Need some hybrid help?

[bpguy]

I have fished the Ohio for Hybrids for 20 years and caught them year round. No doubt the best times are spring and fall. Any lure that resembles a shad will work. This time of year, topwater and shallow cranks during low light periods. Deep cranks or live shad during bright times. I usually never fish between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm this time of year for hybrids. Just not that productive. Good luck. They fight great!!

[burt.fishin]

when you say with shad do you rig em under a bobber... with a sinker to put right on the bottom.... or just puem on a hook and let em swim around?

[bpguy]

Generally put the shad right on the bottom with a sinker in swift water. Also use balloons occassionally to let the shad swim around. Hybrids will school over structure and you do not want to get right on top of them as they will spook and move. This is the most common mistake I see other anglers making. Go upcurrent and anchor and them send the shad down to them.

[burt.fishin]

what about in a lake?

[jamwerx]

I'm more of a fly guy so i hate to admit this but for easy pickins to start out with use some chicken liver. Apparently chicken liver smells like dead shad and hybreds(or wipers as we called them out west) will cruise the bottom looking for dead shad.

Finding them can be a bit harder but follow the shad and you will find them. If you get them in the jumps (especially big ones) you will be in heaven as you can throw just about anything out that looks shaddish but usually the smaller ones come up top for the busting and the bigger ones wait below cleaning up the wounded sinking shad without wasting much energy so if you want those ones then fish a deeper lure.

Now if you want some easy fishing for them you can go to taylorsville and launch from main dock and go straight out and your first path left there is a big hump out in the middle that runs from 7ft deep on and this is a big dinner table. At night you can go out and fish in about 7-8 ft of water & what I do is take an single octopus style hook and tie a fishermans knot in it but about 8 incnes up from the bottom and then on the bottom take a fairly big weight and tie it on below the hook. I do that to keep it out of snags and so when the fish bites and moves the hook the weight pulls it down and hooks them. Then slab on some chicken liver and drop it straight down to the bottom then keep line tight so you can raise and lower the rod and feel it hit bottom. I also have bait lights on transom of my goofy lil fishing boat and as i sit there the minnow come fast, then the shad then you start to see shad circling fast which usually means the hybreds are there. I also will move the bait around the boat from the light to the dark areas and moving it generates a lot of hits and the hybreds seem to like to sit on edge of light and hit it when it enters the dark area. You will also catch a lot of catfish this way. Usually if I don't have a bit within 2 minutes I move a bit and so on. Even if it's catfish biting because if catfish are there then there is food and hybreds will be to. BTW~ this is at night.

In the day you need to go deeper and they have been holding in about 15-17ft of water so find 21-0r 22 ft deep water and fish a few feet off bottom just find fish holding at 15ft on sonar and drop anchor.

On a fly I will find the school with liver then use a sinking line to get a clouser down there.

[Fisherjoe]

what about in a lake?

Trolling can be highly productive on lakes. The hotter the water the better because it stacks the fish on the thermocline, which usually runs anywhere from 15-20' deep. Cranks, jigs, swimbaits, and umbrellas will all produce. Start by working around the channel and work your way up on the deeper flats. Fish will usually hang on the thermocline, but can be as shallow as 10' or less. Run lures at different depths until you get bit, then adjust accordingly. Start with shad colors, white, and/or chartreuse. Pink soft plastics produce very well also. Just drop your baits and start covering water.

Joe