Shad Catching

[bluegrass]

I made several different types of green led lights. A few submersible and a few to float or just hang over the side. I took a stainless mixing bowl from wal mart. Drilled a hole in the bottom to attach the pvc to. I bought a 12v dimmer switch off eBay for a couple bucks apiece. They worked great. I could just dip the shad up.

[houseboatjoe]

bluegrass,how deep to you have your light.

[bluegrass]

I start by lowering a light down in the water 1-2' until I get a lot of shad around. I switch to a floating light I built and that draws them in tighter. I start dimming and that makes them tighter. Turn off light and with a long handle fine mesh dip net I dip through them quick and repeat until I have all I want.
I done this at Dale this past summer and after a lot of trial and error got my technique down.
I built the floating light with a 8-10" stainless mixing bowl, a 3/4" piece of plywood to mount the bowl in to give it weight. Attached an oversized piece of 1-1.5" blue foam to plywood so it would float. I drilled a hole in the bottom of bowl so the threaded adapter on my 4-5" piece of pvc would fit then put the nut on it. Wrapped green led's around pvc. I put the 12v dimmer on and it worked pretty well. Makes it almost like a headlight. The submersible lights gave off a lot of light, like a 60' circle.
Hope this helps.

[stripernut1]

I start by lowering a light down in the water 1-2' until I get a lot of shad around. I switch to a floating light I built and that draws them in tighter. I start dimming and that makes them tighter. Turn off light and with a long handle fine mesh dip net I dip through them quick and repeat until I have all I want.
I done this at Dale this past summer and after a lot of trial and error got my technique down.
I built the floating light with a 8-10" stainless mixing bowl, a 3/4" piece of plywood to mount the bowl in to give it weight. Attached an oversized piece of 1-1.5" blue foam to plywood so it would float. I drilled a hole in the bottom of bowl so the threaded adapter on my 4-5" piece of pvc would fit then put the nut on it. Wrapped green led's around pvc. I put the 12v dimmer on and it worked pretty well. Makes it almost like a headlight. The submersible lights gave off a lot of light, like a 60' circle.
Hope this helps.

youre dipping alewives with a dip net?

[rickhise]

Our setup on a 1/2 dozen nets, net size average are 6 to 8 ft square, mesh most are 1/4 inch,
Pulley set up off the houseboats, depth dropping net is choice mine is 8 ft maybe a little deeper at times,
Net lowered, light is on as bright as it goes, bulb choice are table light bulbs, spot lights outdoor floods, what ever u have will work.
Bulb usually about 6/8 inches off the water in a reflecting hooded light, (13$ walleye world). Tab of caulking where wire goes into plastic housing, We have everything from 60 watt table light bulbs to spot light bulbs the latter takes a little more abuse as the light sometimes gets banged when u dip your bait from the net Opps there goes bulb. I splice in to a dimmer switch, typical switch hardware store 6$ ?.. Been. Awhile,
Shad comes to the light ideally its circling the light, we dim till it's a almost burnish red very dim. This tightens the pattern and draws those deeper shad, standard tech to raise its a hand over hand slow steady pull as u see your net harness start to reach the surface the pull speeds as much as you can.

Nets Memphis net an twine company. 50/ 80$
Frame to many variables mine 20$
Light dimmer, bulbs less than 15$
Outter proof cage and dock neighbors good luck. Hardware cages out of wire most 50$ isn

If you skimp on the cage your wasting your time.

This year I'm 75 yards from a set up that gets nightly cage full pulls. (My pulls are horrible this year all small bait) We live on our boats nightly pulling bait depending on the number of people we take out

[rooster]

go to junk yard and pull the light/dimmer switch out of a S-10. Makes a great dimmer switch for 12 volt lights

[houseboatjoe]

thank you for the reply.sounds like a great idea.