Threadfin Shad Spawning temperature: 67-70 degrees. Spawning time: Threadfin spawn during late April in Southern reservoirs. Reproduction Cycles: Threadfin shad can spawn several times per year. It’s not uncommon for threadfin to spawn a second time in mid July, and again in September or early October.
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 is the difference between gizzard shad and threadfin shad?
Threadfin shad are usually easily distinguished from gizzard shad by the fact that the upper jaw does not project beyond the lower jaw. The anal fin usually has 20-25 rays, as opposed to 29-35 rays found in gizzard shad. The upper surface is silver-blue and grades to nearly white on the sides and belly.
How do you catch threadfin shad?
Sometimes the best way to catch them is to hang a light over the side of the boat and just drift in the open water. Afternoons they will move into some coves. Shad move back into the creeks and coves but cold fronts move them out into deeper water. Best bet is to try and get bait before a front hits.
What color is a threadfin shad?
Description: Threadfin Shad are relatively small forage fish with a body shaped like a lance. They have a flattened belly with a sawtooth belly. They are usually silver in color fading to black or blue near the caudal fin. Threadfin and gizzard shad both have a long thread like filament at the end of the dorsal fin.
What do you throw during shad spawn?
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 triggers the shad spawn?
Threadfin shad generally grow to a size of four to six inches and inhabit a wide range of water depths and temperatures. Typically the shad are triggered to start their spawn when the water temperature ranges between 68-76 degrees. The shad will spawn in various habitats, depending upon the type of lake.
How often do threadfin shad reproduce?
Threadfin Shad
Spawning temperature: 67-70 degrees. Spawning time: Threadfin spawn during late April in Southern reservoirs. Reproduction Cycles: Threadfin shad can spawn several times per year. It’s not uncommon for threadfin to spawn a second time in mid July, and again in September or early October.
How long do threadfin shad live?
2 to 3 years
Many researchers believe that threadfin shad often compete for plankton with young-of-the-year predator species, especially largemouth bass. Life expectancy seldom exceeds 2 to 3 years.
Are threadfin shad good for ponds?
Shad are an excellent source of forage for farm ponds and lakes. Size ranges from 1-7 inches. A load of shad consist of 7-10,000 fish and a single load will treat up to a ten acre pond.
What is the best bait for shad?
The best bait for American shad are small, artificial lures including jigs, spinners, spoons and similar lures. Shiny or brightly colored lures work best, although shad also are known to bite a shiny bare hook, especially attached to a swivel to give it some swaying action.
How much is threadfin shad?
Threadfin Shad
Spring Shad $500 per 1,000. 5000 minimum (when available). Summer Shad $200 per 1000 in July. Min 20,000 – 2 Hours from Farm, Etc.
Are threadfin shad good bait?
Threadfin shad are a great bait for catching blue catfish and regardless of whether you are fishing for smaller blue catfish or after that next monster catfish using whole threadfin shad is an excellent bait option for catching blue cats.
How big do threadfin shad grow?
They occur naturally in many rivers and reservoirs throughout the southeast and are often stocked as a forage fish in sport fish ponds in the southern latitudes. A mature threadfin shad is usually 5 to 6 inches in length; however, we have observed them up to 7 inches in highly-fertile ponds.
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.
How long does the 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.”
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 time are the year does shad spawn?
Mature shad appear in the San Joaquin River in late April and spawning peaks in mid June through July but can continue as late as September. Millerton shad prefer to spawn in slower water (20-60 cm/s) and will mate only between the hours of 9 pm and 7 am.
Where do shad lay eggs?
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Shad are anadromous, which means they live in the ocean but spawn in freshwater rivers and streams. In spring, adults migrate to the waterway in which they were born to spawn. Females lay 100,000 to 600,000 eggs over the course of several days.
Where do shad go in spring?
Start in April below Sacramento, then move upstream with the migrating fish as the days get warmer. Shad follow the warming waters, so as May comes and goes, large schools of shad will move through Chico, up to Red Bluff and Woodson Bridge. In June and July, the fishing really heats up around Red Bluff.
How many eggs do threadfin shad lay?
Spawning begins in the spring when the water temperature reaches 65 to 70 degrees F. Threadfin are heavy spawners with a single female capable of laying 10-12,000 eggs.