Catch Bait at Cumberland

[Dobe Mejuwa]

This time of year, what's best place and way, and time of day to cast net:
1. Threadfins
2. Alewives
3. Gizzards?

Thanks!

[Duayne]

You can sometimes get gizzards in the backs of the creeks during the day. Smoother water helps show where they are. I haven't tried since they raised the lake back up due to trees but it would be much more probable now with the lake down. I don't know if I'd want to use them though. More on that in a bit.

Alewives can be harvested at night under lights. The larger bait was 80 ft down last weekend.

Throw them back if you happen to catch threadfins this time of year unless you use them in the 35 ft range, and I haven't seen any hits there in a few weeks. Even still check them every few minutes.

The hits have come in the 80 ft down range the last few weeks and I don't look for that to change by this weekend. Threadfins won't last a minute putting them down that far. Gizzards can last a while but you'll need to check them more often. Even Alewives needs to be checked every 20 minutes or so at that depth.

You need to pull deep cool water for your tank if you stand a chance at all of keeping them alive very long. I pulled from 50 ft down and still cooled it further with water bottles.

[Dobe Mejuwa]

Duayne
Thanks man for such a complete response, really appreciate it.

I think I'll try to collect some shiners, and then hope for the best with some native lake bait.

I wonder if Bass Pro's sells little tiny scuba rigs for shiners? :-)

[Duayne]

Shiners can work. They are definitely more hearty, will last longer on the hook and stripers will hit them if they are hungry. It can be frustrating when you have them right in front of the fish and they turn their nose up to the bait but I'd rather have a live shiner in front of them then a dead or dying alewives.