Have any of you ever tried using a shad trawl to catch them?

My body will not allow me to use a cast net any longer so I am hoping this works.

I bought one last fall and have not tried it yet to be honest, but would like to know what to expect.

Info appreciated!

Skip, I never bought one, but I have never ready anything good about them. Good luck.

Thanks I may need it, but I was thinking here on T-Bend large schools travel up and down the boat lane in front of my house and I am going to try and pull it through them.

Also I noticed huge amounts of small shad around my green light at night. For them I have a square net that I plan attaching a long pole letting the net in the water and later when thee shad show up I can lift the net hoping to catch some.

I've got a shad trawl that I've used one time. I followed all the rules I had heard, such as pulling it in big 'S' curves, rather than directly behind the boat. Plus, when I pulled it in, I kept the boat going as fast as I could while still being able to pull in the net. No shad, no nothing. I'm going to give it a couple more tries before giving up on it, though.

Can you find a place where you can get on top of a concrete wall or rocks where shad are running in the current below? Below dams are generally the best places to find a spot like that. Assuming you do find such a spot, take some 1/2" hardware cloth and make a basket, kind of like a mineature rescue litter, and rig it with rope so you can let it down into the water below. Wait for the shad to swim over it and lift the basket. It's the same way that an umbrella net works, but an umbrella net in a current is pretty unmanageable. A friend over in NW Mississippi says that they use a rig like that a lot to get their shad.

Thanks jtrew I do appreciate you input!

Skip, where did you find a shad trawl?...I've done searches on the 'net looking for them, even tried Jann's Netcraft.

SPI Nets has them.

www.spinets.net

catfishconnection.com is where I got mine. I also got a umbrella net to use with a pole at night. Every time I put out my green light crappie fishing the shad show up in huge amounts and I think all I have to do is let the net down in the water and when they show up, lift the net.

http://catfishconnection.com/

good luck,

Skip

I would think it would be harder on your body to pull in a shad trawl than to throw a cast net once.

Just a thought.

LOL Bigcat2, you pull this trawl with a boat and I intend of having help pulling it in.

Skip, pulling the trawl with the boat is no problem, but it seems to me that if you stop the boat completely to pull in the trawl, the shad will be able to swim out. That's why I kept the boat idling in forward while I pulled in the trawl. I don't know, maybe you are supposed to pull the trawl around with the boat till the shad die.

Jerry It would be nice to be able to still do all that stuff, but I just can't any longer.

I did say that I intend to have help to pull it in and I don't plan on a complete stop.

I have a son that can help with the heavy liftin'.

He is about 6' 240# so I will let him do the pullin' in and I will drive, LOL!

I am not sure my wife could do it or not, but I also intend on getting her to try. She is a real trooper with helping me out.

Heck if I had to do it my self it would never happen. I have plates and screws in my back and my shoulders are pretty much shot. That does not even get to the arthritis in my knees.

Another place you can get a shad trawl is 'The Fish Net Company'.

Skip, I know what you mean about the heavy lifting. I've been thinking about rigging up an electric pully system on my boat to pull in the anchor; it should work just as well pulling in a shad trawl. I'm leaning toward having some kind of powered capstan similar to what they use on sailboats to raise the sails. Just take a couple of turns around the turning capstan, pull it tight, and take up the slack. Flip the loops off the capstan when I'm through pulling.

When a shrimper pulls in the trawl he idles in circles. That puts the trawl in towards the side of the boat & makes it easier to pull in.

Easy solution may be to teach that son of yours to throw a net?