Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

[WranglerCarl]

Other than dynomite, What are some good methods of catching Shad or Skip Jack for catfish bait ?? I usually go out for 6 to 8 hours catfishing and at least half of this time is spent on trying to catch enough bait fish before going to the deep water for the big cats. A guide at Memphis showed me some small lures that he used on a spinning rod for skip jack but I don't remember what they were and I have lost contact with this guide....Thanks

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

Try an in-line spinner like a Mepp's. I also use soft platic crappie type grubs on a light jig head.<br />Those are the only two I can remember right now as I usually just use the dynamite!!

 

[jtexas]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

I thought shad feed on plankton. You got gizzard shad or threadfin? Our shads can't open their mouth enough to take a hook.<br /><br />Most of the bait fishermen use a throw net. <br /><br />What's a skip-jack?

 

[WranglerCarl]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

If I remember right the lures that the guide showed me looked a lot like the soft plastic crappie grubs but he said that the skip-jacks would tare them up...<br /><br />If I am right a skip-jack is a type of mackerel. You often see them in the Mississippi river and I guess other rivers. They will skip out of the water a foot or two. They run in schools. You cut these into chunks and fish deep, the blue cats love them.<br /> <br /> Jtexas...How do you get the pictures on your post?? (of the dog, looks great)

 

[jtexas]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

Sign up with an image hosting site, www.photobucket.com is what I use, it's free. Upload your pics there. here's how to post images.<br /><br />To get an image under your name(called "avatar"), modify your profile & follow the links.<br /><br />I mostly don't use live bait, cause the shad are so fragile - guides and dedicated striper guys have fancy oxygenated temp-controlled bait tanks - otherwise they die literally in minutes. And buying minnows is too expensive. But I guess you're not using live bait either...so I guess it wouldn't matter...hmmmmm

 

[WranglerCarl]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

Thanks JT<br />This guide would go fishing for the skip-jacks and shad and then vacuum pack and freeze them, when he was ready to go out for the cats he would thaw and cut them. My big problem is trying to catch enough of these to do this. They are not easy to catch.<br /><br />I plan to try the throw net this spring and see if this works.<br /><br />Wal-Mart sells the vacuum packed shad but they are very small (2" to 3") I have a lot of these stored up just in case.

 

[MRS]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

We have the treadfin shad you can only get them with a throw net or dip net.

 

[blackwaterstout]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

Skip Jack is a type of Herring. It's more slender than Shad and it has teeth. Some people think they looks like Baby tarpon, hence the nickname "Tennessee Tarpon". They make for incredible bait for catfish. Even better than shad. They do not have a tendency to school as much as shad so they are harder to catch with a cast net.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

I have caught the skips on a small shad colore crankbait,To catch shad and have fun find a ball of them and chum the water with bread crumbled up into little peices,then take the smallest hook you can find and roll i tiny peice of bread into a ball then put on the hook.We did it this way in flordia one year.

 

[jayfarmlaw]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

Not sure about Illinois but my son can tear up the shad with a throw net. Last time we were out, I had my 2 gazillion candlepower spot light with us for a night run. I shined it across the water and almost went blind from the reflection of the shad coming out of the water. We could always catch them during the day but I was AMAZED at how they would come to the light.<br /><br />That being said, catching them is easy. Keeping them alive is the challenge. I have heard that a large round aerated tank is the key. Our sqaure aerated live well keeps them kicking for about 10 minutes.<br /><br />These shad are seldom over 3 inches long and swim in schools of thousands. They are great catfish bait here in OK. They are also used for stripers too.<br /><br />Good luck, <br /><br />Jay

 

[Sylvanowner]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

For skipjacks, just go to Lake Sakakawea in northwestern North Dakota and catch all the skipjacks you want. I catch them all the time when shallow fishing for walleye or even deepwater fishing for salmon. I usually not-so-tenderly throw them back in the water. They're worthless around these parts.

 

[WranglerCarl]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

I agree Thomas that they are probably worthless for anything except as cut bait for catfish. The cats love them !!<br /><br /> North Dakota would be a long trip for me to catch some bait fish. What do you usually catch them on ?? What type of lure do you use ??<br /><br /> I wish we had more of them around here. We have a lot of shad in the Kaskaskia River which is 1 mile from where I live but the cats seem to like skipjacks better.

 

[blackwaterstout]

Re: Catching Shad or Skip Jack for bait !!

Catfish love skipsjacks. They prefer them over shad. You can fish them live or fish them as cutbait. They are also more hardy than shad and will live longer on the hook. They do not school like shad so you can't catch them with a cast net nearly as easily.