TAKEOFF
SCENARIOS
DIALING IN ON THE SHAD SPAWN
S
HOW SCOTT CANTERBURY CAPITALIZES ON THIS PRIME SPRINGTIME OPPORTUNITY
but after that, you want to look for
places that stay in the shade longer
than others,” Canterbury says. “You can
run that pattern of staying in the shade
an extra hour. You want to run the east
side where it [the land and trees]
blocks the sun more.”
Shorelines in pockets with east-west
orientation receive sunlight all day, while
pockets with north-south alignment offer
periods of shade on the banks – west side
in the morning, east in the afternoon.
bluff — some type of hard surface they
can get against.”
Marinas can be shad spawn gold
mines because they often hold resi-
dent bass populations anyway, and
shad spawn around the dock slips.
“The bass use the bays and shallow
areas around the marinas to spawn, and
then they pull back under those docks
to recuperate,” Canterbury explains.
“When the shad spawn on those docks,
it’s an easy meal for the bass.”
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Other environmental factors aside,
Canterbury focuses on water tempera-
ture, and begins to look for spawning
shad when the water temperature
climbs into the 68- to 70-degree range.
Shad are broadcast spawners, so they
spawn in schools. Once the activity
begins, expect to see a flurry of flicker-
ing, flashing forms just under the sur-
face at daybreak.
“The shad actually spawn a lot at
night, but the time that you’re going to
target them [in a tournament] is during
the very first couple hours of daylight,”
Canterbury explains.
Once the sunlight intensifies, spawn-
ing typically ceases and shad head to
deeper water, which usually puts an
end to this phase of bass feeding activ-
ity. Overcast days might prolong the
action, so stick with it a while longer
when skies stay dim.
Canterbury also extends the bite by
keying on shaded areas where shad
might continue to spawn in the later
hours of the morning.
“You have to have a place where
you’re going to start, no matter what,
“It’s usually wide open for the first
hour, so even if you’re in the last flight,
you’re going to get a bit of it,”
Canterbury says. “After that first hour,
you really have to chase that shade.”
Target Areas
Wherever you fish, it’s necessary to
identify the type of shallow cover or
structure that shad prefer for broad-
cast spawning.
“It depends on what type of lake
you’re on,” Canterbury says. “On the
Coosa River where I live [in Alabama], if
you’re on Lay Lake, the shad spawn
happens on the willow grass. But at
Logan Martin, which is one lake up,
they’ll spawn on wooden seawalls and
floating docks.
“If a lake doesn’t have the willow
grass, most of the time they prefer
docks or some type of vertical struc-
ture, such as any kind of seawall or
Fooling ‘Em
cott Canterbury describes the
threadfin shad spawn as Mother
Nature helping a bunch of flat-bel-
lied bass regain their girlish curves. Bass
anglers also find great opportunity dur-
ing the threadfin spawn, but capitalizing
on this spring routine requires astute
awareness of its timing and location,
along with accurate baitfish imitators.
“I think a shad spawn is a lot about
Mother Nature taking care of our
resources,” Canterbury says. “It happens
right at the end of the bass spawn. The
bass are coming off the beds all worn
out, and the shad spawn makes for an
easy feed for the bass to recuperate.”
Threadfin shad typically spawn in
shallow areas where they’re easy for
bass to home in on, and where bass
are easy for anglers to target. However,
the bite window is short-lived each
morning. Canterbury shares his insight
on mak ing the most of this productive,
yet fleeting opportunity.
By David A. Brown
Top shad spawn offerings include
swim jigs, ChatterBaits, small to medi-
um swimbaits, topwaters, wake baits
and spinnerbaits. Anything you can fish
in the upper portion of the water col-
umn and parallel with structure or
cover will suffice, but stick with white,
chartreuse and shad colors.
One of Canterbury’s top choices is a
spinnerbait, and he adjusts the size of
the lure’s willow-leaf blades to match the
local shad. He’ll use anywhere from a No.
4 to a No. 7. Silver is his standard color,
but he’ll switch to gold in dirtier water.
When looking for shad spawns, par-
ticularly on offshore spots, blasting the
“feeding frenzy” soundtrack from a
HydroWave can kick-start the show.
The baitfish soundtrack also masks the
sounds of hull slap, trolling motors and
any angler-generated noise that could
spook the shad and bass.
FLWFISHING.COM I APRIL 2017