# Why am I having a hard time grabbing shad?



## Shaun69007 (Sep 2, 2009)

I have been throwing in my normal spots around buckeye lake and dillon dam and am having a TERRIBLE time grabbing some. I have been buying frozen shad at the bait shops in Buckeye Lake and they are expensive and quite rotten. not even worth screwing with.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Weve been strugling at rocky fork lake too. We did find a pattern though. We found some docks that had a weed endge about 2 foot off of the end of them and started catching huge shad on the weed edge in the middle of the afternoon. I tried the normal spots at night.....ones with lights. ..and I didnt find them there. 

We always have a problem findinf shad this time of year.....not much different with the cats either. Cant wait for august. Lol 

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## whodeynati (Mar 12, 2012)

I know people that go to a smaller lake around me. They throw and throw and throw and they eventually get some. As for me I will sit and wait on them to surface. It may be slow and boring. But the shad won't come close if someone is casting every 2 minutes. That's just me though. 

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## Star1pup (Aug 3, 2004)

Are you guys throwing bait or a cast net? I didn't think shad bit bait. Am I wrong?


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

post spwn for Shad also, they are moving into deeper water, I been finding them lately on the close drop offs into deeper water at the very end of my cast net rope, sometimes I double up and exend the rope for a few more feet. also helps if you have a heavier net so it sinks faster into deeper water, also when you throw into deeper water, you really need to be making good throws as the nets tend to pul close as they sink. does that make sense? the drag of the netting slowly closes the net as it sinks. 

Im in the throw till my arm falls off category until I get a enough to fish with... LOL

Salmonid


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## Boostedawdfun (Sep 15, 2012)

I was only able to net 2 yesterday but they were huge. 1 was 8" and the other 9 1/2". How big can shad get?


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

we call shad that are between 12"-16" "Sumo" shad!! LOL 
8-9" shad are medium ones but really the best size I like when fishing for channels. right now last years shad are 8-9" so thats wh there are a ton of them around that size.

Salmonid


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## Boostedawdfun (Sep 15, 2012)

Wow I didn't know they got that big. I took them down on the scioto last night for red white and boom and fished out of my kayak while waiting and watching the fire works. It was amazing but only had my line run 1 time and missed whatever it was.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Salmonid said:


> we call shad that are between 12"-16" "Sumo" shad!! LOL
> 8-9" shad are medium ones but really the best size I like when fishing for channels. right now last years shad are 8-9" so thats wh there are a ton of them around that size.
> 
> Salmonid


Rocky fork lake is loaded with those sumo shad. Lol. I prefer smaller ones for channel bait. A 10 inch shad in 3 pieces is perfect bait.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Salmonid said:


> also when you throw into deeper water, you really need to be making good throws as the nets tend to pul close as they sink. does that make sense? the drag of the netting slowly closes the net as it sinks.


It think the net closes faster than most people would expect. If I am throwing in more than a few feet of water I don't even let it go to the bottom. Why risk the snag when you are only using less than 50% of your nets area. I guess I may be missing out on some shad at certain times but im not going after a net in 6' of water like I do in 2' of water. 

One of my nets is a 1/4 nylon, pretty much useless in water deeper than 18". 
I use it in clear shallow creeks for smaller baitfish. But in a pinch it will catch surface shad.

I used a 5' rad. 3/4 inch double wheight one time, that thing would reach out and grab some fish. Buddy use it for suckers. 

They don't make the ropes long enough. I save my old ropes and double up if needed. I have closed nets in mid air a few times trying to reach a surface school. If you are at the point of leaning to give it more rope when it hits water then I assume that its pulling itself closed twice as fast while it sinks.


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## Star1pup (Aug 3, 2004)

Okay. I bought a 4' net and will try to learn to cast it. Can an old dude learn this?  I live on a shallow cove and in the spring this cove is black with small shad. I wish I could find a way to keep them alive for catfish & walleye bait. There are bigger ones here too. Maybe freeze some for summer?


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Whatever you do, don't put any part of the net in your mouth. I don't know how many videos or people I have seen do this and it is stupid and nasty. I don't care how big the net is, it is not necessary to put it in your mouth.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

most folks put a nights supply into zip lock bags and then freeze them fo later use, not quite as good as fresh but still works fine. 

I agree look at Youtube for a way to throw a 4-5 ft net without using teeth, that will just get you in trouble down the road somewhere. 

I was out yesterday at Acton Lake getting bait for tonight tourney at East Fork Lake and it took me almost 3 hrs to get enough for 2 people tonight. ( about 40 smaller ones in the 4-7" range.) I was in a boat and all over the freaking lake trying to find them, 3 throws get 1, 3 throws get 2 then 3 throws to get 1 more like that all afternoon. the most i ever got in 1 throw was 2 so they are all scattered out now and most came in 4-8 ft of water, never saw any flipping and had to let net go to the bottom to get them.

Just keep after them, they will come... like mentioned before , always keep a few bags in the freezer for when they are hard to find. 

Salmonid


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