are easy for me to get, sometimes it's tough but I catch what I know I will use when Lynn and I fish we will use about 3 1/2 dozen to 4 dozen Shad, depends on the bite, so far I have never had the luck to run out of bait. Gotten close a few times.

Doc


----------



## Catslammer (May 17, 2004)

I think I'll go for something other than live shad. Maybe I'll stick to goldfish. How long does it take to grow nice size goldfish? I was checking out the larger ones tonight at meijer. They were several $$ apiece. There is a lady down the road from me that has some for $1-$2 that are supposedly a nice size. I'd go for buying the $.16 and growing them.   

Thanks for the input. As an old school fisherman that used nothing but livers till this year, I really appreciate it. (going to cut shad was definately an improvement)

By the way, where does one find throw nets? Bait shop? I looked for them at Meijer tonight and was suprised they didn't have any. 

Thanks again.

Catslammer Out.


----------



## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

Because I like to drape mine on trees and large boulders I buy the ones at Wallymart for $15.00, good net holds up well even over the abuse I put them thru, I dropped the one I have right on top of an underwater tree in Tanners creek, tore out two Braille lines had to stop and repair but it's up and spreading again...............Doc


----------

