Big Shad

[EugeneC]

I set a couple of fishing goals for myself for 2015; first on the list was a 10kg+ queenfish, which I was exceptionally fortunate to land on 2 January for an awesome start to the fishing year.

Since it happens to be shad season over here I thought I'd focus next on another goal for the year: a 8kg+ shad (don't ask how I came up with these particular weights, it's kind of random). Last week I made my first serious mission to Hasik, a good 3 hours drive East from my home and a famous spot for tuna sized shad. It was a total bust...of all things a cold front (very rare in these parts) hit the day before my trip and fishing came to a standstill for a couple of days.

So last night I get a message through the grape vine (or fishing line) that the shad are going bananas in Hadbeen, a town roughly 2thirds the way to Hasik. We hit the road at 2:30am and after way too many stops for supplies, coffee and nature's calls we arrived at 5am. The guys were all exhausted and decided to sleep in the car for a couple of hours, but I was way too amped up and hit the beach immediately.

The next 3 hours were the most frustrating of my fishing life. There were literally shad everywhere, I would cast and my lure would actually hit the fish in the water, but I could not buy a bite. After what seemed like an eternity I finally hooked; and duly lost; my first for the day. Not a good start at all. To rub the salt the local guy next to me with his 120lb handline and a hook large enough to make him a suspect for targeting GW's landed 11 in about 30 minutes, all of a good size.

So after trying literally every lure in my box, including my favourite GT Ice Cream, I finally take the last option remaining - a needle nose plug that I had no faith in since my trusty Ice Cream had failed miserably.

To my very pleasant surprise the shad went nuts for it. I started hooking fish cast for cast and even when the bait fishermen no longer got pulls my catch rate hardly slowed.

My day ended abruptly when I took nasty fall on the bricks and had to drive all the way home to go to hospital for stitches to the head. Not a great start and not a great ending. But the middle part was awesome - 23 hook-ups with 8 fish landed (that's right, only 8 fish landed!!) in the span of about 90 minutes.

The reason for the low landing rate is still a bit of a mystery to me. Everyone (all 100 or so) of the anglers on the beach seemed to fare equally poorly in this respect, which is a first for me with shad.

So...did I reach my goal? Not exactly, the largest fish of the day measured 84cm, which weighs in at 7.8kg according to fishweights.co.za, so not on the button, but I'll take it anyway.

A couple of pics to round out another report that probably no-one will read lol! I only took pics of the first couple of fish and then focused on landing more, the ones in the pics measured in the mid 70's (roughly 6kg).

Next on the list: a 15kg+ couta....watch this space!

 

[EugeneC]

Needlenose plug saves the day

 

[EugeneC]

PS. Perhaps one of the more publicity conscious Sealiners out there could do a tutorial on how to strike an "ESA pose", I could sure do with some pointers, 'cos man I always manage to look like an idiot! Lol!

 

[i want fish]

That's not an elf its a yellowtail

 

[Ninja-Nic]

Either way

 

[riekert]

Fantastic catchers and report There is just nothing beating catching bus shad on plug!

 

[hypershark]

Great catch champ !
What tackle was used?

 

[EugeneC]

Thanks gents. Tackle was as follows:

Shimano Tiralejo 12' MH rod
Saragosa 8000sw reel
PowerPro Super slick 40lb braid
Trilene 24kg leader
No steel is required with these long plugs, their teeth don't come near the leader because they attack from behind and connect with the hook first.

I lost a lot of fish on the jump, when they use the weight of the plug as leverage to throw the hooks, so I'm trying to figure out a way to rig an Aubrey da Gama with heavy steel to overcome that problem.

All input on that is welcome.

 

[Spool-Song]

Awesome report.

That beach looks like a diluted version of a shad run in KZN

 

[willem wikkel spies]

if you could get the line to slide through the plug. that way the fish cannot use the lure to through the hook.

 

[EugeneC]

@Willem, that's my thinking too, which is why I'm looking at the ADG plugs. In case you're not familiar with the design, I have attached a pic. It's basically a chiselnose with a hole bored down the center.

The only question mark is whether it will work well with heavy steel strand, as these plugs are usually fished with mono. I e-mailed the guys to get their opinion, so let's see what they say.

 

[Dr halibut hoffman]

Also you could do long assists from the top of the plug with kevlar, maybe? The fish would not be able to use the pendulum to reverse the hook out as with a jig.. If you want to do a loose leader or wire through on the plug and doing DIY then fit a hollow plastic sucker stick into the plug before doing the lead instead of doing a wire and then do your wire/leader afterwards through that. That will help with them throwing the plug..

Well done anyway, that must have been an absolute jol! With the bigger shad on spoon and bait (still waiting for one on plug I've found to keep them absolutely tight and wind them in without stopping, while pumping the rod, it stops them throwing the hook, along with hitting them 2 or three times once you've wound them onto the hook when you know they are on, just to make sure the hook is embedded in the bony jaw. When they jump, just keep them tight. Your drag doesn't have to be anywhere near locked, they can run, you must just keep them tight at all times or they shake you off.

Thanks for the write-up and the pics, awesome to see our bros getting stuck into familiar fish in far away places.

Also hope you kept some of those smaller buses for sashimi, the 1.5 -3 or 4 kg ones make fillets that are amazing sashimi fresh, if bled immediately..the bigger ones I like to return to continue to make more pan size ones for me for next session..

On another note did you know that a shad that size, apparently, is still eating at least if not more than his own body weight in fish daily! Smaller ones eat 2 or 3 times their own weight a day in bait fish..blew me away when i read that sometime ago..

 

[EugeneC]

Nice idea about the sucker stick Dr HH, I may try that. I played around with the assist hook idea, but I'm not entirely sold on it as yet. I may try it out to see how it goes.

I kept two fish for the pan, but honestly didn't think of sashimi. And I can believe the story of them eating their own weight daily, they're aggressive as anything that swims. I've always considered shad dead easy to catch, but for a while there I started doubting myself when I really struggled to bag one ha ha!

 

[Enigma]

EugeneC wrote:

A couple of pics to round out another report that probably no-one will read lol! I only took pics of the first couple of fish and then focused on landing more, the ones in the pics measured in the mid 70's (roughly 6kg).

344 Reads in 3 hours so you were wrong

Awesome fish there Eugene.... Hope the heads OK

 

[riekert]

My first experience with big shad on plugs was November last year when I landed one of 70 cm fork lenght (4.5 kg estimated weight from ORI website) on a very steep beach with deep water and strong shore break. They are formidable fighters and do a lot of jumping. Barry Wareham said that one must be ruthless with these big shad and not give it the slightest slack on the braid. I forced the fish hard (absolutely against my nature!) and landed it after a good couple of heart-stopping minutes. A couple of casts later another big shad grabbed the plug and I decided to fight it softer and allowed it more freedom. Well I lost it!

 

[Cam Mundy]

Quick lesson on how to hold fish as requested

When you hold your fish grab them from behind the palms of your hands must be facing toward the camera not your body. You have your hand wrapped around the front of the tail making you stick your elbow out to the side in one of the pictures. Try keep your fingers out of the way Thumb and fore finger to grab the tail and tuck your fingers away on the body or they will look like pork sausages.

Make sure you are facing into the sun when you hold the fish. You want to hold the fish up and slightly out towards the camera not at arms length or it'll look ridiculous. have the camera guy stand as close as possible you want the focus on your face, upper body and the fish.

 

[Cam Mundy]

Quick lesson on how to hold fish as requested

When you hold your fish grab them from behind the palms of your hands must be facing toward the camera not your body. You have your hand wrapped around the front of the tail making you stick your elbow out to the side in one of the pictures. Try keep your fingers out of the way Thumb and fore finger to grab the tail and tuck your fingers away on the body or they will look like pork sausages.

Make sure you are facing into the sun when you hold the fish. You want to hold the fish up and slightly out towards the camera not at arms length or it'll look ridiculous. have the camera guy stand as close as possible you want the focus on your face, upper body and the fish.

 

[Cam Mundy]

Quick lesson on how to hold fish as requested

When you hold your fish grab them from behind the palms of your hands must be facing toward the camera not your body. You have your hand wrapped around the front of the tail making you stick your elbow out to the side in one of the pictures. Try keep your fingers out of the way". Thumb and fore finger to grab the tail and tuck your fingers away on the body or they will look like pork sausages.

Make sure you are facing into the sun when you hold the fish. You want to hold the fish up and slightly out towards the camera not at arms length or it'll look ridiculous. have the camera guy stand as close as possible you want the focus on your face, upper body and the fish.

I've cropped one of your pictures to give you an idea

 

[Cam Mundy]

here is one of my pictures you can see how the fingers are out the way and the fish is presented nicely to the camera in direct sunlight. I have to coach guys on how to do this all the time on the boat. The fish in the picture is about the same size as yours as well.

 

[shuraj]

that is awesome specimens Eugene.
i hope that your head is healing well and you will back out on the water in no time