For those who don’t know what a shad spawn is, it occurs each year towards the end of the bass spawning period. For a few days or sometimes weeks, each morning right at daylight the shallows come alive with thousands of shad rubbing along some type of cover to lay their eggs.
How do you know when Shads are spawning?
“The shad spawn always happens first thing in the morning in low-light conditions,” Scroggins said. “This gets the bass feeding early because the food train is coming through in the morning.” No doubt, if you get a late start and roll up anytime after the sun’s full emergence, you’ve missed some valuable fishing time.
What do you throw while shad spawning?
Here is the list of my top 10 baits to throw during the shad spawn.
- #1 – Spinnerbait. The spinnerbait is the best.
- #2 – Swim Jig. I love a white swim jig here.
- #3 – Swimbait. This is a 4” to 7” size tail thumping swim bait.
- #4 – Finesse Swim Bait.
- #5 – Hollow Frog.
- #6 – Shallow Crankbait.
- #7 – Buzzbait.
- #8 – Chatterbait.
What do you throw when bass are chasing shad?
Although there are certainly times when feeding (schooling) bass will bite anything you throw at them, some presentations are undoubtedly more efficient than others.
The 6 Baits You Need To Catch Actively Feeding Bass
- Lipless Crankbaits.
- Walking Topwaters.
- Underspins.
- Spinnerbaits.
- Swimbaits.
- Weedless Jigs.
How long does a shad spawn last?
“The shad spawn will last two, three, or maybe four weeks. It usually starts in one area of the lake and you might go to the other end of the lake and find nothing, so you have to be moving until you see the activity.”
What water temp do shad spawn at?
64-69 degrees
Spawning Temperature: 64-69 degrees. Gizzard shad prefer to spawn during a stable or warming trend. Traditional Spawning Time: In Southern Reservoirs such as Beaver Lake, gizzard shad begin spawning in mid-April and continue through May. Most of the actual spawning occurs at night.
How do you catch fish on a shad spawn?
The square bill crankbait is one of most effective baits for targeting the shad spawn. A squarebill crankbait looks like a shad scurrying around in the shallows. Use squarebill crankbaits to cover water and target active fish during the shad spawn. Cast parallel to the bank along rocky or wooded shorelines.
What is the best time to catch shad?
Many anglers agree that the prime fishing time for shad is the hours just before dark, although when shad are thick, just about any time of day will be productive. Since shad don’t feed when spawning, treat them as you would a salmon and try to incite a strike because the fish is annoyed.
What are shad good for?
“Shad is a great fish to eat, it’s very healthy for you, and you’re supporting a local fishery that’s sustainable.” Shad, a large member of the herring family, are famously bony fish. Cooks get around that by baking the fish to soften the bones. But for most people, the real prize is the shad roe.
What is the best bait for shad?
The most popular baits for shad are shad darts, curl tail grubs on a jig, and small spoons. Rig them in tandem with one on top and one on bottom. A go-to rig is a shad dart on top and a spoon on the bottom.
Is Shad good for bass fishing?
A flurry of shad breaking the surface means that there are larger fish feeding on them from below. This tight schooling activity means that shad can provide a great deal of food for the bass even though each individual shad may only be 3 to 4 inches long.
Are Shad good bass bait?
Baitfish (Minnows, Shiners, Shad)
However, once your baitfish starts slowing down and not moving very much, it’s time to replace it with another one. Shad, minnows, or shiners are some of the best live baits for bass, hands down.
Where do shad go in the winter?
In the winter, when the water grows much colder, the shad migrate back out of the creeks and into main lake depths. On some lakes, this can easily be 40 to 60 feet deep.
Why do shad go shallow in the fall?
Understand shad movement in the fall
“There are several theories as to why shad migrate, but I believe they go shallow to feed. They have a much higher probability of surviving in deeper water, so that tells me they’re obviously up there to feed on plankton and other small organisms.
Does shad spawn at night?
Shad like to spawn around full moon periods at night and will continue the spawn on into the early morning hours. It is essential to get out early and look for the signs that will clue you in, such as birds, and actually seeing the shad popping out of the water near where they are spawning.
Where do baitfish go in the fall?
During fall, bait fish are usually found hundreds of yards away from structure and in open water. You can use your sonar to locate them or just look for bait fish skimming across the water being chased by hungry fish. Circling and diving birds are also an indication of bait fish locations.
How long does it take for shad eggs to hatch?
American shad eggs about to hatch, after hatching larvae feed off yolk sacs for 4-7 days, less time in tanks in heated classrooms. Eggs hatch in 2- 17 days after fertilization depending on temperature.
Where do shad spawn in a river?
Spawning occurs in the main channels of the river where the flow is between 31 and 91 cm/s, dissolved oxygen is greater than 5 mg/L, and the water depth is anywhere between 1 and 10 m, but usually under 3 m. Sand or gravel bottoms are preferred but a variety of substrates can be used.
How do you find shad on a lake?
Shad are easier to catch on warm days, locations would be the backs of coves and creeks where the water has been warmed by the sun all day. Look for stained water since shad will rarely be in clear shallow water and even if they are there they are very hard to get a net on.
What temperature does threadfin shad spawn?
The shad spawns in the spring when the water temperature is in the upper 60s (°F). A pelagic (open water) schooling species often introduced as a supplemental forage, threadfin shad spawn in the spring and early summer with a secondary spawn often occurring in the early fall.
How do you target shad?
Spots to Target
Some great spots for shad include small creeks, dams, places where the river narrows, along riprap, and faster moving current. In the heat of the shad run you want to get on a narrow section of the river. This will be the best chance to hook into a shad.