Hi Italo, I recently watch one of your shows where you were fishing a Thames river tributary for catfish using cut Gizzard shad. I was planning to give Gizzard shad a try but noticed they arent officially listed as a legal baitfish species in Ontario, does this mean they may no longer be legal? Or is it not counted as live bait when its cut and frozen? I've been struggling to find a clear answer no matter where I look.Thanks for your time! Chris

Hi Italo, I recently watch one of your shows where you were fishing a Thames river tributary for catfish using cut Gizzard shad. I was planning to give Gizzard shad a try but noticed they arent officially listed as a legal baitfish species in Ontario, does this mean they may no longer be legal? Or is it not counted as live bait when its cut and frozen? I’ve been struggling to find a clear answer no matter where I look.Thanks for your time! Chris

Posted on March 3rd, 2017

Hi Chris, always good to ask questions to avoid costly mistakes. I checked with the OMNR&F and it is definitely OK to fish Gizzard Shad as cut bait (dead). Big channel catfish like to feed large forage fish like shad, smelt and other baitfish, especially if they are easy to gobble-up. I have found that white sucker and shad chunks work especially well….God bless you.