The water temperature must get up to 60 degrees for the action to start. "Every fish we have been catching is plumb fat, full of shad and alewives," Bardroff said. Shawn McNew's fingers were frozen in the shape of a claw, gripped with the ache of another cramp. Shawn McNew / Acworth, Georgia. You need to be in the exact right location, you need to put forth some extra time and some extra effort to locate and catch shad. But daytime anglers might at any given time see the surface. Overhead lights attract flying insects and baitfish, and many dock owners place crappie-attracting brushpiles nearby. Today we show you how to catch shad without bait. Stripers Are StockedThe reason fishing is so good here is simple. The small lightweight nets you use much of the year will catch you some bait if you spend enough time throwing it, but your results are going to be minimal and there is going to be a LOT of work involved. Video of Lake Cumberland taken February 2007. In the evenings, shad can be found in the warmer water towards the back of a cove or creek. You can dig a huge hole with a small gardening spade. While there are some Threadfin that may reach 7 or 8 inches, this is extremely rare and their smaller size makes them the best shad for walleye fishing in stained water. They catch some big walleye there and have heard of 60 plus pound flat heads caught out of it. 4 oz Rockfish, a 22 lb. In most lakes is going to be shad or skipjack herring. I showed him some screenshots of shad and what they looked like on sonar and tweaked the settings on his fish finder for him so hed be able to better tell what was below his boat. There are reports of muskie caught from time to time on this lake, but they arent in here in big numbers so dont expect to see too many muskie while fishing on this lake. One of the easiest ways to catch shad once you have located them is with a cast net. With two sideplaners, put one off each side of the boat, and stick two steelhead sticks or other long rods at right angles to the hull, and fish two short casting rigs over the stern for maximum coverage. I couldnt stand to watch him any more. This zest in striking deeper water American shad makes it easier for anglers to ensure a solid hookset as well as get an exciting fight when luring the fish in. Trout fishing is great both above and below Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown, Kentucky. BUNDLE. Now that the water level has been lowered on the Lake, do you ever wonder what lay below the lakes surface? How can a fisherman get started shad fishing? According to E.C. There will be 2 classes of shad that come to your light, you want to catch the lower ones. I know the guides catch them at the marinas but not sure if they will let an individual. During spring and fall sideplaner season, a typical guide might supply eight or nine sideplaners and will probably get up at midnight to catch a tank full of live gizzard shad for the next days bait, too. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Tackle Village is reader supported. October 10, 2022 September 16, 2022 by Brent Pollock. Jeff Knapp is an expert fisherman, guide and outdoor writer whose work is widely published across a range of sites including Tackle Village. During the winter catching shad is more of an all or none deal. You can dig that very same hole with a shovel. You can easily catch shad from a boat or from the shore in the cold water period, you just have to do the work and get in the right location and make sure youre right on top of them. Jigs and minnows are often the best baits when fishing for crappie. Use a cast net thats the largest legal size you can throw. Tips for catching winter time shad. Theres no more relaxing way to enjoy the sunshine, scenery and, given most of Kentucky is dry, a cooling beverage. If youre using an Android device the best way to listen to the podcast is through Stitcher, Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: catfish bait, gizzard shad, podcast, Shad, threadin shad, winter shad, Chad Ferguson is a pro catfish guide with over fifteen years experience fishing professionally for catfish, outdoor writer, photographer and noted authority on catfish fishing. Raymond McCrea Jones. The sunrise over Truman Lake as we crossed a bridge. Where there's one shad, there are bound to be more, so keep casting in the same area after you hook your first one. If youre going to be lazy, then quit whining about not having bait. Its common to find bait in every depth of the lake, or at least most of them and because of this blind luck often pays off. Where is the best place to catch shad in Lake Cumberland? Use a cast net with a larger mesh size (larger mesh sinks faster). Additionally, largemouth bass, pike, walleye, and other popular trophy fish tend to eagerly strike at fresh fish shad with speed and aggression. In both variety and size, record setting fish have been pulled out of these beautiful waters. Gizzard shad can be found much larger, and do better in colder water. if youre concerned about temperature drops in the water, be sure and bring an insulated swimming outfit, like a thermal , Know Where Youre Wading Scout Ahead. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 226,201 times. Striper SystemsSuccessful anglers match their skills and system with the season. Just be sure to include enough weight that the beads will bounce off the bottom. This pattern of a shad fishing lure can be found on swimbaits, crankbaits, topwater, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and spoons. Kentucky stocks 350,000 stripers into fertile Lake Cumberland each year. 3. Crappie often congregate in groups; if one is caught, more are usually present. They can be up to a foot in length and can be identified by their silver color, as well as the 35 rays in their lower body fin. This is the number one reason people go wrong catching shad in the winter and cannot catch bait. The last several miles are flat water. (June 2009) By Paul Moore. The main channels are too deep and fast for them to do that," Witt says. Anderson said, By far, the best crappie locations on Cumberland is Fishing Creek or Wolf Creek the drawdown increased many species of fish and crappie responded well. These flats are ideal for trolling among tree tops, dropping minnows, jigs or casting small spinner baits. Having an ample supply of live or cut baitfish for your next fishing trip can be an important factor to consider. https://amzn.to/2JX3CkHBoat alarm (Farmgate motion detector) https://amzn.to/2LLy6IfAccurate Valiant reels we use; https://amzn.to/2WPEqB5EVO3 NSS12 https://amzn.to/2EgacA0NSS9 EVO3 https://amzn.to/2Bs18pOEVO3 NSS12 https://amzn.to/2EgacA0EVO3 NSS16https://amzn.to/2DyiPUNTM 150 M https://amzn.to/2BsVMud Accurate Valiant reels we use; https://amzn.to/2WPEqB5Go 9 XSE RADAR AND TOTALSCAN https://amzn.to/2UTS83TMONO LINE /PRO SPEChttps://amzn.to/2X1BbGPSONIC HUB 2https://amzn.to/2Xf1GbMSIMRAD/LOWRANCE GS25 GPS ANT. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Your bait matters. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Larger shad will be your best choice in this case, but they can be used in a variety of ways. lure. To date, all anglers that have reported catching Lake Sturgeon were fishing in the upper reaches of Lake Cumberland (mouth of Buck Creek and near Jasper Bend). Those with problems fishing, or getting, bait can do well with 1/4-ounce to 1/2-ounce white jigs, slab spoons or the largest size vertical Rapala ice-fishing lure. These highly oxygenated areas are not just good for baitfish, theyre also a prime spot to look for trophy fish such as bass, pike, and catfish during spawn months. In the Eastern US, the best place to find shad is in the Connecticut river. (After Dark Tips). However, there are advantages to fishing the small streams for trophy summer stripers. Antsy anglers can stand in the bow and cast a bass plug over to the shore. Most if not all is in the Daniel Boone National Forest and is kept very clean. Old Hickory Reservoir is a 22,500-acre impoundment on the Cumberland River in northern middle Tennessee. "It's kind of a no-brainer. Downrigger TrollingOnce stripers drop 15 feet or 20 feet or more below the surface you can slow troll with downriggers and the same rig. Jig dead shad, spoons, and jigs here. There are at least one-half dozen methods that work for stripers some of the time. The fish spawn in the tributaries, mostly thse at the head of the lake. To create this article, 16 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Our most popular Super Spreader Cast Net net for "deep water" applicatons of catching shad at Lake Cumberland is the "GS 1000 Ultra Spreader"! In this case, cut shad or young whole live shad make great fighters on the end of the spoon or spinners that can attract trophies in clear shallow water near the shore. If you throw in the right location youll have more bait than you need, but you have to be precise. Spring offers green banks, pre spawn and post-spawn stripers, largemouth, smallmouth and other species and mild weather with the odd shower. But in general, all of the following fish will take shad in almost any way you choose to fish it. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. If youre willing to learn and put forth the effort, youll be loading your bait bucket with shad in the dead of winter from a boat or from the bank and youll be catching plenty of blue catfish. It answers one of the biggest freshwater striped bass questions. All week long, Greg Bohannan talked about how Cumberland was fishing like an Ozark lake, which fits his style just right. Rate compass-Heading sensor. During the cool early mornings and early evenings you will find the fish foraging near the surface and you can even make a great catch during the dead of night! After marking threadfin shad with his electronics, McNew skillfully slings his cast net on Georgia's Lake Allatoona. While smaller mesh nets will sink slower than larger mesh, it reduces the chance of fish getting their gills stuck in the netting. These aggressive fish will take shad without any hesitation. The truth is, you can catch winter shad, but blind luck is not going to take you far in the winter. Rapala DT 6, KVD 1.5 crankbaits, drop shot rigs and finesse jigs are great options. By using our site, you agree to our. They will sink further and faster than a fly. Heres the three reasons I see people having way more difficulty than they should catching winter shad. If youre specifically targeting Threadfin shad, look for water that has somewhat warm water temperatures but is well aerated when shad fishing. Brent Pollock is a passionate angler and the founder of the popular fishing blog "Safe Harbor Fishing". Crappie can be caught year round, but the best time is during the spring spawning season when the fish are in shallow water and relatively easy to locate. Plan on 4 to 6 hours for the trip. LEGAL INNOVATION | Tu Agente Digitalizador; LEGAL3 | Gestin Definitiva de Despachos; LEGAL GOV | Gestin Avanzada Sector Pblico There's a few great Catfish baits you can use to lure in those monster Cats and one of them is the stinky shad fish. When you do this youll have more bait than you need. Live bait for flatheads Bluegill or Shad. Spoons work most efficiently at about mid-level water. Business Advisory; Business Valuation; Corporate Finance; Cash Flow Modelling; M&A Advisory; Venture Capital; Private & Public Partnerships; Owner Supervision And Internal Control There were no rattles in the Pinfish, according to what I recall. Evo3 https://amzn.to/2F87OdMHalo 24in Dome. world record Smallmouth Bass, a 58 lb. Put out a few lines rigged with shad, alewives or shiners at different depths. What time of day is best for crappie fishing? {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/ca\/Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/ca\/Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1357455-v4-728px-Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"