I have but they are hard to keep alive. A shad fished below the school of shad or just outside of it has proven deadly for me. On the lake I fish the crappie stay full of shad.
I have always used minnows but my crappie schools are following the shad and I assume eating them although I've never found a shad in one. So does anyone use shad for bait? Talking about an average size of 3".... Like these
I have but they are hard to keep alive. A shad fished below the school of shad or just outside of it has proven deadly for me. On the lake I fish the crappie stay full of shad.
two inch minnows or soft plastic baits for me.
Aquatic Species Removal Engineer.
May God be with you. Keep CALM and STAY ANCHORED with your faith.
The lakes I fish shad will catch plenty of crappie, but as already mentioned
Keeping them alive is the problem
Good luck and good fishing
Even using "Shad Keeper" you only keep them alive an hour or two more. They just die too easily. Minnows are preferred and they are natural bait for the crappie.
USAF Retired and fishing!
To keep shad alive you need a very large round fully replenishing water flow. A 55 gallon drum cut in half with a bilge pump in water pumping in and an outflow up top will keep em for a long time. Quite a hassle to deal with though.
Tom 513 LIKED above post
Shad are hard to keep alive but if you have the right set up they can stay alive for days and if not to hot outside a week or longer. If you are serious about it look into buying a Super Bait tank 2, EZ FLow, or a Bluewater Bait tank. All are about the same but on the expensive side. Shad are nasty so you have to have a real good filter system or they will get their scales and other stuff caught in their gills and won't be able to breathe and die.
gator1gear, Brian Stucker LIKED above post
I'm going to try it this spring. I have a Super Bait tank on order. There is a 10 week wait for one. They are hand made by one guy. And expensive! I have pulled some 6" or larger shad out of some of the bigger crappie I have cleaned. I think they would be deadly in the spring.