Thread: CATCHING SHAD??? FREEZING SHAD???O

Be extremely careful when you net shad from mo River and Osage you may get Asian carp instead of shad. If you freeze them it isn't a problem. Just don't transport to other area. You may spread the problem. Our experience with freezing shad is they get mushy. They are a hard fish to keep from getting mushy. We just put them in zip lock freezer bags. Several years ago I got an idea and tried it once. Took a cake pan and put a THICK layer of newspaper downi it. Then about 1/4 inch of salt. Cheapest you can find. Then a layer of shad. Then more salt. Covered tightly with Saran Wrap and put in frig for days. It sort of dehydrates them. Makes them a little tougher.

Mmmmmm Shad Jerky

There is no way in H my wife would let me put either of them in the freezer,let alone the fridge..........

I have heard skip jack herring works and freezes much better. Do not know where you can catch them around here though.

We can catch sometimes on the Osage. Just use small lures or beetle spins. Best time is Early. Don't seem to like boat traffic. They will go down and shut mouth.

Take along an ice chest and pour a little water in with the ice then dump some salt in with the ice and water, Like when we made home made ice cream water, salt, and ice is colder then ice itself catch shad put in water fast then when finished drain water and you have fresh frozen shad and it works. When water is drained off you have a chunk of ice with shad frozen in it. Go to Steve Douglas web site Discover Catfishing he as an article on it there. He also as a bunch of you tube video's that is pretty good too. Just Google him and good luck. Also if looking for some good rods and that are really good for the money check out Rippn-lips rods by John Jameison..

The big deal about shad is finding them. If you're not spotting them on the surface then you have to find them with your depth finder. A bigger net would get you more bait but is a bit more difficult to throw. Check out some youtube videos for pointers on how to throw a cast net. Packing your shad in salt in a big neck plastic bottle will work to help preserve them as well. Personally I use a lot of bluegill or perch for cat bait, it works about as well, gills are usually easier to catch than shad and freeze better than shad in that they don't get mushy when thawed out. Asian carp work for cat bait also, just make sure they are dead when transporting them as it is illegal to have live ones in your possession (for good reason). Keep in mind that for cat fishing they seem to prefer fresh rather than frozen most days even though sometimes fresh is not possible. Some days shrimp can be killer bait and fairly cheap at walmart . It's a good back up when other bait is elusive, livers too. Good Luck

forgot to put this in try Missouri Catfishing Forum. It is just like CDC here only for missouri cats in think you will like the knowledge there for Cats