[The Overfishin Condition]

Went out shadding yesterday, just about right under the 205. It was pretty good caught 30 or so in a couple hours, fishing one or two rods. Wee dick's chartrues and silver, or plain chartrues, or gold and red. Anyway, now it's on to oversize, how do you trim the shad? If at all, and how do you rig them up? Thanks for any help, TOC.

 

[Surething]

use what ever hook size you like I use 11/o with 4 to 5 feet of heavy leader. take the shad and cut off the tale and the gill plates and put 3 or 4 cuts in the belly then put the hook in through the top part of the head so it comes out verry close to the nose. then half hitch the leader around the shad and put the hitches in the slits that you cut in the belly so the don't slide around. I put a slit on each side of the base of the tale and put a final half hitch around it through it in the river and hold on.

 

[FROGGY]

A friend of mine cuts the shad diagonal from the back of the head to the bottom of the tail fin. Then he cuts the gill plates and those front little fins off. Then he threads the hook from back to head back and forth across the open back of the shad about 4 times, just like stiches. Finally hook through the head.

 

[Mr. Carp]

We just use shad parts when we go and have always been lucky and we have been doing this for many years. Some people say you have to use a whole shad to catch an oversize and that is garbage. We usually just filet off a 1/4 of a shad and hook it or just the gills. I caught the largest oversize I have ever hooked this year at Camas with a 6/0 Hook and some shad eggs and gills on it. No need for the whole thing.

 

[Kaptn Ken]

You throw'em in the garden for fertilizer......No, just kidding!!! :grin:
I take some of mine to Tony's...WHOLE...You get about 2 can's of smoked shad per fish...Or is that 2 fish per smoked can? :whazzup: The rest gets wrapped and tossed into the freezer for future sturgeon trips AND, of course, crab bait...Ain't no better crab bait!
My mom used to steam the slimy little critters...These were the days stove top fans were NOT invented!

If you're going to cook them INDOORS, I highly suggest your fan be on EXTRA HIGH and you enjoy the smell of SHAD OIL for at least 4-5 days!!! Smell'em before you cook'em...I could be biased, however...My mom ruined my "Shad Future" because of her cooking techniques!!!

I'm sure there are some great recipe's out there for shad! I let Tony's do the cooking...My mom actually used to cook eel too...I'm telling you, unless it's on a roll of rice, I don't do EEL, either!!! :blush: Yuck!

PL Ken
:cheers:

 

[Kaptn Ken]

:blush: Boy...Did I read this "?" wrong!!!
For shad "Rigging" see all above!!!

(Except mine!!!)
:blush:

PL Ken

 

[Kaptn Ken]

OK, I know I'm wasting "Cyber Ink," but here is how I rig for Sturgeon with Shad.

I cut off the tail, that's all the cutting I do. Then I wind my hook through the body, as close to center as I can, about 5 or 6 times. Then, on the last pass through nearest the head and mouth, I poke the hook through its head, OUT HIS MOUTH, turn the hook upside down and run the point through its bony little snout so the point protrudes about an inch. I stuff the shank back into his mouth and snug up all my surgical skills. Toss the slimy, stinky, scaly, smelly, scale stickin' sucker overboard with appropriate weight and "HOLD ON TIGHT" for the action that's bound to come!!!

That's all...It takes about 30-60 seconds to rig one up...Otherwise, I just slice'em into about 3 steaks, toss the loose stuff overboard, cut each steak into "halves" at the backbone, and have approx. 6 gobs of smelly, slimy, etc. bait which have caught sturgeon bigger than my friends little ol boat (10'). Sometimes, size really doesn't matter a whole bunch. As long as there's a tempting morsel secured firmly on the end of the line, and hungry sturgeon in the river, you'll see some fish!

Can't wait!!!
:cheers:

 

[The Overfishin Condition]

Thanks everybody for the info, I'll be out giving that a shot sometime soon. I don't think size matters too much, since springer fishing earlier this year my friend hooked about a nine footer and a green label herring, see pictures in past post. Anyway, thanks PegLeg, both sets of advice were helpful, where/what is Tony's sounds sorta like the deer hide for work gloves deal?? Thanks again, TOC.

 

[greenbuttskunk]

I like to fillet off one side, make a few cuts in the sides and hook it up. Half hitches slide into the cuts to hold the bait. Use a 10/0 or 11/0 hook on the
36" leader if you half hitch 3-4 times. This seems to work great for me, and releases tons of scent.
If you use one of the really small males, I like to cut the gill plates off, tail fins, makes the
cuts in the side to hold the 1/2 hitches.

[ 06-05-2003, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: greenbuttskunk ]