I was beging to think we were about ready for a shad kill, but it's warming up some now. Has any lakes had one yet?
crappie cowboy
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I was beging to think we were about ready for a shad kill, but it's warming up some now. Has any lakes had one yet?
crappie cowboy
The shad are alive and happy on Dardanelle.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappie cowboy
Way too warm, About a week of 15 degree weather would probaly do it. IMO
Water temp on Greers yesterday was 49.
Shad are alive and well on Conway, it's been my experience that the Shad kill does not happen until the water temp hits the upper to mid 30's.
Hey I don't mean to sound ignit but being a beginner I didn't know a shad kill occurred, how does it affect fishing and does it mean the crappie will now consider my minnow a rare delicacy?
I just happened to be readin up on this last week....here's a blurb from TVA's website
TVA: River Neighbors - February 2009
I will take a stab at explaining some of the finer points of the Shad kill, here on the lakes I fish and how it has affected the crappie.Quote:
Originally Posted by chazrull
My experiences has been that at the begining of the Shad kill the crappie will gorge on the shad as they die and flutter to the bottom of the lake, during this time they will not bite very well. But as the Shad start to dwindle down the crappie start to feed again, when they start feeding again they will take minners really good, during the peak of the die off, I have had real good success vertical jogging 1/2 and 3/4 chrome rattle trAps, pull the trap up and let it free fall back to the school of crappie, when I do this with the rattle traps I will pull the trap up 8-10 foot and let it free fall back to a tight line, and repeat the process. It don't always work but when it does, I catch some hogs. I like the fishing alot better after the Shad kill, makes the crappie hunt for food a little more.
X 2 guru - Not many people here talk about the "trap" but it is a deadly lure.
never thought of vertical jigging a rattle trap..makes sense though...gonna try that
x2Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappieawlogist
Two questions:
1 - Do you fish that trap on a baitcaster with a bass rod or do you fish it on a stiff long pole? Seems like that tactic could be deadly for stripers as well as bass!
2 - Do you find fish and bait looking for birds? Or do you just scan with your electronics looking?
Thanks,
CB
I use a 10 b&m rod for crappie, a stiff rod be it a baitcasting rig or what ever is still a little to much rod, crappie have a paper thin mouth, you will tear the hooks out with a stiff rod, plus the 10' rod allows me to raise my bait straight up 10' plus the lenght of my arm, resulting in me not having to deal with reeling up line then releasing line, I have more control and I can drop to the same depth consistantly, but this has worked best for me during the Shad kill.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie Buster
As for finding the crappie I us electronics, when you find the Shad and the predatory fish together and the water temp is right and the Shad are dieing, you can catch some slabs for sure, however you will catch other fish as well, sometime they are mixed in with the crappie.