Shad at Lake Conway Spillway

[prince]

Just got back from Lake Conway spillway/dam - and there are a couple schools of shad

Not huge shad yet - but seem to range from 2"-3"

The spillway gates are not open so it's easy to walk under / along the base of the dam to get to the shad (if you don't have a sore back - like I do - I'll get them another day :)

BTW: Real reason I went over there - is because for the past week it''s been busy - lot of fishmen fishing below the spillway (when gates were open and even after they closed them)

I've seen a couple channel cats - but I think more people are fishing for crappie

Anyway just in case someone is looking for 3" shad - they are 'out at Lake Conway Spillway

BTW: Crappie fishing in the lake - at Green Lake - Hwy 89 bridge - has been great - a lot of slab (also hear Gold creek was 'hot' but report was that they were smaller than ones under the bridge or the ones I saw from Green Lake (fishing about 6' deep) - at bridge fish (slabs) were that deep or deeper (7-8')

My neightbors got a 2lb and 2.25lb off their fishing pier just around from the bridge - so at least a few are moving out of the channel into 4' water

[SeedTick]

Hey John, thanks for the report. I need to get down there and get me some bait.

st

[Pastor E]

Thanks for the report John:smile2:

[prince]

I noticed just before this last rain - when the spillway gates were closed - that the bigger shad are showing up - not huge but a school of 4-5" were showing up along with the 3"

It's been busy at dam - people fishing near shad so I keep putting off getting any shad

Besides the last 3 days - I've been catching a lot of bream - the good/bad news is most are barely keeping size bluegill - sorta big for trotline - but good news is I keep finding nice Redear mixed in with them. (only about dozen redear in 3 evenings (I only fished about one hour a day in PM - usually trying to catch bait thieves to save up for trotline bait (but keep catching keepers lately :)

Some nice slab crappie keep showing up - people come bye in boats - catching them a Dix Creek area yesterday - other day it was Green lake and under the bridge

Was up bait shop yesterday - heard them talking about Bream fishing past 4 days is really HOT

I guess I should be bream fishing more but I'm saving them for some friends n their grandkids that are coming today.

End of rambling - too early in AM to think

[prince]

After this last rain, the water is running over the top of the gates at the spillway i.e. gates not open but nice water flow - but you can still walk across (with care :)

Good News: There at plenty of big shad (7-8" long)

Bad News: There are so many drum that when you throw your net - you get dozens of drum and just a few big shad.

Worst News: Nice size redear were also there - Too bad it's not legal - I sure hated throwing back those big redear.

I picked out a baker's dozen of the 8" shad - from two throws- but could have gotten a lot more - except it was cold in my shorts and wet feet (around 6PM) -

Plus it was too much work picking the shad out of all the other fish (besides I was already tired from work projects all day long).

I did see one guy get lucky and got one net full of mainly shad i.e. he didn't have to sort much to get about a dozen or more in one throw - I was on far side and he was near middle

Also another guy was throwing down stream from the spillway gates and getting mostly shad but the school he was gettiing into were about 3-4" long - and I wanted the big boys :) :)

Bottom line: If you have the time to sort the shad - there are plenty of big ones - and the flow today was just right for walking out to get them. As long as they don't open a gate - they should still be there another couple days.

I had company and didn't get a chance to put out trotline tonight - so most of shad went in freezer (still have a couple that are alive - but at this size I'm afraid to use live ones - I might catch a catfish to big to handle :) :)

Tired - need sleep