How hard is it getting bait on Whitney right now? I’ve only fished it a few times and didn’t have much luck getting bait. Ended up having to get perch last time out. Any help would be appreciated.

I’ve tried to catch shad up in the coves many times with no luck. I’ve talked to a few who have gotten there before me, launching at loofers bend, and they have caught a few right as the sun comes up but they’re hard to catch. I’m sure the guides know better places where they catch shad but I’m in the same boat you are.

Go to the very back of creeks like cedron or Frazier , I am catching em easy

Thanks. I’ll give it a shot

I struggled to get bait on whitney up until this year. I did a lot of research and talked to as many guys as would I could thay were willing to divulge info. The long and the short of it was mostly in my net. I had a smallish light net so I invested in a bait buster. 7 foot and it has 2lbs per radial foot of weight. It made a day and night difference in catching shad. Now I can go to the lake and any time during the day and catch the bait I need. Early in the morning in the backs of coves... really any cove will hold shad. If you are there before daylight find a lighted dock, although there aren't many on whitney or take a light. Set it up and in about 20.minute the shad will be there. I prefer to get there and at daybreak and look at the surface and find them talking and throw on to of them. Later in the day theybwill.mive into deeper water. Ill troll around the mouths of coves and mark them.on my graph then start throwing in those areas. My go tomplaces are back in towash, cedron, and the picked of shallow coves just northnof the Katy Bridge.

Thanks for the help guys. Got a good amount this morning and was able to put 50 in the boat before I ran out of bait.

Find the mud, find the gizzards

lights also

Now that the water has cooled off where will the shad be? I found the mud and the gizzards this fall and had a great time catching striper. Went out Wednesday morning and caught plenty, went out Thursday afternoon and couldn’t find anything. I checked the deeper creeks close to where I was finding them this fall and nothing. Do I need to be out on main river channels or where the creek channels meet the deeper main channel?

Reading back and seeing the light comment, does anybody have any recommendations on what lights they've been using?

Unless you're fishing with some impatient kiddos, this time of year you can leave the nets and bait tanks at home.

I’m fishing with an impatient wife. I will try deadsticking again but will keep the net handy. Any tips would be appreciated. I have tried before but not much luck. Even took a trip a guide to a couple of years ago to get me started on the right path. I learned a lot but guess I just need more practice and patience.

Good advice here. Swim baits and flutter spoons were the ticket last weekend. Find the birds and you will find the fish. No need to deadstick, the striper are very aggressive right now and will hit a swim bait reeled in at a steady pace. Try burning a swim bait on the surface too. Had a couple explode out of the water to hit it!