SHAD talk ....

[Ketchn]

YES folks they actually TALK !
They tell a story every single time I find them .
Sometimes it isn't what you want to hear and sometimes ....
It's like OH MY ....really ?
Case in point , It's important to know about the life cycles of a major food source baitfish . To study a threadfin shad and the way it goes about life and death will make you a better crappie fisherman where they are the main baitfish present .
If you watch them closely and understand what they are doing and why , you will often find the main target species doing its best to consume them .
So Lets' start with the late fall/winter basics .....
Threadfin Shad are fragile fish and die easily , this coupled with a high food value and large numbers make them a sought after meal .
Threadfin Shad struggle in water temperatures below 60 degrees . When water temperatures hit 55 the die off begins . At 50 degrees it is in FULL all out tons of them dying mode . Literally tons of them i might add .
If you roll up to a lake when its really cold and see birds hovering and diving ,and lots of what looks like huge rain drops on the surface , you are seeing a die off .
The shad in this case are telling you loud and clear to go look under them .
What does not get eaten falls to the bottom for the most part .
Winter crappie love to eat large numbers of shad during the winter die off .
Its a crappies version of Thanksgiving and eating until you feel like you will pop .
Hopefully this tidbit of information will put you on a pile of crappie soon .
KABOOM is the word

[SuperDave336]

Good info as always. Thanks Ketchn

[Ketchn]

Good info as always. Thanks Ketchn

You know my friend there are some that dont care for me due to my not bla bla bla ing about what lake .
we call them the internet spot seekers . they dont wont to go find fish they want you to do it for them .
then they get all sideways over me not posting it up on the internet .
so that part you can only have in a pm ....the rest of it is in my posts .
i aint actually selling nothing but a good time brother
i might not be actually able to help you or the next person ketch fish ....
but it is always my hope that some of the information is the ticket to someone having a great time the next time they visit the lake

[SuperDave336]

The way I look at anything is taking it as little bits and pieces of knowledge to apply to my fishing skill. How they respond to certain situations, what to look for, depths, time of year, etc. All hopefully absorbed in my brain for applying to my current situation. Every trip is different and the more knowledge one knows and can apply the better chance they have to having a KABOOM vs a Skunk! You my friend are a wealth of knowledge. I appreciate it.

[BobC]

Good post Ketchn. Stay well.

[hdhntr]

WE appreciate your posts and lessons Outlaw, keep em coming and don't let the fools put you down. They don't matter and are mostly lurkers on here who don't contribute anything.

[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

Every trip is different and the more knowledge one knows and can apply the better chance they have to having a KABOOM vs a Skunk! You my friend are a wealth of knowledge. I appreciate it.

That attitude will put fish in your boat....... Spots mean nothing without the techniques to entice the fish to bite and the technique is almost never the same and why die hard crappie snatchers are so addicted to the sport......
The biggest obstacle for most is there is no hand book to CONSISTENTLY catch crappie......
Yeah I know there's a lot of post, vids and some books but you'd better be ready to make some changes.....
One of the biggest YouTube crappie fisherman has started several of his vid talkn about a particular bait he was gonna use, well it hit wet but that ain't what caught his fish.....LOL
What you may think the fish will hit is only a starting point and changing will be a must if you're not getting bit......

[jeremy360]

I don't really post all that much....but I sure enjoy all of the posts and effort yall put into them. Lots of good info in them.

I will say one thing.....where I hold the most value isn't the conclusions yall have reached...its your thought process to get there.

A conclusion such as depth, jig color, action, scent, etc....is no good if you dont know the thought process to get there.

A conclusion only works in a specific scenario....a though process can be applied in all of them.

Dont stop doing what you are doing...cause theres folks out there who appreciate what you do. I know I do.

[P-row]

Totally agree! I look forward to your insight and ideas. Definitely makes me a better fisherman....Thx Ketchn!

[BobC]

Good info as always. Thanks Ketchn

+1 on that! Thanks, Ketchn!
Bob