Fishin' during shad explosion

Hey all, just wondering since I have been struggling this fall. What is/are your "go to" bait(s) during the shad hatch for bass and/or crappie? As you know the area lakes are overflowing with shad right now. They are so thick in some creeks that you could practically walk across the water on them and never get your feet wet. Also, do you tend to fish around the shad figuring bass and crappie will be following them or do you shy away and try to find areas with little or no shad?

I have tried top-water, shallow runners, mid-range runners, spinners and plastics, but not much luck. I have tried to imitate the shad in terms of color and/or size as well as throwing something entirely different hoping to have my lure stand out amongst the millions of the little swimmers.

Thanks.

Try this usually the fish are swatting at the balls to stunn or isolate a bait fish so use a spinner bait with colorado blades and jigs that you can swim. throw the lures near the shad and real the bait up and simultaneously pump the rod almost like your going to pull the bait out of the water but stop just before the bait comes out of the surface. what happens is the shad spread and make a hole let the bait fall in the hole you have created for about a one second count and repeat this action. Sometimes the fish want it very fast like pump reel pump reel they tend to chase when you do this but when they catch the bait the divoure it almost swallowing it. I have done allot of this type fishing and have been successfull in all types of water all over the US.

Good Luck
Chris Gable

Sounds like the perfect situation for a chatterbait. :-)

Tie on a little darter jig, add on a grub, I like a green pumpkin or smoke colored, then dye the tail chartruese. Cast out past the ball of shad, and retrieve with an eratic action, similar to an injured shad, but keep it below the ball of bait.

I've caught great LM, SM, and hybrids in the last couple of years on Barkley. I have not gotten to fish down there this fall.

Good luck,

Tight lines and God Bless

Danny