Nightstalking--too many shad!!??

[joewildlife]

What do you all think??

I went out Friday on KY lake and had zillions of shad all around the boat all night long. I had a Green Magnet on each end of the boat. The crappie fishing was very slow, although we tangled with several big drum, a gar, and lots of yellow bass.

A buddy was fishing on our "home lake" and also had zillions of shad, same night. The bite was good for awhile then slowed to a stop. He turned off his two Magnets, the shad scattered, and 10 minutes later he flipped 'em back on and the bite was back! He did this three times over the course of the evening and got their two limits.

We usually don't have this problem and find the more light the better. However, I think I have read of folks using green lights to bring in the shad and then switch to a white light to fish by? could this be to avoid bringing in so many shad that the crappies don't find the baits?

[john h]

precisely.....

[gabowman]

Not sure about the green lights sincve I have never used one. I have been anchored in 20' of water and had reading of 3' on my depth finder due to shad so thick. I've also seen on the graph shad mainly all the way from the top to the bottom. Sometimes I've wondered if too many shad hurt and now I believe it does. Before I set up if I see lots and lots of shad on the graph I'll get away friom them and look somehwere else for a spot holding baitfish, just not too much. Cutting off the lights for a few minutes shouldnt hurt anything, expecially when the bite is already almost non-existant.

[Speck]

I had shad and minnows all around the boat last weekend. When I turned out the lights, the shad went crazy. They started breaking the surface and even running into the side of the boat for several seconds.

[skiptomylu]

I have had some success even whit the shad so think you can feel them run into the line and at times when we jerk from that we even hook one. I don't remember them being there stopping the bite though.

[guest01]

when we get alot of shad like that I have found by fishing just above and below them we start getting bit, if your fishing in the school of shad your baits just get lost in the crowd. Crappy will hit the minnows that stray from the school

[skiptomylu]

when we get alot of shad like that I have found by fishing just above and below them we start getting bit, if your fishing in the school of shad your baits just get lost in the crowd. Crappy will hit the minnows that stray from the school

I agree and yes I fish just below the school or at least where I think I am below them. You can see crappie come up and slam them a couple of feet down and some yellow bass hitting them on the surface.

Also I will try fishing just on the edge of their circle.

[willsjwills]

This is an interesting post. I have experienced quite the contrary. Shad populations (thread fin shad) have , to me , seem to be on the decline for the last two years. I spend a lot of time fishing the Tenn-Tom waterway and have watched the shad for some time, and I am wondering if the decline in shad population can be connected to something , like a cycle, weather conditions, or water polution. May never know.

[joewildlife]

"precisely". Now that is what I want to hear. Somebody who may have discovered the same thing as I have.

Note, this has not been a "problem" all year, it seems to be related to a late-summer time period.

tomorrow night we will have two boats on the same home lake and I'm sure we will experiment around. I'll let you know what is up. I'm glad to get all the responses here, and not need a "nightstalkers" forum.

Joe

[joewildlife]

We went out with two boats thursday night. I went with my kids and we did as well as could be expected since I was hardly fishing with baiting hooks, removing fish, re-tying hooks, untangling everything, etc. We came back with 20 keepers and 3 big catfish.

The other boat had two experienced nightstalkers and they caught their limits.

both boats turned the green lights off now and then when the bite was getting slow. When they were turned back on, the fish would hit again.

I haven't tried the two green/one white light trick yet. The trick is, early in the year the more light the better. This late in the summer, we do seem to get too many shad and less light is actually better once the shad move in.

Joe