Cast net

[Nightprowler]

I see lots of shad each morning and the crappie are stuffed with them. Would a cast net be a good way to catch the free bait. How hard are they to keep alive and the best way to rig them?
thanks

[DENNIS BOWERS]

We catch them for the trot line. They die quick,which doesnt matter to catfish.Never found a way to keep em alive long-so I"ve never tried them. I have seen Crappie herding them though-But man they stink !!

[bobberwatcher]

I would think they would be good bait, but never tried. I have read on here "s_o_m_e_w_h_e_r_e" where it is best to keep the water really cool with ice and in a round bucket. (They keep running into the flat sides and will die in a square container was the argument.)

[CrappiePappy]

I see lots of shad each morning and the crappie are stuffed with them. Would a cast net be a good way to catch the free bait. How hard are they to keep alive and the best way to rig them?
thanks

Yes ... a cast net is about the best way to catch surface schooling Shad. And, of course, you want the smallest ones you can find (< 3") ... so the cast net has to have a 1/4" mesh. (a 3/8" mesh will allow the smaller Shad to escape) Nylon Net Co is where I bought mine. Most WallyWorlds and bait shops seem to only carry the 3/8" mesh. I have both sizes.

Keeping them alive IS a problem, unless you have a specially designed tank for them. I don't, but kept them in a aerated livewell ... using the dying ones as chum ... putting the "recently departed" ones on a jighead and casting with them ... while using the lively ones on hook/sinker rig. I just hooked mine thru the eye socket (same as I do minnows) with a regular Crappie hook (#1 or #2 Aberdeen). On the jighead, I just ran the hook into their mouth and out thru their head - between the eyes or nostrils.
I've also kept them in a 5gal bucket, with air pump running. Two 5gal buckets would have been better, and I don't recommend using the livewell (scales may clog up the system). And, no ... they don't live all that long, once caught ... but, whenever they started to get low in numbers, I just dumped them and netted more.
I don't recommend keeping them in water that's any cooler than the lake water (surface water), as they will die from shock when they're taken from the cooler water and placed back into the lake. They die fast enough, as it is, so keeping them at the same temp as the water they came from, and keeping them well aeriated, is about the best way I know of keeping them alive for any length of time. The cooler the lake water is, the longer they're going to survive in the boat.

Here's some reply posts I made, previously, about "cast nets" ... that might add some more info :
http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showth...highlight=cast
http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showth...highlight=cast

... cp

[grubby]

You can keep shad alive in a square tank but the water has to be kept moving. If you turn off the aerator you will see them swim int the corners and they will stress them selves out and die. But as long as the waters moving they should be OK as long as they don't get to hot. I know allot of guys that catfish and they also use a handful of rock salt in their tanks. I've seen several guys keep them alive for a couple days at a time. they swear by the moving the water to aerate and rocksalt to keep shad alive.

[CrappiePappy]

You can keep shad alive in a square tank but the water has to be kept moving. If you turn off the aerator you will see them swim int the corners and they will stress them selves out and die. But as long as the waters moving they should be OK as long as they don't get to hot. I know allot of guys that catfish and they also use a handful of rock salt in their tanks. I've seen several guys keep them alive for a couple days at a time. they swear by the moving the water to aerate and rocksalt to keep shad alive.

and you might also want to look thru these : http://www.google.com/search?q=keepi...e7&rlz=1I7DKUS just to get some more ideas on how to keep your Shad alive, reduce stress, get rid of by products that can kill your bait, etc. The articles are pretty much geared towards Striper and Catfish anglers, the biggest users of Shad as bait ... but, the same problems can occur for the Crappie angler who uses them, so any information is good to know. Also remember that Striper anglers usually fish deep, where the cooler water is, so keeping their Shad in cool water means less of a shock to the Shad, when it's put on a hook and dropped back into the lake. So - if you have an idea of the depth at which the Crappie are holding ... take the temp of that depth, and keep your bait tank water the same temp. That might help keep them from dying as quickly on the hook (as they won't be in the warmer water column but a few seconds, as the sinker carries them down to whatever depth you're fishing).

... cp