If you’ve ever been to one of those Brazilian steak houses, where circling servers continually put prime cuts of meat in front of you and another delightful bite is always just a head nod away, you have some sense of what it’s like to be a bass during the shad spawn. The spawn congregates enormous masses of the bass’ favorite entrée in predictable areas, and the shad, instinctively locked into procreation, are as vulnerable as they’ll every be.
From a bass fisherman’s standpoint, there’s nothing quite like it. For as long as the shad spawn occurs any given morning, the catching action can be furious. You see shad flipping everywhere, feel them bumping your bait and watch bass bust bait on the surface around you.
The shad spawn serves up serious bass fishing fun, and there’s really no better way to begin a tournament day, but the action ends abruptly each morning when the sun starts hitting the water. And when it does end, those bass are as likely to eat as you are right after you leave that Brazilian steak house. What that means from a strategic standpoint is that you need a solid plan so you can be in place with the right lure at first light.
The shad spawn typically gets underway once the water warms enough that the surface temperature stays 70 degrees or more at night.
“Usually it starts about the time bass finish spawning,” said Jimmy Mason, a Tennessee River guide and bass pro from Rogersville, Ala.
That’s good timing, because many bass are already close to the bank where most shad spawning occurs, and they are ready eat and regain the strength lost while completing their own spawn.
On the Tennessee River lakes where Mason spends most of his time, the shad spawn normally begins around the middle of April and continues through the first part of May. Timing varies by region, but it’s normally a three- to four-week window.
Shad spawn in shallow water adjacent to hard cover in the form of riprap, a grass line or dock supports. Unlike bass or bluegills, which build beds for their eggs, shad spawn as they swim and drop their eggs in open water. The eggs need a surface stick to, so the fish stay close to the cover.
Shad are apt to spawn anywhere you find hard cover edges in shallow water out of the primary current flow. Conveniently, shad use many of the same areas year-after-year, so once you learn some of those spots you know where you should be first thing in the morning.
Even if you don’t know specific spots, if the shad spawn is on you can find productive areas by watching for the little surface rings created by shad flipping on top. As your eyes become acclimated, you’ll start to see the masses of shad swimming together and bumping one another’s sides.
Because direct sun hitting the water brings a quick halt to the morning’s action, Mason strategically begins with areas that get sunshine early and works his way through spots that stay shaded longer. Of course, the best-case scenario is a dark, cloudy day, because the shad often will continue their activity much later.
Because bass focus exclusively on shad during this time, baits and presentations should imitate shad swimming just beneath the surface. If you feel shad bumping your bait, you know you’re in the right area
BOOYAH Boo Rigs and related Boo Teaser and Boo Spin rigs all present the perfect look for the shad spawn. The Boo Rig has four willowleaf blades in school formation that adds a cluster of flash and vibration. Boo teasers have white grubs in the place of the blades. Boo Spin Rigs have two blades like a spinnerbait.
Because of the flexible lure arm, you can use any lure you choose on Boo Rigs. For fishing the shad spawn, Mason likes swimbaits like the YUM Money Minnow, Mud Minnow and Lil’ Suzie, which he rigs on a jighead for open water or a swimbait hook for working around cover.
Mason also likes to swim an XCalibur Xcs100 Square Lip crankbait behind a Boo Rig, having found its profile and wobble to be a great enticer. Occasionally, when he wants to maximize flash, he’ll rig a spinnerbait on a Boo Rig or Boo Spin.
Mason keeps his presentations slow and steady, except for two or three slight hesitations per retrieve, and he holds his rod tip up to keep the bait high in the water column.
“When I say hesitation, I don’t mean a pause,” Mason said. “It’s just a very slight hesitation that lets it fall a tiny bit. When a bass if following and you add that little stutter step, you’ll catch him.” Go to feature location here…..
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