Live bait questions

[Football Hunter]

How much sucsess have yall had keeping shad alive for a couple of days??I have a 20 gallon round tank,an aerator,any thing else?Any tips?If I can keep em alive a few days,do I feed em?If so what,just regular fish food?

 

[stik]

almost impossible. i have tried in the past with a 55 gal. set up with NO success.

 

[TNLynn]

I have kept shad alive for more than 24 hours with a round tank, aerater and rock salt. I would put about one handful in a 20 gallon container. No food.

 

[rsimms]

Good luck... it takes some major effort to keep any reasonable number of threadfin shad alive more than a day.
Heavily -insulated circular tank, excellent water circulation and filtering system. I had a friend who kept a 250 gallon, hardwired, filtered tank in his backyard... it was basically a little jacuzzi. It worked good in the Spring but once Summer temps kicked in, even his super-duper tank had a tough time.
If it were easy, LOTS of folks would be doing it, for fun or for profit ... but virtually nobody does it because it requires significant expense and effort.

 

[hunterchub]

http://www.arkansasstripers.com/keeping_shad_alive.htm

 

[Gone Phishin]

I have kept gizzard shad alive for days in the summer and weeks in the winter. Water quality is key,amonia will kill shad quicker than anything. You need a good tank with aeration and circulation, and a filter system to remove all of the solid waste. I use zeolite for amonia removal, it can be purchased in most pet supply stores that sell fish.
After you catch the shad and get them in the tank they will purge. During this time you will need to keep the filter material cleaned out and maybe do a partial water change. Once they have been in the tank for 20-30 min they will have cleaned themselves out and it is easier to keep the water clean. It is important to use salt in your water. I use the salt sold at Lowes that comes in the blue bag, 1-2 cups to every 20 gal of water will be sufficient. Never change the temp of the water in the tank more than 5-7 degrees at a time it will shock the bait.

It is work to keep good lively bait but it can be done.

No need to feed them they can survive for weeks without eating.

I hope this helps if you need any more info pm and I will go into more detail.

Big Bait catches Big Fish.
If you think your bait is too big, then it is just right.

 

[KENBOB10]

I have kept gizzard shad alive for days in the summer and weeks in the winter. Water quality is key,amonia will kill shad quicker than anything. You need a good tank with aeration and circulation, and a filter system to remove all of the solid waste. I use zeolite for amonia removal, it can be purchased in most pet supply stores that sell fish.
After you catch the shad and get them in the tank they will purge. During this time you will need to keep the filter material cleaned out and maybe do a partial water change. Once they have been in the tank for 20-30 min they will have cleaned themselves out and it is easier to keep the water clean. It is important to use salt in your water. I use the salt sold at Lowes that comes in the blue bag, 1-2 cups to every 20 gal of water will be sufficient. Never change the temp of the water in the tank more than 5-7 degrees at a time it will shock the bait.

It is work to keep good lively bait but it can be done.

No need to feed them they can survive for weeks without eating.

I hope this helps if you need any more info pm and I will go into more detail.

Big Bait catches Big Fish.
If you think your bait is too big, then it is just right.

Good info phishin.

 

[B.D.]

Phishin has good information. When salting the water, be sure to use aquarium salt and NOT iodized salt. Iodized table salt will kill your fish.

Salt is good because it helps baitfish maintain electrolyte balance and it cuts down on fungus and other infection.

If you are just keeping bait for a couple days, the biggest issue you will cope with is ammonia buildup. About the only way to deal with it is FREQUENT water changes. This can be a real chore but it's necessary. You also need to maintain good aeration and keep the water chilled (freeze milk jugs full of water for this). A filter is also a good idea.

If you plan on keeping bait for an extended period (a month or more), you can set up a filter and establish biological filtration that will take the ammonia out. This doesn't happen overnight though - it's like keeping a giant aquarium.
Before I got into fly fishing, I kept a 300 gallon tank for shad, bluegill, shiners, and stoneroller minnows in my garage.

I've still got that 300 gallon tank and all the filtration stuff in my garage, but I haven't used it in a couple years. One of these days I'll probably try to sell it but there's obviously a limited market for something like that. :)

bd

 

[Gone Phishin]

Phishin has good information. When salting the water, be sure to use aquarium salt and NOT iodized salt. Iodized table salt will kill your fish.

Salt is good because it helps baitfish maintain electrolyte balance and it cuts down on fungus and other infection.

If you are just keeping bait for a couple days, the biggest issue you will cope with is ammonia buildup. About the only way to deal with it is FREQUENT water changes. This can be a real chore but it's necessary.
bd

Zeolite will remove ALL amonia from the water. About a cup full in a old pair of pantyhose and throw it in the tank and forget about amonia build-up.


Thanks BD I forgot to mention WHY salt is important and to not use iodized salt.

If you get ready to sell the tank let me know, I may be interested.

 

[Football Hunter]

Thanks for all the good info,Im gonna try to catch shad on one day on Old HIckory,I know a good spot,and tote em to Dale Hollow,think it will work?

 

[Gone Phishin]

Thanks for all the good info,Im gonna try to catch shad on one day on Old HIckory,I know a good spot,and tote em to Dale Hollow,think it will work?

Take good care or your bait and it will take care of you. :grin:

 

[Football Hunter]

Thanks for all the good info,Im gonna try to catch shad on one day on Old HIckory,I know a good spot,and tote em to Dale Hollow,think it will work?

Take good care or your bait and it will take care of you. :grin:

Dang,wished you lived closer,or I did,so I could learn how,these smallmouth have me tore up,its crazy how hard they fight

 

[Gone Phishin]

Thanks for all the good info,Im gonna try to catch shad on one day on Old HIckory,I know a good spot,and tote em to Dale Hollow,think it will work?

Take good care or your bait and it will take care of you. :grin:

Dang,wished you lived closer,or I did,so I could learn how,these smallmouth have me tore up,its crazy how hard they fight

Yes they do.......................But have you battled a striped monster. :grin:

 

[Football Hunter]

Thanks for all the good info,Im gonna try to catch shad on one day on Old HIckory,I know a good spot,and tote em to Dale Hollow,think it will work?

Take good care or your bait and it will take care of you. :grin:

Dang,wished you lived closer,or I did,so I could learn how,these smallmouth have me tore up,its crazy how hard they fight

Yes they do.......................But have you battled a striped monster. :grin:

Its been a while,use to catch em on Lake Murray in SC growing up,never really been after em here much

 

[Crow Terminator]

We've used the rock salt (like what you make home made ice cream with) with real good success in the summer days. Combine that with some Sure Life products (like "Better Bait" or "Shad Keeper" and a good aerator system.