rigging shad bait

[Tryin2Fish]

For all the sturgeon experts out there <g>,
I was just wondering how one riggs shad on the hook, do you cut a chunk and put it on or cut strips or what? As for the tone of the question, you can tell I have never fished with shad (still learnin ya know), thanks for any help.

Oh, from an earlier post about shipping schedules I found an email address at the port of portland and asked them where to look, I looked in the oregonian but didn't find anything. I will post whatever I find out.

[Nuttinbutnet]

Hey Tryin,
This is what works for me. Cut your shad starting at the vent, up to the backbone, aloong the backbone to the gillplate and down to the lower jaw. Place your hook in the hard scaly area at the front bottem and half-hitch all the way back. Cut the tail off the other piece and put your hook in the forehead and half-hitch all the way back. This way you get two baits out of each Shad. It is also a smaller bait that large keepers can handle. Last time out- 2 days, 15 takes, 12 oversize and one 59 3/4" keeper doing it this way. Hope this helps.

[dawhunt]

Use a 9/0 hook,put it in and out of the head so that the hook is up !!You must have a long leader at least 36" cut 3-4 notches in the top and bottom of the shad use these to secure your 1/2 hitches last one being close to the tail.I cut the tail off you should or it might spin-you don't want that.After doing all this SLASH your shad (a lot) so the scent will flow out.You have to use more wt. then normal cus it will try to float off the bottom-you don't want that !!!.Put pole in pole holder and don't touch untill your rod tip is DOWN and line is going out.If you have your drag to tight you won't be able to get your rod out of the holder so be aware !!
After getting the sturgeon to the boat and removeing the hook MAKE SURE AND TURN THE FISH RIGHT SIDE UP AND HOLD HIM UNTILL HE'S READY TO GO.I don't know if its true or not but,I was told if you don't do this the fish will fall to the bottom of the river and die,I don't want to chance that so I always turn them right side up and let them swim away
I don't normally fish for oversize fish in fact hardly never,because they are our breeders.But this time of year brings out the monster fish and,I need to get one and get it out of my system.Remember your the boss land them and turn them lose as soon as you can.DO NOT REMOVE THEM FROM THE WATER ITS AGAINST THE LAW AND IT HURTS THE FISH !!
Good Luck. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Bob

[ol tuna skipper]

I use a poker chip with a hole drilled in it and the leader threaded through. I have cut them in half if they are large, thread the line throught the body, meat side down (important). The hook dangles below the chip. The chip helps keep the bait from sliding off. Still half hitch along the body like nuttin and dawhunt say. slash them up to get them stinking in the water.

[Pete]

Fishing for oversize I like to use whole, male shad ... they are the smaller ones. First I cut the gill plates and fins off the shad, cuz they catch the current and cause the bait to come up off the bottom. I have a giant sewing needle made from a coat hangar that I use to thread the leader through the bait. I use a 48 inch leader with one hook tied on the end, the other free on the line above it. The first hook I pass into the gill openning and out the eye of the shad ... same thing on the other side with the other hook. Then I thread the leader on to my sewing needle and stitch tightly up the spine of the fish to all the way to the tail. I cut a notch in the tail, remove the tail fins and throw 3 or 4 half hitches to keep everything from sliding down. By stitching the leader through the shad it prevent it from sliding on the leader and bunching up or taking a bend.

[Pilar]

Dawhunt uses the same methods I do. The only difference is that I use the biggest hook I can find in the Octopus style. It's a Mustad 11/0. I've had big daddy pull smaller hooks straight.

These giant fish will float away down river if you leave them belly up when you let them go. Usually they thrash and swim away if you roll them right side up before release. They go completely docile when upside down.

The only other hint is to use small, male shad and clip off the tail flukes with scissors to prevent spin. We also use the scissors to clip the backbone in several places. This encourages bleed out and scent release. The best shad is 'Quivering Shad'. I look at this fishery as a chain reaction deal. Hit the shad rack and get bait and then head straight to your peeler hole and use the hour old bait. Frozen never works as good.

A good friend has me half convinced that ice water will foul the bait. He bags them in garbage sacks and then ices the bags in a cooler. Every time I just dump them in a cooler with ice we are less successful.

Fish, get in the boat!

[Bobberdown]

Ok so this is somthing I actually do know a little about. We have been very lucky with shad and if its oversized fish you want then I will tell you what we do. First I take a shad (any size but I like the big ones that I guess are females), I cut the tail off to keep the shad from whipping in the current, if is a real big shad sometimes I will even cut off the gill plates because they will catch the water if you are in heavy current and pull you off the bottom. Once I cut the tail off I put a small cut just up from where I cut the tail off on the back and belly sides of the fish to place my half hitch in. With a 9/0 non stainless hook I stick it through the fish about every 3 to 4 inches and actually sew up the back until I get close to the head. I put the hook through the head so most of the curve of the hook is sticking out the top of the head. I then pull all the slack out one stich at a time and half hitch the knotches I put in the fish. Now this is where I think it helps to poke a bunch of holes in the sides of the belly on each side of the fish to get a good sent trail going for you. You can also use some scents in the cuts you make in the sides. (by the way if you like the way your inside of your boat looks and want to keep it that way DONT FISH WITH SHAD!!!) Please dont use plated hooks though because they dont rust out of the fish like the ones we use do. In fact we even take a file and grind the finnish off the hooks we use just in case. You will end up having to cut the line on these beasts about 35% of the time.

[bait boy]

I used to subscribe to the church of whole shad....

I have been converted but only do this if you are going to use the rest of your shad for crab bait or the like..

Cut the gills out for the shad and get on a current seam in relatively fast water. the gills look like a J put your hook through the middle of the J and wrap on your hook with stretch string.(use 9/0 or larger) This does 2 things for you
1: less weight on bottom
2: you may even get some keepers or shakers.

most folks like those deep holes for oversize . go anchor up in the current seam by the triangle marker above the Fishery I think its 40 ft or 50'

backbounce , yes backbounce from your anchored spot. before you reach the length and angle required to let it sit you should feel a differant bounce and that would be MR sturgy picking up your gear. and feed for a sec. and set the hook.

I have yet to pick up a shaker on this bait but resulted in 3 straight 5-6 fish days in a row.

this also works in the slower deeper holes but you may not get bit immediately on the backbounce.

Here is the thinking behind this tech. when you fish whole shad mr sturgy is down there searching for a meal and there is this whole shad there laying on the bottom and he noses it for a sec to see if he wants it then he picks it up once again and trys to got it in his mouth all the way and you set your hookhoping that the shad doesn't get in the way of your hookset.
Well now to shad gills my sturgy knows he likes that shad and hes swimming along and heres theis little bit of smelly prime meat he can just engulf and not play with or see if it'll fit in his mouth so he just picks it up and continues on his merry way until you notice that change in your rod. then wammofish on.


Rick