Shad Fishing...

[Funkmeister_Smith]

Hi.

I've been reading up on using Shads for fishing on the boat, lots of good tips and advice on here about them (thanks!). I finally got round to buying some last friday and gave them a shot on the Sunday (22nd).... I didn't get a single sniff. I tried the techniques mentioned on here (slowly reeling in from the bottom and releasing again), but to no avail. I lost 3 out of the 4 I bought which was rather frustrating to say the least so I returned to normal daylights and began catching!

Anyways, I was wondering if maybe shads are best out in deep waters? I was trying them drifting just off Whitley Bay & then over past the yelow can, so was I wasting my time? Would like to try it again but its a bit of an expensive alternative to normal lures, and especially with no end result!

As a side note, I did see on here that someone else had tried shads on Sunday with no luck, so maybe it was just not right for the day? My mate on the boat with us caught a personal best cod on tiny green muppets, so maybe that was just what they were fancying that day? Hmmm...

[The Great Wallsendo]

They're not instant fish by any stroke - I think they're a valuable string to the bow though when the fish are perhaps being picky or need stimulating into jumping on your hook

You've just demonstrated the classic example of "try something different" if they're not biting

I'm looking forward to trying them inshore in the spring - but the conventional methods won't be consigned to the bin that's for sure

[Falcone]

Just depends on the day, i generally use hokkais and perks etc, but if im being pestered by small fish i tend to throw on a shad and have a go, sometimes its worked and sometimes it hasnt.

A trip out i had last month i had picked up a couple of codling, but at the sametime being pestered by small coalies within seconds of hitting the bottom, so i stuck a sidewinder on and first drop produced a cod of 8lbs and the next drop down a one of 3-4lb.

Swings and roundabouts i suppose

[billyturbot]

think we had about 30 cod between us on the shads on sunday ,thats not many for us

[Axe]

i tied a shad to the bottom of my daylight rig, just as a trial run with a shad to see how good these were and at nearly a fiver a pack i was praying for a result lol, so i tried just off St Mary's on the drift and pulled in a nice 6lb'r for my first ''shad caught cod'' most on the boat reckon they don't work but I've never failed on each trip with them and i still have 4 left!. by no means am i expert in this as im pretty new to the boat scene but im just using the info i learn of you guys here and its all good!

[Gazz]

I use shads and diy pirks, i have gone through quite a few but have caught plenty cod & ling with them.

[big cod]

Shads seem to fish best in spring of the year when the sprat shoals first appear they can be deadly through may and june there isnt a better lure dureing the spring months we have had some massive catches this year on shads lads who have never been sea fishing before i have rigged them up with a shad and its fish after fish very easy fishing this time of year the cod feed different and will actually spend more time off the bottom than on it i actuallly caught a cod myself on a friday dropping a full calimari down and the cod took it midwater i thought it was a pollock at first with it being so high off the bottom but cod will swim midwater chaseing the feed around the sea is alive this time of year with all kinds of feed which isnt very often tight to the bottom.

paul.

https://www.sea-otter2.co.uk