Shad fishing/catching

[Fluke]

Does anyone hear catch their own shad out of Stockton? Has anyone caught shad with Sabiki rigs (shad darts)?

[old dog new fish]

I haven't.  I bought a cast net last year with that intention, never used.  I thinks it's a great idea.  However it's very convenient to just buy minnows, lol.  It does seem like a waste if you only use a couple of store minnows and then toss them, usually the case for me.

[Fluke]

Nothing like having a bait store under your boat lol. I have several sized and weighted cast nets for different times of year but mainly throw a 7 footer now days and fishing for them with shad darts is just as fun. 

[Quillback]

I used to fish for blues on Grand lake.  I would take a ring net with me and net shad if I could.  Even though I was lousy at throwing that thing, the shad were so thick I get still get enough to fish the whole day with a few tosses.  Fresh shad, either in chunks or whole are a great bait for blues, at least in Grand.  If I got enough, I would freeze some for the days I had trouble finding shad.  Frozen will work, but not as good as fresh.

[Johnsfolly]

9 hours ago, Fluke said:

Has anyone caught shad with Sabiki rigs (shad darts)?

I use a sabiki rig out in the bays and ocean. Haven't tried for bait in lakes with one.

48 minutes ago, Fluke said:

fishing for them with shad darts is just as fun

How small a dart are you using? I fish darts for larger shad like hickory and american shad, but we have runs of those species out here in MD.

[MoCarp]

If you want to catch gizzard shad use a light floating to attract them

net them that way with a small mono cast net or a big dip net….

[Fluke]

I like to use size 6 or 8 sabiki rig, we used them in backwater inlets in Jersey and for our herring in the fall when the bunker were harder to find. When I moved to Missouri I started using them at Norfork (along with cast nets). When the shad were deeper you can get them to hit on one. I spoke with a couple of MDC people and they think it may be out of aggression or curiosity but the juvenile shad will feed on small insects. 
I posted the question because I have not ran in to anyone that targets them or follows their pattern routinely for bait at Stockton. 

[Fluke]

MoCarp, 

I have a green submersible tube light, I haven’t had much luck with it though. Starting to wonder if I “drank the kool aid” on going with green. What color light have you had luck with? And, are you using it in shallow or deep water?

[Johnsfolly]

13 minutes ago, Fluke said:

I like to use size 6 or 8 sabiki rig, we used them in backwater inlets in Jersey and for our herring in the fall when the bunker were harder to find.

I use similar sizes to what you used in NJ for the same fish. At least when I can. MD only allows 2 hooks per line. So I don't use sabiki's in MD waters.

We had a great time catching atlantic thread herring or greenies down in FL last spring with sabikis. Cast them out, get one on, and let it sit to see if you can load up the other five hooks 😁.

The guy next to us caught a giant snook on a greenie, but we dind't have any luck that day using them as bait.

[Fluke]

Very nice!

Just catching shad is one of my favorite things to do and in my opinion there is not better bait for freshwater.