Shad are very plentiful in some of the brackish & freshwater rivers, reservoirs and lakes in the US. For that reason many crankbaits come in “shad” colors. Threadfin shad that can migrate in large schools do provide an important food base for many predatorial fish.
The Rapala Shad Rap is one of the most popular crankbaits for a variety of freshwater piscavorial gamefish.
Yes, we do have shad in Canada. Gizzard shad are the most common shad in the Great Lakes. They can reach 3 1/2lb in size. The juvenile shad in the 3-5″ ranges are an important forage base for most Great Lakes predatorial fish. They normally feed in deeper water and only enter harbors and shallower water in the fall when water temperatures fall. The only anglers I know of that use Gizzard shad as bait are Channel Catfish anglers. They normally us them as “cut-bait” on the bottom. Shad colored crankbaits work excellent in many Great Lakes and in inland lakes where there are species of baitfish that also have shad coloration…God bless you.
Make sure to check the fishing videos on our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and if you have any questions just email them to me at Ask Italo throughout our website.
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Glad you enjoyed that Canadian Sportfishing episode fishing with my good friend Aldo Nava who operates www.niagarafishingadventures.com . Also has been experimenting buying large frozen calamari, cutting the body into the same shape as a “cut-bait’ to fit into the Luhr Jensen Cut Bait Heads and he also treats them by coloring them a bright green and storing them in a brine solution. When we did the show I was impressed at the number of fish we caught and also that the calamari strip stood-up to catching many salmon/trout.
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Hi John, frozen minnows can work ok if they were frozen fresh and not too old (freezer burned). Personally I would purchase live minnows and freeze them myself to ensure they are freshly frozen. After use I don’t think it would be wise to re-freeze them as they would not be as fresh…God bless you.
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Hi Angler, if you are baitfishing for any species of fish, including trout and you don’t want your catch to swallow the hook so you can release it with minimal harm, you should consider using a small Circle Hook like the Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook. I would suggest you use sizes ranging from 10-8. Circle hooks are designed so that if a fish in hales it, if you just keep reeling the hook will out to the yaw and as the fish tries to swim away, the hook catches the edge of the mouth. Caution, when using a Circle hook you don’t set the hook hard/fast since you can pull the hook right out of the fish. You just firmly start reeling and the hook sets itself on the edge of the mouth…God bless you.
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You can use either spinning reel for fishing bait where you wait for a fish to pick it up and take off with it. If you mostly “still-fish”, either with bait and a bobber or just on the bottom you should really use a “bait-runner” spininng reel that is equipped with two drags. One for fighting fish and one that you set for letting line out at a certain tension when a fish takes the bait. With these reels, a fish can take line (with a very loose drag), but as soon as you turn the handle, the main drag engages.
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Hi Jack, crayfish are an important food source in every body of water they are plentiful. I have caught everything from brook trout to pike with crayfish in their stomachs. Just fishing a crayfish hooked through the tail on a 1/4 oz jig or on a sliding-sinker, live-bait rig should work. I have no idea why you are not hooking fish in the areas you have fished crayfish. The only thing I can suggest is that you try fishing crayfish in different locations. I have a feeling that if you find feeding fish, you will certainly catch them on crayfish…God bless you.
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If you go on opening day better get there early, as you probably know there will be hundreds of people surrounding that pond. If you can try and pick up the Trout Formula BaitCloud product (at least 1-3pack)). Dropping a Bait Cloud in front of yo where the children will be fishing will definitely attract the rainbows to your area.
For bait you can use small garden worms on a hook with a split-shot sinker and float, or a roe-bag that you can purchase at Pete’s Tackle in St. Catharines. I would fish the bait about 6-8′ below the float.
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Thank you for your kind wishes. We wish you an excellent 2016! Cast nest are not legal to use on Ontario. You can use a fine mesh dip-net with a diameter of up to 6′. Many angler use the same spreader arms as for a smelt net, but use a finer mesh for the baitfish. If the baitfish are large enough, you can use a smelt net.
Most anglers use a 4’x4′ minnow net. I find that they sink a little slow so I add a 1/2 oz. weight to each corner. Using soft cat food that comes in a can or even small pieces of crumpled up bread works well as a chum to attract them over the net.
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Can’t identify minnows or small fish without seeing them, but my guess is that if they are long and thin (as opposed to short and deep), they are most likely emerald shiners that are feeding in the Bay.
The only way I can confirm what they are is if you sent me a close-up image of one…God bless you, Italo
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