When people on this board say they drift for catfish, are you completely at the mercy of the wind or do you use a windsock of some type? Also what size weight and hook do you use? Do you only use shad, and if so would a treble hook work or a standard J hook? I'm thinking about buying a cast net for shad. Are they always along the shore line, or do you just throw the net anywhere? Thanks for your time and help.

This is what I do. I use a drift sock. I use at least 1 oz of weight on a carolina rig using a 7/0 Gamagatsu Octopus Circle hook. I drift large shad heads and whole live shad. Casting with a cast net is'nt a breeze at first and with practice you'll learn to throw it with ease. I'd start out with a small 2.5-3.5 radius net and get good with it before you try to move up to a big net. You'll usually find shad around lit boat docks after dark or before daylight. Boat slips usually hold shad too. Don't forget to have a place to keep your shad once you catch them, thats the hardest part (keeping them alive) in my opinion. Good Luck.

If you have a fishfinder you can use it to locate shad if you don't make it out early or in the evening. I find they don't go to far from shore until the water temp drops. Look for black blobs and throw. Use your trolling motor so as not to scare them.

If you don't have electronics or a trolling motor, just look for small tail flips and a splash and throw your net there.

Depending on how strong the winds are will determine if I use my drift sock. Today I used it.

A drift sock is a life saver!

Wow, that's a big question.

Whether or not to use a sock depends on the wind. If the wind is only blowing 5 mph or so I don't use the sock. If it gets up over 5-10 mph I use it. You want to move pretty slow, but not too slow. You need to make sure the sock fits your boat size. They make adjustable ones, but they are kind of expensive.

Cast nets take practice. I'm sure you can find video on youtube of how to cast one. As far as finding shad, look on the surface like Deerstrangler said. Polarized glasses can really help when they are closer to surface. You can see the size of them and choose which schools to cast too. Most people say you need to keep them alive, I don't try too hard. I use a 5 gallon bucket and use the dead ones first. I don't notice any difference in the dead ones or live ones, but I kill them when I put them on the hook anyway.

I use circle hooks. The reason for this is the hook up very easy. A lot of the time the fish hook themselves. I use about a 2.5 to 3 oz weight. I make them myselves. I buy electrical shrink wrap at the auto store and heat one end making about an inch long shrunken section. Then I fill the tube with lead shot, 1/4 oz or so, as many as I want to put in there, like I said 2.5 to 3 oz. Then I shrink the other side too, keeping the weights in there. I stab snap swivels, pretty large ones, through one side and then tie that on my rig. As far as hook size, it depends on what size bait. For whole shad 2 to 3 inches in length I use 5/0 hooks, threaded through the mouth, all the way through following the spine. I actually push it out halfway through, then stab it back through the spine, trying to go through the middle of the bones. This helps keep it on. For big shad 6 in+ I usually cut them like steaks and run the hook through the spine. These stay on very well. For heads, I use 8/0 hooks. Usually this will catch bigger fish, so I use a good hook. The key with circle hooks is making sure the bait is kind of flat in relation to the hook so the point can catch in the corner of the fishes mouth.

Hope this helps. Whereabouts is Royse city?

I love drifting for cats. I use a carolina rig set up or which prefer more the santee cooper rig set which is adding the float about 6" up from the hook. This helps keep it of the bottom and also helps prevent snags. I alos make the leader different lengths some as long a 6 to 8 feet some as short as a 18". I always try and flaot sideways with the wind this allows me to drift as many as 6 rods set out at different distances behind the boat. This is important to keep lines from tangling up during the drift. Set your drift sock or socks out to help the boat stay as perpendicular to the wind as you can this also helps with keepong you rlines straight. Have the trolling motor lowered so that if need be you rejust your drift slightly or straighten the boat or just move out of the way of a jug line or tree line. Octopus hooks for me are the way to go. Keep one graph on if in deeper water as you see the shad balls as you come thru and you can almost predict you bites. Also be sure and keep your drag set because for me atleast when drifting you do not tend to get much warning they willflat out slam your rod an dif you happen to be looking the other way or doing something it will give you a chance to get to the rod before either the line breaks or the rod holder breaks which I know people it has happen to. Fresh bait is best. If you do not see the shad on your graph keep looking you will start to learn what the shad need to look like to know if the fish are feeding in the area. Check out Tiny web site he has some cool graph pics to get you started. Went out yesterday to tawakoni had one good fish at 26 pounds and sevral others up to about 6 to 8 we missed a couple we thought were good fish. IT looks like the bigger fish are starting to move around I suspect after the next big cold front the big catfish season will be in full swing until spring.

Tim is right, set your drag kind of low. The way I set mine is by pulling it with my hand. It shouldn't take too much force to pull line out.

I always use a drift sock for the same reason as Mr Cline indicated above. I don't use anything but fresh shad, usually three to fives inches in length. I always drift with a float about two inchs above the bait to help prevent hangups.

My reels have clickers on them. I just leave the spool open and set the clicker. Nothing like the sound of your clicker going off indicating a bite.

Drift sock - YES. I actually use two of them for anything more than a gentle breeze - one at the stern & the larger one at the bow.

BIG circle hook - each person has their preference. I prefer Mustad Sea Demon hooks. My rig is a modified carolina rig (have seen various names for it) with a crappie float ahead of the bait. Usually will use 1-1/2 to 2 oz egg sinker.

Prefer to use fresh shad, but will also use cut buffalo or carp if I can't get shad. Shad can usually be found by rocks & boat ramps till it gets colder. Then the lit boat docks are helpful.

JMHO that a drift sock or even two will not slow you enough in a stiff breeze. I hold my drifts between .3-.5 mph and if your boat has any weight to it at all I've never seen socks to hold that slow in a 15+ mph breeze. We use a 8x10 drifte chute that will hold steady and at that speed range in a wind up to about 30mph.

When you start hunting shad, best tip I know without electronics is find a boat ramp (especially early and late) with a good wind blowing in to it. If not a ramp then a point or bank with the wind pushing in on it. Very general rule: spring and summer shad will be shallower, fall and winter they may move deeper. As said above, use fresh shad. I'd go with some other type of cut bait over frozen shad but thats JMO.
A good all around hook is a kahle hook...I prefer 7/0 lazer sharps. They're cheap and you don't have to go change hooks out when you go shallow. Circles will work but I'm one of those that guys that actually likes setting the hook.

You might want to book a trip with Jackie Kennedy, he is the absolute guru on catching big cats. You can learn more fishing with him on on trip than you will pick up on your own in a year.

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