i have located a spot where i can net probably thousands of shad pretty quick. my question is if i catch and freeze them for later use, does that just make them that store bought [censored]?

no because they'll have all the juices and won't be dried out bull [censored] but you better watch were you put 'em when it gets hot because they'll sit in that bag and desentigrate, liquify and it's one big ace mess that really stinks

Which store bought kind are you talking about? I've used both the frozen kind and the kind in a bag at Wal-mart. The frozen kind usually works ok. Not as good as fresh but it still works. I think I need to go catch a bunch and freeze them too. It makes them kinda soft but they still work.

I have found if you vaccuum pack them instead of just freezing them they hold up alot better.

throw some rock salt in when you freeze the shad, really toughens them up... use small baggies cause they won't refreeze.

ok (gettin my info straight), if i freeze them it will be ok cause i will still be using them in the same water they come out of

If you can get a real big bunch of them I'd recommend making some chum too. Just a thought.

If you are talking threadfin shad here chum is about all you will get out of it. They will be pretty much mush when they thaw. Larger Gizzards can be frozen with decent results. Nothing beats fresh.

I'm thinking a five gallon bucket half full of shad all ground up. Add 2 lbs of shredded cheese - sounds like a channel cat delight. If you could put something in there to add consistency, like DK does with the cattail stuff, you could probably use it on a treble hook. Maybe dump in a bag or two of cotton balls?

sounds yummy man. yeah i have a neighbor down the road that is killing blue cats with his bait. finally got him to tell me whats in it, so ima share with ya'll. he uses blended shrimp, beef fat, linberger cheese, and puts some cotton balls in it to make it like a punch. Not much to it, but like i said before, he is bringing them in by the stringer full with that stuff.

threadfin will "freeze" and stay tough enough for one use if you treat with rock salt first. They actually never really freeze with the salt and they dehydrate some, which keeps them tough. Not really a long term solution, but if suppose they'd last a few months in the freezer.