Fishing the Shad Spawn

t抯 the time of year where the shad are starting to show up on the ledges and the shad spawn bite is upon us! To me it is one of the most amazing times of the year; you can absolutely get a rod ripped out of your hands if you are not careful. The bass are chasing the shad at night and on into first light and maybe beyond depending on the sun or not. If you like fishing spinner baits like I do, then it抯 time to get them out and be pulling them over the ledges at first light or at night.

The unique thing about the shad spawn is that the shad are chasing the bait your fishing, the bass are chasing and feeding on the shad and your spinner bait is getting ripped by bass and big bass! It抯 just a great time with a lot of action in a short period of time and you are having a blast. I have customers that wait every year for this and call me to get on the bite, there like kids with boxes of candy they just get addicted to the pace and power of the bite.

My favorite spinner bait is the Punisher Lure spinner bait, I like it big like a ?oz. and I use a color I designed for this lake called Watermelon, it is green chartreuse, with a red and gold blade. The bass love it during the shad spawn, it抯 a color that matches the water color well and the size attracts big bites! Slow roll it over the ledges, hold on for dear life and you will have a blast. Remember timing is everything it抯 a night time bite or first light so being on the water at the right time is critical!