The Shad are Back!! - Channel Cat Drifting Time

[SteveD]

I was fishing the KOTC Weeklong Shootout Wednesday morning upstream of Stillwater. The weather was beautiful, winds calm and water flat as glass, river is stable at 675.4' and the water temp was 76 degrees.

There were shad pods everywhere on the river. They are still small but it won't take them long to turn into those nice 3" to 4" shad all the fish love. You could see fish popping those shad schools all over the river on that flat water. I watched gar, white bass, and smallmouth all chasing that bait as the sun came up on a beautiful morning. I couldn't find any channel cats though - I know that they are following the shad too. I ended the night with about a 16# flathead caught on a bullhead. With the shad back, the channel cat bite is going to turn on now.

All this bait is going to turn the fishing on. Time to watch the gulls and follow the shad. This is usually my signal to start drifting for channel cats. Sturgeon season is only 16 days away too. I saw a lot of sturgeon jumping - some big ones too. So many fish ... So little time.

Bob - time to lay in a good stock of shad - could be the "Go To" bait for fishing the St Croix this fall.

[DTro]

Good info

The Shad have popped up over here on the MN as well. The few I had in the freezer didn't last long on a hook

[hanson]

The few I had in the freezer didn't last long on a hook

You cast them off??

[aanderud]

Same over here. Last week the shad produced my first 5 turtles ever. I say they are definitely the go-to bait. But I ran out

[River Runner Z]

well it is good i still have a 12 incher in the freezer i'll have to cut on that tomarrow