Thread: Too many shad?

Mitch the shad are there...The crappie are there. They are there like that every year and will stay through March. Gold creek's fish are allot like any other lake... if they decide they don't want to feed the Virgin Mary herself aint going to make it happen. Ive seen a tremendous amount of shad in the creeks/pool all over and very quickly limit out with nice fish. Other times you cant buy a bite. I dont buy into the belief there are so many shad they are not going to feed or bite. I do believe It's just up to them if the conditions are right they are going to bite... some shad or lots of shad. Ive also seen so many boats you could walk across them and every body catching the tarnation out of them. This is probly more rare than not but it does happen.

Mitch, it is hard to compete with live natural forage. But it can be done, the weekends are hard times to catch fish on Conway this time of year, best bet is go during the week. On another note, the boat traffic really affects the fish, it's been my observation while fishing up in Gold creek most people want to use anchors, in my opinion anchors are even worse than having 30 boats in the creek. If everyone would learn to using their trolling motor I think it would help the bite some. But think about it, when you are laying in your bed resting, you would not want some body to go and throw a twenty pound weight right beside you. Well I think crappie are the same way. When 20 or 30 boats start throwing 20lbs weights in the water and then start dragging them around and disrupting the brush the crappie get lock jaw. The wind will cause a persons anchor to drag on the bottom and next thing you know they are pulling up the brush cause its tangled in their anchor ropes. Not only does anchors disrupt the brush it stirs up mud clouds on the bottom when they are drifting around. No matter how windy it gets trolling motor and boat control is a key factor. My philosophy is to just say no to anchors.

Originally Posted by Lkconwayguru

Mitch, it is hard to compete with live natural forage. But it can be done, the weekends are hard times to catch fish on Conway this time of year, best bet is go during the week. On another note, the boat traffic really affects the fish, it's been my observation while fishing up in Gold creek most people want to use anchors, in my opinion anchors are even worse than having 30 boats in the creek. If everyone would learn to using their trolling motor I think it would help the bite some. But think about it, when you are laying in your bed resting, you would not want some body to go and throw a twenty pound weight right beside you. Well I think crappie are the same way. When 20 or 30 boats start throwing 20lbs weights in the water and then start dragging them around and disrupting the brush the crappie get lock jaw. The wind will cause a persons anchor to drag on the bottom and next thing you know they are pulling up the brush cause its tangled in their anchor ropes. Not only does anchors disrupt the brush it stirs up mud clouds on the bottom when they are drifting around. No matter how windy it gets trolling motor and boat control is a key factor. My philosophy is to just say no to anchors.

I have anchored up to keep my boat tight against the banks and casting a jig and bobber out into the deeper water. Works well and if you throw that anchor into the alligator grass on the bank you aint moving. But ya dragging anchors across the bottom is a bad deal and damaging to the hard work people have done to make it better.

Originally Posted by CrappiePro

I have anchored up to keep my boat tight against the banks and casting a jig and bobber out into the deeper water. Works well and if you throw that anchor into the alligator grass on the bank you aint moving. But ya dragging anchors across the bottom is a bad deal and damaging to the hard work people have done to make it better.

Amen bro, I hate anchors on this lake too. Nothing more upsetting than have someone pull up close and toss out an anchor. I find brushpiles moved and some pulled up above the surface by folks that use them . I hate to see folks find a brushpile and droip anchor right in the middle! If you must anchor , do it down wind and several yards away.

Nimrod - if you're directing that comment at me I understand why as I always anchor up wind of brush as that way I can stay 30 or 40 feet away and make a long downwind cast to the feesh with a light lure. I aint chunkin minners with ya know.

Thanks for the info gentlemen, I appreciate it!

Mitch, I was up on the pond one day last winter and I swear you could walk across the thing on top of the shad. I was fishing a tube jig and more often that not I'd throw it out and would snag a shad on the retrieve. I had the same theory as you. But like Russ said, I was back up in there a few week later...the shad were still there, but we did real good that day.

Hey CP...If the Virgin Mary were to fish Gold Creek, I'm gonna bet she'd do well no matter what the conditions. Her son was a great fisherman. Read Luke 5 and John 21.

Will those shad make good bait for catfishing if some could net them? Could you freeze them hole and use them this Summer as cut bait.