What is Shad Fishing?
Shad is a type of fish, much valued as a sport fish. The male shad is an excellent game fish, showing multiple jumps and an occasional end-over-end; it has been called a “freshwater tarpon”. The gravid female does not fight much but is often kept for the roe.
Best Bait For Shad Fishing In South Africa
Fish Bait. The fresher the better, sardine is the most commonly used bait for this elf. Other baits that are also used are a stripe (karanteen) and mackerel. Sardines are readily available as frozen bait from tackle shops.
Spinnerbait
The spinner bait is the best. For some reason, the shad will follow the blades. This is a tell-tale sign that the shad spawn is active where you are. If a cloud of bait is following your bait, it draws the attention of the bass. Something about that vibration gets the bass zeroed in on the bait too. The spinner bait covers water fast and efficiently. It is by far the best during the shad spawn.
Swim Jig
I love a white swim jig here. The trailer also should be white. It is good because it causes those reaction bites when you pump the rod and get the skirt to flare out. The swim jig also is weedless so it can go over and around a lot of the shallow grass and bank debris that the shad spawn on. It can also be fished fast so that is the reason it is number 2 on this list.
Swimbait
This is a 4” to 7” size tail-thumping swim bait. It can either be thrown weedless or on a jig head. The bigger swimbait can be fished pretty fast, has a good vibration so the bass can track it, and can be power fished. My only drawback of the swimbait is that it does not have a twitch ability or trigger potentials like the spinnerbait or swim jig. It is a great choice to go after only bigger bites.
Finesse Swim Bait
The smaller swimbait is the deal in clearer water. I throw the Missile Baits Shockwave 3.5 in a shad color (Frosted Purple and Fisholicious are my favs) on a 3/16-ounce ball jighead. Many times, the fish will just not hit a spinnerbait or bigger swimbait in the real clear water. The bass is still there waiting to find a shad slipping but is not fooled big bigger baits.
Hollow Frog
The hollow frog is like the SPRO Bronzeye frog. It is great around shallow grass where the shad spawn. I love a white or shad version here as you might imagine. The popping version of the SPRO Bronzeye is really tough to beat during this shad spawn.
Shallow Crankbait
Shallow cranks like square bills are also good during this time. It is hard for me to not throw the original SPRO Little John 50 in a shad pattern if I pick up the crankbait rod. The profile and vibration are keys and get bit around the shad spawn. My issue with cranks is they are usually not best on bigger lines and treble hooks are not as efficient in a frenzy fishing situation.
Buzzbait
This is the second top water on the list. It is a good option for covering water fast and giving the fish something to key on. My only issue is that they have a tendency to miss it, even with a trailer hook. The strikes are a ton of fun when they do get it.
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 the bottom. A go-to rig is a shad dart on top and a spoon on the bottom. When you are first learning how to fish for shade, be creative and switch between different colors and styles.
What time of year is best for Shad?
The best time to fish for shade is when they return to spawn from May until mid-July. It’s easier to catch the shad swimming upstream by facing a strong current. These fish will bite just about any small lure or fly. Small, bright-colored jigs with or without bucktail or plastic grub tails are preferred by many anglers.
What fish bites on shad?
Largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass gorge on shad when available. When shad are abundant, these are five reliable fishing lures that will haul in fish.