White is Right for Spawning Shad
Nitro pro Brian Snowden flips a white jig into a marina slip to take advantage of the shad spawn during the PAA All Star Series tournament last month on Lake Ray Hubbard. (PAA: Chris Dutton)
PAA Communications
Spring brings about a flurry of anticipation for sight fishing, but one of the most popular and effective ways to put bass in the boat is capitalizing on the shad spawn.
Shad begin spawning, typically, when water temperatures hit about 70 degrees. They seek some kind of hard surface such as boat docks or vegetation. Preferred docks seem to be wooden or made with floating Styrofoam, while the vegetation could be whatever is prevalent in a lake.
It’s not just a one-shot deal in spring, either. Multiple shad spawns may occur in lakes at different times of the season until water temperatures climb higher. They can be in shallow areas or, on lakes with deeper vegetation, out in deeper water off channels or creeks.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what baits to throw during the shad spawn, either. You’re looking for something that mimics a shad. No-brainer, eh? White, pearl, albino, shad and subtle variations of those colors – maybe a pearlescent or silvery-sparkle skirt – usually works fine.
A white jig and trailer is a great bait to use during the shad spawn. (PAA: Alan Clemons)
“For me the best thing probably is the spinnerbait,” says Hefty pro Mike McClelland of Arkansas. “It’s hard to beat a white, double willow-leaf War Eagle spinnerbait. You can cover water quickly and you’re throwing a bait that resembles a group of shad with the two blades flashing and the pulsing skirt.”
During the recent PAA All Star Series tournament on Lake Ray Hubbard in Texas, several pros took advantage of the shad spawn happening inside marinas. White jigs – skirt and trailer – dominated lure selections. The Chatterbait also is a solid option, as are topwaters like a Pop-R chugger or walking baits like a Lucky Craft Sammy for more open-water areas.
“I look for older Styrofoam floating docks most of the time because they’ll often have algae growing around them,” said Nitro pro Edwin Evers of Oklahoma. “Shad will spawn around the floating docks and bass recovering from their spawn a few weeks earlier will be feeding.”
Evers opts for a big white spinnerbait when he’s targeting marina docks. He makes short pitches about halfway back into the marina slip and brings the spinnerbait out past the dock with a slow retrieve. The thump of the blades adds attraction, too.
McClelland adds a second option at times for a different look that doesn’t have as much vibration but still resembles a big shad. He teams a white Zoom Swimming Fluke on a skirted Jewel Swim It jig. If he’s around bigger fish, he’ll team the trailer with a Jewel Swim Gem head, which has an open hook. McClelland usually has 16-pound test Sunline fluorocarbon spooled on his reel.
“If I’m looking for bigger fish, that 4- to 6-inch bait seems to get their attention,” he said. “Sometimes they’re spawning on the top of grass and I’ll tick the grass, or if they’re on rock or a clay point I’ll let it slow roll through or on the bottom.
“I’m strong on fluorocarbon because I’m going to twitch, move or rip the bait and I don’t want line with a lot of stretch,” he said. “I’ll compensate for that very minimal stretch with a medium-action rod that loads up. For the 3- to 5-pound fish, I throw 16-pound test the majority of the time.”
