[elshale]

does it matter if the Shad is live or dead? Do specific types of Cats like this bate also?

 

[dafin]

Shad can be used any way , live, dead , cut . Almost every fish in the water feed on them.

 

[centralcalcat]

Out here in California, we typically use shad alive for the stripers and dead for cats, but we have caught fish vice versa too. ALive or dead, Shad is typically a good bait to have around.

-brian

 

[steveg442]

can they be precut and frozen to use later?

 

[BKS72]

Check out some of the threads on keeping them alive, it's pretty tough. My only choice has been dead, since I haven't had the time to put together a setup to keep them alive. The guys above are right, they work good either way. Just be sure you have a cooler and some ice so they stay as fresh as possible. I usually net them and throw them straight on the ice from the net. From there they go right in the freezer unless I'm catching them right before fishing. Seems to work well, when I thaw them to use they still bleed good.

 

[Tncatman]

all types of shad are great bait either dead or alive, you can catch everything from rockfish to muskie and everything in between. i like tightlining them alive for rockfish and just wait for the humps to come and its on. another technique i like is cutting their heads off and fishing on bottom for blues and rockfish alike, the same method 3oz sinker and a circle hook


skipjack are my favorite but gizzard shad will work to

 

[slqfan]

Do shad work if there are no shad found in the body of water you are fishing?

Thanks

 

[JERMSQUIRM]

im another that gave up on keeping them alive. its work that i can do without. i use bluegills for live fishing. shad for channels. i use anything form 6" whole and small gut pockets from 5" shad. ive had fiddlers caught on whole and 13er's on cut and the other way too. shad stink so catfish will usually take one if its feeding.

 

[shepdog]

You can use shad anyway you want. Fish in general will eat them up. If you want to try keeping them alive your best bet is to use a round container such as a five gallon bucket to keep them in with (what I like to use) an air pump that is rated for 2 to 3 times larger than what you are using.
If you want to keep some to freeze later you should get them on ice just as fast as you can after catching them. Make sure you drain all the water off them and they are dry before putting them in a ziplock bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and throw it in the freezer. Don't try to refreeze a bag once thawed out. The end result will be mushy shad. Hope this helps.

 

[CJ21]

Most people use them both ways.

 

[upsmanrichie]

I use shad alot, I get about 200-300 at a time with my cast net. I take em and put about 20 in a zip-lock bag and freeze them. I use them in a lake that does not have them and they work great. I catch yellow perch , cats , bream, bass and crappie. justa bout anything will eat em.

 

[warcraft1975]

cant go wroung with freash shad live or dead all cats will eat it