It has been my experience that the most effective way to consistently catch stripers in excess of 25 lbs. is with a live 12 to 14 inch gizzard shad. But catching big shad can be time consuming and real iffy at times. In the past I have had limited success in using oatmeal as an attractant to concentrate the shad but would like to know if anyone has tried any other type of attractant.

Go at night and use light. They will attract to the light.

I used to do that but have gotten lazy in my old age. Mostly like to go out and catch a few fresh shad, fish a few hours during prime time, hopefully catch one good fish and drive a short distance home. Thanks for the advice though.

under lights where there is a good supply of algea growing... boat ramps or boat house foam blocks. Crushed up range cubes

I have never tried the range cubes but it sounds like they may be worth a try. I have heard of using bagged dog food but haven't tried it yet either. The issue is complicated by my favorite fishing lake has minimal water current coming in, only two docks on the lake, and very little rip rap. Much of the lake has standing timber where many of the gizzard shad prefer to live so I am looking for a method to encourage them away from the trees to open water. As it is I catch most of them close to the tree line but that becomes physically tiring and I get a lot of hang-ups. Also, a shoulder injury has limited my ability to throw a big net as much as I used to. I am looking for a proven method that others have used to hopefully keep the shad in a limited area.

Also, how many of y'all enjoy fishing with the big baits for the big stripes?

Where do you usually fish?

I like large gizzard shad and med size thread fin..
hooked through the nose holes.they stay alive longer with less stress and swim better..
Lakes I fish for larger stripers are ;Beaver lake, Ark.,
lake Ouachita, Ark...Good size stripers Texoma,Tx.,Big stripers-Lake E.V. Spence,Tx.,Inks Lake, Tx.,,Lake Tawakoni,Tx.
Big Hybrids!Lake Waurika,OK.

LMAO that's what I'm talking about geez 25lb fish. "consistently catch stripers in excess of 25 lbs. "

Big stripers love bluegill, perch, etc... and these are much easier to get. They also remain alive on the hook longer. I am assuming that your fishing freshwater.

I fish the freshwater lakes of the Southeast, mostly around South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. I won't hesitate to use bream, perch or any other legal fish for bait, but absolutely nothing compares to a big shad for big stipes. I mostly use big gizzards but other large shad and herring are very good. Gizzard shad have a strong odor that I think attracts the stripes and I think they also put out a distress sound when hooked. The reason I say this is because you can be fishing with them 35 0r 40 yards apart and they will invariably swim towards each other and tangle your lines. A 12 inch gizzard is perfect for a large stripe but I have used other shad up to 17 inches. You can't expect many hits but when you get one you know it will be a good one. Getting the proper bait is usually harder than catching the fish. That is why I was hoping someone would share their knowledge on an effective way to attract the bait. I don't mind sharing my fishing techniques.

You mentioned using "other shad up to 17 inches", would that be skipjack? My buddy is fishing in TN right now and dragging big skipjack behind planer boards. He hasn't caught any stripers on them yet, but he did manage this big pig on a Flitterbait 4.

I was using an American Shad which looks a lot like the skipjack. The American is a long slender shad with a forked tail and migrates up the rivers in the springtime.

And pass on my congratulations to your friend on such a fine fish the next time you talk to him.

Oatmeal or crumbled stale bread. Believe it or not, you can catch shad on a sabiki rig. When I'm doing this at a dock, I just use a little rod & reel with a very small gold hook (size 16-18) and catch plenty of big baits.

The stale bread idea sounds good. I think I know where I can get a large quantity for almost nothing. Thanks for the info.