A friend of mine told me recently of a way to preserve shad for an extended time. Net your shad and dump them on the grass or any surface and let the slime drain off. Next roll them in cornmeal, bag them and put them in the freezer. He packages maybe 8-10 nice baits and freezes them. When he goes fishing he will take a package out and put it in the cooler. As he slowly uses the bait and he has a few leftover after the day, he puts them in the frig for the night if he is going the next day. If there is any left after the second day he then pitches them for a fresh package. He has been doing this for years and, apparently, 5-6 months later the shad are good and have a good fishy odor. I have known this man for 20+ years and fished with him for years. He loves catching his blues from the bank.