<p>I've been seeing a lot of half dead shad along the rivebanks where I fish, So I grabbed a couple to freeze for cutbait later in the season. I know fresh is best, but these lil bastids are hard to catch, and cast nets are a no-no where I live. Anyone ever tried this?</p>
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thanks man!
If you're after channel cats, any cutbait (or hotdog, or stinkbait, or whatever else you may happen to use) will catch more of you dump some garlic powder on there.
I have not fished frozen shad, but bunker (menhaden) are commonly frozen for bait in the northeast, and those are similarly oily and stinky.
SomewhereDownstream
I love garlic myself, will have to try that on our catfish adventures. Word of caution though don't use garlic on your stinkbait for vampire fish, it drives them away in droves!
If you were to dump garlic on shad expect to come home to a locked door. Man that would be the stink of all stinks. Shad is a great bait no matter if its live, dead, frozen and thawed or even partly decomposed. Caught lots of fish on all versions of it.
on the East Coast, shad/herring can be the only bait that gets you a healthy dose of Stripers with your cats
to keep longer, vac-pack or freeze in a BLOCK of ice -- O2 is not your friend
P.E.T.A. sucks!!! Plants are living things, too -- they're just easier to catch!
Just the other day I caught me a sturg on a jerky styled piece of shad i found clinging onto a old 5 gallon bucket in my truck. Found out where that stink was coming from thats for sure.
Ya just Can't catch um from the couch.