Surrounded by 3-4" gizzard shad

[tweakjr]

Loads of shad everywhere surrounding the boat.

[ridge_runner91]

Get the cast net.....lol

[tweakjr]

Get the cast net.....lol

Yup caught a whole bunch but they sure don't live long in the live well and pretty much die the minute you put them on a hook.

[Wallace]

+1 The 360 is good for finding bait. One of the places I fish have blueback herring now those are Temperamental live baits a good oxygen supply ,cool water and a round bait well will keep those gizzards nice and fresh.

[ridge_runner91]

I'm a striper / hybrid fisherman. A good bait tank is pretty important for keeping them alive (I use a vest super bait tank but there are lots of other options). Don't get greedy and overload the tank just because bait is easy. I have a 50 gallon and typically keep about 50 shad that size without any issues. 30 shad in good condition are far better than 60 that are red nosed and half dead.

The hybrids on our local lake had a die off a few years back so we had a lot of 12-15" long fish in the lake. 3-4" shad are the only thing they could even fit in their mouth. I used tiny hooks with great success. When using tiny shad I used number 1 or even number 2 hooks depending on the size of the shad.

This past weekend I actually caught several 34"+ true stripers on 1/0 gama octopus hooks (6"-7" gizzards). Most folks wouldn't even consider using hooks that small, but they work great. I always use the smallest hook I can get away with because the smaller the hook the better the action the shad has.

[tweakjr]

I'm a striper / hybrid fisherman. A good bait tank is pretty important for keeping them alive (I use a vest super bait tank but there are lots of other options). Don't get greedy and overload the tank just because bait is easy. I have a 50 gallon and typically keep about 50 shad that size without any issues. 30 shad in good condition are far better than 60 that are red nosed and half dead.

The hybrids on our local lake had a die off a few years back so we had a lot of 12-15" long fish in the lake. 3-4" shad are the only thing they could even fit in their mouth. I used tiny hooks with great success. When using tiny shad I used number 1 or even number 2 hooks depending on the size of the shad.

This past weekend I actually caught several 34"+ true stripers on 1/0 gama octopus hooks (6"-7" gizzards). Most folks wouldn't even consider using hooks that small, but they work great. I always use the smallest hook I can get away with because the smaller the hook the better the action the shad has.

Great info, thanks for the details. I'll look into a bait tank. I guess a livewell with the aerator running full time isn't good enough for the shad.
When they are healthy from the quality bait tank, do they live longer after putting them on a hook and casting them back into the water?

[ridge_runner91]

I can keep shad alive for several days in my tank if I keep the filter clean and don't overload them. I also salt the water because they lose a lot when they are netted. It helps if you can do partial water changes periodically as well. Also don't temp shock them. Try to never go from warm water to cold water or vice versa. I try to never change the water temp more than 6-8 degrees.

On the hook they might last 1 hour or maybe 2. I generally fish downlines, or planner boards. Speed is pretty important. I generally try to stay between 1/2 mph and 3/4 mph. And I try to never pull them faster than 1mph. If you go faster than that for extended periods you just drag them to death. The minute they start struggling I change my bait.

That's obviously just scratching the surface.... A fella could write a book about keeping shad alive