Types of Live Bait on SML

[mwardncsu]

Frequently the discussion of the various types of live bait pop up here on the board. Some folks call all bait they catch in the net a "shad". However, certain times of year the fish key in on different baits, so I thought I'd put together a post about the different kinds of bait, along with some pics to help identify them.

We have two main types of forage for striper on SML - gizzard shad and alewife. We have in the past had a large threadfin population in the past, but most of the threads died off several years back with the couple of very cold winters. They had been very abundant in SML before the fish-kill, and the cold winter which killed many of them is one of the reasons believed to have contributed to the fish-kill (loss of forage in a rapid fashion). There may still be some around the lake, likely coming in from folks coming up from NC or others waters and dumping their tanks before heading home. You may also run across a random blueback herring introduced from the same manner. Of course there are other "baits" that striper may feed on - bluegill, etc.

Alewife:


Threadfin:


Gizzard Shad:


The ale & threadfin have a similar, more pointed snout where the gizzards' bottom "lip" come sup over the top. The Threadfin has the characteristic "thread" coming off the top dorsal fin - the gizzard has a bit of this, but can be distinguished by the snout/mouth.

Blueback herring and alewife look VERY similar, and the best way to tell the difference is to cut them open - the blueback have a blue lining inside. However, it does not matter as they are both great baits - the blueback will typically be a little "thicker" in the shoulders, and the one's I've caught seem to be on the larger size overall.

Alewife don't like the warmer water, so they will typically hold in deeper, cooler water, though they will come up to the lights at night to feed. Gizzards like the warmer water better and will hold more shallow, and in fact in the late fall / early spring you can find them in the backs of coves in shallow water where the sun will warm that water 1st.


In our post we often use different terms for the different sizes of bait. Things like "peanuts", or "money makers". "Peanut Shad" are the young-of-the-year gizzards that are 2"-3" type size. What I typically call "dollar bill" or "money maker" gizzards are those in the 8" range - about the length of a dollar bill. Mongo's are the big boys - 12"+



Below are some "real world" pics of the different baits to also help with identification.

Gizzards:





A net full of "dollar bill" sized gizzards, with a few out of focus alewife


A mixed bag of money-maker to mongos


Too big?? Nope



I could not find any pics of "peanut" gizzards - I don't usually fish with them as I've never had much luck with that size.....


Alewife:

A beauty of an alewife - thought it might have been a blueback, but later confirmed to be an alewife






Tankful of medium to large size alewifes




This one is a little too small to fish with...




Other Baits on SML:

I've heard these are good baits, but it did not get me a fish on this day....



Other baits NOT on SML, but used for striper:

Eels - use them down at the Bay


Skipjack herring - sure wish we had these - the ultimate striper candy. Also a great cut-bait for catfish

[mwardncsu]

Where and how to catch them.....

Alewives:
Generally the easiest and best way is to catch them at night under lights. Use a 3/8" to 1/2" mesh net. If they are in good and thick and high to the surface, and the bait is quite small, then you might want to use a 1/4" mesh net, but generally the 3/8" will avoid gilling them too bad. I like a 1/2" most of the year as it will not gill too many, but still sink a little faster than the 3/8" to catch them. The bait will usually start to move into the lights within a couple of hours of dark. Sometimes they get thicker and thicker as the night goes on, but other times its easier to get them early and harder just before dawn - not quite sure why - may have to do with the surface water temperature changing a bit through the night, may have to do with some cycle of the phytoplankton, etc. Also, the moon can make a difference - a full moon can scatter the bait from the lights some making things tougher.

You can catch ales during the day, but it can be a lot harder to do so. They don't typically "flip" like gizzards do, so you'll need to mark them with your electronics. Most likely they will be holding a little deep, so a wider mesh, and heavier (1.25 or 1.5 lb/ft), larger at least 8' diameter, 10' is better) and a long rope, will help.


Gizzard shad:

Can be caught at the lights but in the spring & fall you'll usually find them in the shallow areas - muddy flats are always good areas to look. You'll spot them by their characteristic "flip". You may also be able to see them schooling if the water clarity is good enough. Big gizzards are fast, so a wide mesh - 5/8", 3/4" or larger will help if you are throwing in over 5' of depth, as well as a heavier net (1.5 lb/ft). Again, the bigger the better, to the extent that you can throw the net (and throw it and throw it and throw it and throw it). A 10' net will give you more coverage and better chance of catching those gizzards, but if you can open an 8' fully and not a 10', then you may want to stick with the 8.....

[CorneliaGale]

Great post Mike, you did a great job on this. Small carp also make a good bait for stripers and make good cut bait too. First stripers I caught off live bait came off bluegills, we caught them in a farm pond on fly rods and kept them in a old cooler for a few days and used them for bait.

[2013skiff]

thanks for the good report on the shad...question for you guys...my transducer is mounted on the back of the boat..i always throw net from the front of the boat....at times the electronics will show big balls of bait in us say 8 ft deep water so I throw and catch nothing..i throw the 8 ft calusa 1/2 mesh net....do I need to throw off back of boat?...it puzzles me

[mwardncsu]

Could be that you are throwing on very small bait that is sneaking through the net. Or, it could be small pods of bigger / faster gizzards, but would think you'd get a few. Are you letting the net hit the bottom before retrieving? If you get a chance, snap a screenshot if what you are seeing when throwing.

[2013skiff]

I make sure it hits the bottm and give the net a quick jerk...next time I go ....don't know when that will because don't know where to try and the heat....ill take a screen shot and post it...thanks

[BentRod]

I like big baits and I cannot lie...

[Shadslinger]

Jul 22, 2013 20:09:35 GMT -5 BentRod said:

I like big baits and I cannot lie...

Ol Mward cant deny.....

[Deleted]

Oh my god
mward, look at his bait
it's so big
So fellas (yeah) fellas (yeah)
has bentrod got big bait

[CorneliaGale]

Big baits catch big fish, some say size don't matter, but I think they lie.

[Gotcha]

Bait can never be to big!


Just hate when they miss the hook!!!!

[primetime]

Jul 22, 2013 14:27:32 GMT -5 mwardncsu said:

Where and how to catch them.....
Gizzard shad:

Can be caught at the lights but in the spring & fall you'll usually find them in the shallow areas - muddy flats are always good areas to look. You'll spot them by their characteristic "flip". You may also be able to see them schooling if the water clarity is good enough. Big gizzards are fast, so a wide mesh - 5/8", 3/4" or larger will help if you are throwing in over 5' of depth, as well as a heavier net (1.5 lb/ft). Again, the bigger the better, to the extent that you can throw the net (and throw it and throw it and throw it and throw it). A 10' net will give you more coverage and better chance of catching those gizzards, but if you can open an 8' fully and not a 10', then you may want to stick with the 8.....

What will the WT be when they will be in the muddy creeks?

[mwardncsu]

I don't know if I can nail down a specifc water temp. There are still some on the lights now at night, but seem to be fewer than a few weeks ago - which means they are starting to move - as the temps get back into the mid-70's and cooling then definitely I'd be looking for them in the creeks - though there are some already there.

[primetime]

Then that would mean the stripahs are following? But from what I'm reading next month is when it turns on.

[mwardncsu]

Just like the "60's" really happened in the early 70's - in reality "Rocktober" often is more in November...... But... it is not like all the fish get a text msg on their iPhone's that says "time to go" and they all move at once or all "turn on" all at once... Late Sept and even early Oct is a transition time a lot depending on weather, water temp, etc. But the big schools will start to break up into more, smaller pods, more distributed through the water column and more distributed through the lake as the water cools. The bait will move some as well.

Remember, all the fish in the lake are not sitting in one spot right now..... or at any time - when they are schooled there are often groups of fish distributed throughout the lake. Lots of fish down below the state park right now, but there is also a pile roaming not too far above the bridge.