Shad-Spawn Bite Can Be Hot Away From Banks

By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan

Docks, seawalls, riprap – sure, the shad definitely spawn in these spots, but you'll also find these baitfish doing their thing on humps and hard places a quarter-mile or more off the bank. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Jeff Kriet won’t pass up the shallow shad-spawn opportunities, but he knows that game can get crowded, especially in a tournament.

More spacious opportunities, less pressured fish – those are two good reasons to give the offshore game a look.

“In (late spring), the shad will move up on bars and other hard spots that are off the bank and this gives the bass a great opportunity to get out there and feed up,” Kriet said. “You want to be on those targets first thing in the morning because it usually only lasts a couple of hours.

“If you find them, you can really load the boat.”

Signs of Life

Elite pro Terry Scroggins notes that electronics will certainly benefit the morning search, but once he locates a promising offshore spot, he’s scanning the water for flips, splashes and, of course, bass busting breakfast. Fan-casting an area typically dials in the action, but Scroggins watches his approaching bait for amorous shad.

“You’ll actually see the shad nipping at your bait on the way back in,” he said. “They think it’s another shad; they want to (have intimate relations with) it.”

During a recent outing, Scroggins actually reeled up a super-sized threadfin shad that got too close to the business end of his spinnerbait and ended up impaled on the trailer.

Also watch for birds – particularly gulls and terns. You won’t often see the mass flocking common to the saltwater scene, but singles, doubles and small clusters can lead you to the mother lode of opportunity.

Take note not only of the birds’ location, but also their intensity. If they’re leisurely flapping along, they’re scanning. If they suddenly increase their pace and/or make rapid dips toward the surface, they’ve found the same shad that the bass are probably pushing topside.

Shrieking usually indicates a surge in activity, so stay alert for the audible cues as much as the visuals.

Best Baits

Day in and day out, Scroggins believes the spinnerbait makes one of the best shad-spawn offerings. The combination of a pulsing skirt and flashing blades fits right into the lustful mayhem that defines the shad-spawn gatherings.

Given the slashing, often ill-aimed bites common to a shad spawn, Scroggins is a big fan of trailer hooks. Plastic keepers slid onto main hook bends will work, but he has a homemade option that’ll do the job if you find yourself on the water with no keepers.

Slip the trailer hook eye over the spinnerbait’s main hook, center it on the bend and then tie pieces of 25-pound fluorocarbon on both sides of the trailer. Clipping the ends tightly creates twin stoppers, which allow the trailer maximum motion while keeping it in its most effective position.

Kriet often alternates between his spinnerbait, a swimjig and a bladed swimjig. Bulking up the latter with a swimbait trailer gives the fish a different profile if they get tired of the spinnerbait.

“These are all moving baits because I want to cover water through those shad and I want the shad following my bait and bumping it,” Kriet said. “When you find them doing that, you can really catch a lot of fish.”

Also effective are shallow-running crankbaits like a YO-ZURI 3DB or a Strike King KVD 1.5 square-bill, which bump their way along these hard spots and traverse the grass edges well. Don’t sweat it if you grab the occasional knot of grass – that means you’re in the right area. However, leverage minor hang-ups by snapping the bait free – a move that often catches an aggressive eye.

For a surface assault, you might try walking a topwater like the Heddon Spook Jr. or, for maximum display, send in the buzzbaits. That sputtering, spitting action tends to call up fish and concentrate them for brief periods. If the bass boil under either of these surface presentations without committing, that’s your cue to work deeper in the water column.

Stay Mobile

Unlike ledge-dwelling fish, the shad are relating more to one another than the spot, so expect some jogging about. Compounding this truth is the fact that several predators with large mouths and even larger appetites will be doing their best to catch as many of those shad as possible.

It doesn’t matter how much you like the spot, if the water’s still and silent, you need to explore elsewhere. Shad know they have a brief window of opportunity until the increasing sunlight and heat push them lower in the water. That means they’ll be fired up and frenzied with unmistakable activity.

Kriet’s closing: “If you get around the right place and you start seeing shad following your bait, there’s probably a shad spawn going on and somewhere on that lake, you can take advantage of one of the greatest bites of the year.”