[Matt77]

Whats your favorite way to hook shad? I like to hook them through the eyes as long as there not too big and wont to take up too much of my gape in my hook. Which brings me to bridling. I tried it. Not sure if the cats dig the metal hook feeling all by itself though.

 

[Skunk_Ape]

Whats your favorite way to hook shad? I like to hook them through the eyes as long as there not too big and wont to take up too much of my gape in my hook. Which brings me to bridling. I tried it. Not sure if the cats dig the metal hook feeling all by itself though.

I hook them through the top lip only they live lonnger that way. They die sooner if you hoock them thru both lips, but their not goingk to live very long no mater how you hook them.

 

[JimmyJonny]

I go through the eyes a lot. If not, I go through both lips, for me, going through the top only keeps their mouth opened up and kills them faster, especially while drifting....Just my observations.

 

[223reload]

I hook mine through the eyes,then again wherever the Kahle hook point reaches,I use iced down shad ,as I cant see trying to keep em alive. They work well in the waters I fish.

 

[m slayton]

i prefer frozen or dead bait with the rare live blue gill as an exception.. i have found that presentation meants nothing to big old channel cats ... example i am now using a BIG 6/o circle hook from eagle claw and i hook the shinner / shad just behing the gills then hook it in the belly and then with a twist and squish i hook it the 3rd time in the boney part of the tail this makes the bait look very un natural but...... they don't give a hooot it looks like a big hunk of stinking bleading fish and they nom nom nom it any way so i belive unlike bass fishing or other fshing presentation meens nada for the cats in matt77's hot spot .
i came up with this style so i can cast from bank to bank and NOT cast my bait off!!! get a big hook and try it on a big hook you can hook a big shad - shinner 3 times and the juices get squished out <---- even better

 

[festus]

Through the eyes if I'm stillfishing. I do the same with crappie minnows. But trolling or drifting, I hook any baitfish through the lips.

Shad are hard to come by this year. At least they aren't where they usually are. We had weeks of weather that didn't reach above freezing over the winter. Big shad kills. TWRA says we had a good shad hatch this year but I've seen very few.

 

[tightline_69]

I hook mine through the jaw plate then back around two more time through the body or as many times as I can on a 6/0 to 8/0 hook.