Keeping Shad Alive

Google alerts sent me a link here and I thought some would be interested.

Keeping Shad Alive

“1 shad per gallon of water, this is very important to try hold to”

So, as long as I dont let the water temp fluxuate more than 2 degrees quickly, I can keep 5 shad alive in a 5 gallon bucket all day long if I add 1/4 cup of non iodized salt.

Did I read that right?

Great article. Thanks Pug. Live shad are worth keeping even to use them as fresh cut bait. By fresh I mean killed 10 seconds before put on the hook.

I’m assuming this is legal in MN? In Iowa its illegal to possess live shad.

In Iowa it is illegal to posess live shad on lakes. I did not see where it mentioned rivers.
As for Minnesota, I dont think it is actually illegal to posess live shad. But catching them… well, that’s a different story. Collect at your own risk…

Dip nets and seines of 25 feet or less in non infested waters (when the moon is in the seventh hour…and Jupiter aligns with mars)….

It’s perfectly legal to catch shad…just don’t transport them alive.

A tip I picked up through reading is to put the shad directly on ice but keep them dry. Don’t let them sit in the melting ice water/fish juice. They are very dead but they still bleed when you cut them up. They also stay on the hook a bit better if kept cold.

The only suggestion I can make on shad harvesting…

For their effectiveness.. they are much cheaper at the bait shop and less hassle! They work well, and you usually dont need 100 shad for a days fishing.

Or you can always have Pug eat the left overs.

Hmm, good call Marc. I got some great shad recipes.