shad in the rain

[duck12]

Going to Cumberland this weekend looks like it might be a wet one. Was just wanting to know if the rain will affect the shad from coming up at night for surface action on stripers.

[mhall]

Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. I know that's vague but it's true. As long as it isn't torrential the shad still come up, it does make it harder to hear them sometimes though. Not suppose to be a constant rain so hit them in between rain systems you should be alright. It's been a weird spring down there for the stripes so far at night, real feast or famine, but you nevr know until you go is what I always say. And like ole APB and I always put it, ''You can't catch'em from home, might as well be chunkin and windin''.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Yo Duck,

Something to store in the data base. If you get there, and it starts raining, and you can't hear any shad, here's what I do till it stops raining.

a. Head off the bank up a little in a creek. Turn on a drop light. When you see shad, chuck the cast net. Catch a dozen or 2 shad.
b. Head for a bank that has a flat right before it. Can be gravel, but a clay bank is magic. Nose the boat to the bank.
c. Bait up with shad and cast one line to bottom fish parallel to the bak from right side of boat out so its about 100 feet off the bank. Do the same on teh left side of the boat. Last, 2 bottom fishing rigs out the back, one about 20 feet straight out, and another as far as you can chuck it an keep bait on.

My experience is that when its raining, the shad might not be up, but they will still be in the area, and the Stripers will still be around. I've had pretty good luck bottom fishing till the rain dies and I can get bak to topwatering the banks.

Hope it helps.