# Shad spawning



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The shad have moved up the creeks to the warmest water and started spawning, as the lake warms up along the shoreline the shad will start spawning there too.
It should not be too long before they are thick on the south end bulk heads at first light.
I searched the past posts on the lounge and found some action in known hot spots by pros early March to late March, then it seem the cat fish get easier to catch and a lot more people not only are fishing for them, but posting as well.
By late April the cat fishing is in full swings with hard core cat men crying when week end cold fronts blow out the action. The rest of the time they catching those big blue cats from the bank and having a ball.

To help kick off the 2013 bulk head season Lakelivingstonguides.com will sponsor a contest.

To the best bulkhead report, goes one cat fishing drifting trip on The Mighty Red-Fin for Lips the might cat fish!

The best report as judged by me and Lee, and popular support by voting on the post.
Let the cat fishing begin 3-17-13 and end 6-1-13.
:work:


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

I have catfished Livingston for the past 35 years and love to see the shad roll up to the bulk heads.I'm headed to town tomorrow to pick up my Slap yo Momma and Zattarans cause it won't be long now.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I threw the net and caught some young shad this morning, but never used them for bait. If the weather stays warm there should be some cat fishing going on somewhere on a bulkhead.


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## KevBow (Mar 18, 2011)

U know I'll be up there soon


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

We stayed at browders all weekend. We threw the net probably a hundred times and caught about 25 shad total. They have not hit the bulk heads hard yet. Weekend sucked as we blew a head gasket in my buddies boat on the first run of the trip. No boat for the rest of the weekend. Seems I cant catch a break fishing at livingston lately. Last trip My BIL'S boat the starter went out.


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## Ditto (Apr 18, 2005)

I'll be hitting the lake on Good Friday with my son looking for that catfish bite on the bulkheads. Looks like the Good Friday school holiday timing is good this year.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

There were thousands of shad on the bulk head just after sun light today. A crappie fishermen told me he caught four good size blue cats when the shad came in.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Word up! I just heard from my good friend who caught eight good cat fish on his bulk head in an hour and a half this morning to 8 pounds.
He said the shad were going nuts all around the bulk heads for a while.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

It is a second hand report but the shad are supposedly on the bulkheads at Lake Houston also. I was told the channel cats are on them already and hitting good but not many blues yet.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

big-john, no trip tomorrow so I have to choose between crappie and blue cat fish tomorrow morning. The shad are running the bulk head every morning for the last four mornings and both are biting. Maybe catch more cat fish.
Man that is a hard choice, what do you think?


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

If it were legal I'd use crappie as cut bait...my vote is catfish!


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

big-john said:


> If it were legal I'd use crappie as cut bait...my vote is catfish!


Heck ya!
I will leave Lee on the bank to crappie fish and go for the blue cats.
report tomorrow!!


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## ARenko (Mar 8, 2013)

big-john said:


> It is a second hand report but the shad are supposedly on the bulkheads at Lake Houston also. I was told the channel cats are on them already and hitting good but not many blues yet.


When the channels are hitting the shad, are they still feeding on anything and everything? That is, can you still catch good numbers of channels on other baits?


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

*Shad*



ARenko said:


> When the channels are hitting the shad, are they still feeding on anything and everything? That is, can you still catch good numbers of channels on other baits?


You should be fine using other baits. If the shad are thickthough, why not throw the net once and use what they are after?


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## tufffish (May 11, 2006)

i fished a few bulkheads yesterday in the whiterock creek area and caught a few nice blues. i was late going out, so they may have been in there early.


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## ARenko (Mar 8, 2013)

Fishin' Soldier said:


> You should be fine using other baits. If the shad are thickthough, why not throw the net once and use what they are after?


Thanks for the reply. To answer your question...because I don't have a net and I'm not sure I want to invest in one yet. I'm just getting back into fishing after many years and am just getting into catfishing.


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## Magnolia (Dec 2, 2007)

ARenko said:


> Thanks for the reply. To answer your question...because I don't have a net and I'm not sure I want to invest in one yet. I'm just getting back into fishing after many years and am just getting into catfishing.


when the shad are spawning you wont need a throw net........a hand held net will do just as good since the shad will be up against the bank or bulkheads by the millions and you can just scoop them out of the water.....I bought a hugh minnow net the other day at Academy for just that purpose for $6.98......


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## TexasTom (Mar 16, 2011)

When they are thick my son has scooped them up in our landing net at the foot of boat ramps. Lose a lot, but still got plenty in just a couple of scoops. By the time I had the cast net ready to sling out, he had us all ready to go with a bucket full.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The shad were absent yesterday and today the cold front knocked them back, but they should storm the bulk head as soon as the sun shines bright for a couple of days.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

No shad again today,it's just like other fish runs. I always want it to start before it does.
The shad do this every year, come in for a few days, only to go back after a front hits. Then a few days later they come back until the next front, but soon they will come in every morning!


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

ARenko said:


> When the channels are hitting the shad, are they still feeding on anything and everything? That is, can you still catch good numbers of channels on other baits?


The two baits they were using were minnows and CJs punch bait and both were producing.


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## lamar44 (Nov 26, 2011)

What is a bulkhead ?


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

ARenko said:


> Thanks for the reply. To answer your question...because I don't have a net and I'm not sure I want to invest in one yet. I'm just getting back into fishing after many years and am just getting into catfishing.


Ahh, ok. Someone else said though you can dip them out when they get running good. Minnows will work very well too.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

lamar44 said:


> What is a bulkhead ?


The little walls along the shore line made to prevent erosion.


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## lamar44 (Nov 26, 2011)

OK , sea walls. I should know that. thanks


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## jrg_80 (Aug 13, 2009)

What is it about these bulkheads that are so appeasing to shad and to catfish? I'm assuming that the shad move in and the catfish follow to feed..... But whats the attraction? 
Along the guadalupe here in New Braunfels on lake Dunlop and McQueeny you see them too so I'm assuming that they might be points of interest when fishing of setting jugs??? The bulkhead thing is new info to me so I'm trying to listen and learn. Thanks

jrg


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## ARenko (Mar 8, 2013)

jrg_80 said:


> What is it about these bulkheads that are so appeasing to shad and to catfish? I'm assuming that the shad move in and the catfish follow to feed..... But whats the attraction?
> Along the guadalupe here in New Braunfels on lake Dunlop and McQueeny you see them too so I'm assuming that they might be points of interest when fishing of setting jugs??? The bulkhead thing is new info to me so I'm trying to listen and learn. Thanks
> 
> jrg


I was curious myself. I found this from here...



> Shad are a common baitfish and they spawn in very shallow water on hard surfaces. They especially like rocks, wood and metal but will spawn on clay and plants, too. The best spots are near deep water. So bridge riprap and pilings, seawalls and bulkheads on points and even grassy points are good places to find them spawning.
> 
> Watch for shad rippling the water right where the water meets the edge of the hard surface. You will usually see shad jumping completely out of the water onto the bank when they spawn. The school of shad run down the bank and the females lay eggs that stick to the rocks and other hard surfaces. The male are running with them and releasing sperm that fertilizes the eggs.


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

Yep they are just spawning and like to spawn against anything shallow as they can get and covered in algae .


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## jmack (Dec 7, 2006)

They back on the bulkheads yet? Ill be down there this weekend.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I bet they are this morning.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

Big-john on the catfish board said it is on fire at Lake Houston. Its nice and warm this morning. Seems like they should be!


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I bet they are biting great tomorrow morning.


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## newfish19 (Jan 16, 2009)

Anyone catching any in the evenings?


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## kcbrockett (Aug 25, 2006)

*shad at Lake Houston today*

Out on the lake with my son....Caught plenty of shad daybreak at Duessen Park before we left. Caught one on jug so far....


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## creeker (Feb 14, 2005)

Shad were in thick at the bulk head this morning. Not many fish behind them though. Only caught a few cats and nothing big.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The shad came into Beacon Bay, we took a white bass trip out and saw big schools of them swimming into the marina.


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## Git$um (Feb 11, 2008)

We found the same, big numbers of shad on the bulkheads, but the catfish action isn't as strong as I felt it should be considering the amount of bait in the water. But in my case, it could just be the fisherman.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Shad are steady swarming into Beacon Bay every morning now.
Going to go to a special bulk head tomorrow.
i hope we catch em!


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## poohbear (Jul 31, 2009)

i'am still waiting on my catfish guide (AKA wife) to let me know when it starts. She gets up every morning at 6:30 am and goes out on the porch for a cup of coffee. She knows when they move in because she can here them. We've gone down and checked it out and the shad are going crazy but the catfish haven't moved in yet. Gitsum I'll let you know when it's on. I'm like SS I think it's only a matter of days.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

We are betting that tomorrow is the first day that it's on! LOL!
Not usually a good bet, but it could happen.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

If you keep betting, sooner or later you're gonna hit!


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## big-john (Jan 6, 2011)

Went to lake Houston for a few hours fished off a friend's bulkhead that he had baited for me for the three days prior and didn't catch much at all .The shad were there but I only caught 5 and they were all tiny the biggest was about a pound and a half ...nothing even worth cleaning.


BTW:let us know how you do SS...I've got the fishing bug bad right now,and I'm ready to go...I'm just waiting for the next good report.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

About o go pick up Lee and go try them, I will let y'all know how we do.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Been back a while, the bite stopped about 10:00.
Fair bite off and on all morning, blues to almost 6 pounds, and channels which were small, but legal keepers up to 16".
The best rig for me was a 3/0 circle hook on braid spooled on an ultralight spinning rig.
Put that sucker in the rod holder and wait.
Shad got pretty thick, but were just below the surface and not up on the rocks so much.
Total body count for Lee and I was 25 fish.


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## dbullard (Feb 13, 2008)

Good catch Loy, looks like another weather change. Maybe the weekend will be decent.


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## superadd (Mar 18, 2012)

when is dinner Loy?


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