Shad/Alewives

[peter]

HurricaneBob

Some questions:

Hooks--need help. What are the specs on the hooks you use for Alewives. Brand, size. Style. I tried some expensive hooks but the barb is small and even shiners get off no matter how hooked. Got some larger hooks with good size barbs but its a little rough on a 3-4 inch bait fish. Used trebels with big barbs hooks for a long time with success but it just doesn't look right to me now.

I like your idea about getting the line out before baiting the hook and the downlines for ease of checking bait with the shorter live span this time of year.

Any advice?

[HURRICANEBOB]

Pete,
I use Gamakatsu #2 (not 2/0) Octupus hooks, or the #2 Octupus Trebles. And yep, I do have baits get off, the alwevies are just not so tough skinned as a shiner. I do try to go right thru the nostrils with the regular hook. With the treble, I go thru the portion below the mouth, forward of the eye, and run a barb straight thru. This leaves all 3 barbs facing forward, and 2 on one side, with one on the other side. It looks weird, but hook-up rate improves for me, as fish swallows shad head first and normally get a treble in the rear of the mouth just before the throat.

For bottom fishing, I use same size hooks, treble ends up facing to the rear of the shad, and one barb goes thru the last little portion of the tail right before the fins. Toughest area, and I do try to make them bleed as it goes thru. Same with the single hook, but if I get to many runs without a hookup, I moe the hook to up just behind the dorsal fin.

Hope it helps. I just got to tell ya, I'd rather fish with smelly old gizzards any day. They do hang on a hook better, and the later in the day, and the hotter it gets, the more they come to the surface just asking to get netted.

RE water temp-Alewives. Agree, its critical. I fill bait tank with lake water. Cacth the alewives and dump them in. Once in for a couple minutes, I then add some ice a little at a time to the top of the tank. The cold water slowly sinks and slowly decreases water temps. I keep doing that till I gradually bring the water temp down to atleast below 70, and aim to get to about 65. I don't go below that. Reason is seems to me that as I take the bait out of a really cool tank, and drop him into to surface temp, he is more likely to shock up in the temp change even though I get him down as quick as possible. So I ty to keep them cool, but keep bait tank just short of surface temp, so they can survive the intial dunk heading for cooler water. Just seems to keep them alicve longer for me. Longer?!?!?!??!?! Okay.....matter of extent.....concur! Overnight stay in the tank, yep, they 60 to 60 degrees before bed time, and as I get reallyto fish, I gradually add lake water to bring the tank temp up some. Do these fish have any appreciation for how well we take care of them? I guess that's the "Wife" part of an Ale-wife.

[peter]

Thanks for the info. That is probably as good of information as you will get anywhere the subject(s).

Gonna print this out, put it in the boat, and give alwives a try again after the fourth when it is real hot. Changing bait on downlines is pretty easy to to as hurricane points out and maybe baby the alewives a little more carefully re water temp.

Might try some gizzys again for evening fishing too. Gives you something to do in the afternoon. Run way up a creek and net some shad. Littlle quieter up there hopefully as big boats usyally don't hang out in shallow dirty water. Sewage treatment discharges are always good for gizzards.
Thanks

[Lowerider]

Don't forget to check at the marina to see if they have a water faucet that pulls from the depths. I know Grider does and I fill my tank with that - presto - easy chlorine free cold water.

[Duayne]

Adding ice: Be sure to add a chlorine blocker if you are adding store bought ice. I always add an ammonia/chlorine blocker you can buy at pet stores anyway. Alternatives are to fill jugs with lake water and freeze them, add sealed jugs or treat water in jugs, then add a shad saver too it. With the last option, you actually treat your water as the ice melts.

Many first place their bait in a container, like a cooler, for a time in intermediately cooler water, then add them to a tank that was pulled from the colder depths of the lake. That water will have a better dissolved oxygen content than just cooling top lake water.

[PRO V LE]

I do not know this to be fact but I have read several reports that say when you freeze tap water that the chlorine is released and gone. Maybe one of you puter geek's can get the low down on this.

[Lowerider]

I think the industrial ice guys filter the water during the process and remove most chlorine anyway. Dechlorniator is cheap and easy to be on the safe side. I wouldn't change the water temp more than 8-10 degrees from where you caught them but keep in mind the surface temp is generally not the temp where you got em when dealing with herring (alewife, which are commonly incorrectly called shad). Now gizzards are another story.

[striperjoe]

I think the industrial ice guys filter the water during the process and remove most chlorine anyway. Dechlorniator is cheap and easy to be on the safe side. I wouldn't change the water temp more than 8-10 degrees from where you caught them but keep in mind the surface temp is generally not the temp where you got em when dealing with herring (alewife, which are commonly incorrectly called shad). Now gizzards are another story.

Set tank up before going out, a couple hours and if not to hot
leave lid non tank open and chlorine will be gone. If you get that
60-70 degree temp add the big cup of softener salt and some bait
keeper it is very simple to keep bait for the fishing time you have in a day'
After the Fourth of July ? good luk it's time to down rig.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Striper joe:
Thanks for the reminder on the chlorine issue. I too us Bait Alive/Bait Saver.

Pete-I apologize for missing the cholrine deal, my bad. Glad Striperjoe caught it.