I just started catching my own bait (shad). I have never used them before. Which is the best way to fish them. Alive or as cut bait.

They won't stay alive very long. No simple answer to your question, I have fished them whole, cut head ends and cut tail ends, seems at different times any of those presentations may work better then the other ones. I do think cut is better for blues and not sure channel cats care.

I've had a huge problem with something stealing my shad off of my drop lines--never caught anything other that cats on it but there are alot of crappie around there. Could they clean off a hook like that? I was thinking maybe so since the hook is really too big for them.

A lot of times the smaller channel cats will pull at the shad until they get them off the hook. Had this happening last Sat. Couldn't figure it out until I finally caught a few by foul hooking them when they were tugging at it.

I have found that dead shad work best for cats and live shad work well for hybrids, stripers, sandies, drum, etc. But, like trapper said, different times will show that different things work best. Just depends on the body of water, time of year, temp, wind, etc.

Not a real definitive answer for you, but hopefully you can try different things and find out what you feel most comfortable with.

Cut shad, dead, fresh. Load your hook up with them, they will work. Shad are hard to keep alive, and if you are fishing for cats, it's a waste. Put the shad in a ziplock bag, on ice, and take a few out as you need them. I keep a cutting board on my boat.

Thanks for the info guys. I fished thursday for about two hours and caught five cats and a drum. Drum was not hooked the shad was stuck in its mouth. All caught on live bait. No bites on the cut bait.

Big time dumb question...when you say "cut" shad, what exactly does this mean... I got the dead and live shad part, ha.. so cut shad, is that pieces of a larger shad? I've got a place where I can net lots of small shad, should I just load the hook up with 3 or 4 of these? Thanks for all your info, it's very helpful.

Yes cut shad is just a shad cut up. If you have little ones I would put 2-3 on the hook.

I am using a rod and reel, so can't speak for the trotliners. But I fish them both ways and it depends on what you are trying to catch. First, I fish with them alive, to take advantage of that fact, and hooking them between the eyes(or nostrils). And then when my supply dies, of course begin fishing with them dead, one of two ways; 1.If they are small, I will "worm them on" singly or hook them on in mulitples(between the eyes or their bodies) to create a larger chunk of bait. 2. For larger shad, I will cut them perpendicular to their lateral line(their length) in widths appropriate to my hook size and use them as "cut shad". This system is cognizant to the situation and can be tweaked to whatever the fishing dictates.

I've had good luck with live shad as well hooked through either the nostrils (drifting) or the back (stationary). Cut shad are of course great as well. I like to cut mine diagonally along the body hoarding most of the bait portion on the head end - I usually disgard the tail.

I have been fishing twice since I started using shad and live shad is the flavor of the month. The kittys seem to love em.

Don't get locked in on the live shad thingy. I've seen many a time the kitties won't touch a live one, yet they'll gobble the cut shad up.

Of course I've seen the same thing happen with striper. A regular trick we use up here on Texoma is to send down some live ones, and send down a couple of cut ones. Figure out which they are wanting today.

I can't offer a solid explanation as to why this happens?? It seems like the cut and bleeding shad work better when the water is a bit cooler. During the dog days of summer, the stripers seem to want their shad live and kicking.

Thanks for the info I will use cut shad but the live ones are working so well now.