Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Live-Bait will double your success rate!  If you want to be a successful catfish angler on Lake Tawakoni you must know how to keep shad alive!  Fresh bait = Big Fish on the Catfishing Capital of Texas, Lake Tawakoni!  Let’s take a look at the Threadfin Shad and Gizzard Shad to understand why these open water bait-fish need special care for a successful Lake Tawakoni Catfish Trip!

Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Threadfin Shad

The Threadfin Shad is a small open fish common in Lake Tawakoni, and reservoirs of the Southeastern United States.  The threadfin shad has a long dorsal ray, and its mouth is more terminal without projecting the upper jaw. The fins of threadfin shad often have a yellowish color, especially the tail. The back is grey-blue with a dark spot on the shoulder.  Threadfin Shad can be found in large schools on Tawakoni and can be seen on the surface at sun up and sundown.  Most Threadfin Shad on Lake Tawakoni are 3-inches to 5-inches, but can reach lengths of 8 inches!  The Threadfin Shad is very sensitive to temperature changes and dissolved oxygen.  Shad kills are frequent in late summer and fall, especially when the water temperature drops to 42 °F. 

Without the huge Threadfin population on Lake Tawakoni, this reservoir would not boast a great Hybrid Striper, Striped Bass, White Bass, Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, and Black Bass fishery!  Follow Threadfin Shad for more information!

How to Keep Shad Alive on Lake Tawakoni

Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Gizzard Shad

The Gizzard Shad is a member of the herring family, and Lake Tawakoni Blue Catfish love to eat them all day long.  The Gizzard Shad is a big bait-fish with a green to black back that fades into a silver belly.  The Gizzard Shad population on Lake Tawakoni is fantastic and it is not uncommon to see these big open water fish floating on the surface in June!  Gizzard Shad spawn in June and the Hybrid Striper and Catfish gorge on the wounded and dying bait-fish.  Gizzard Shad can range from 5 inches to 15 inches in size.  The bigger the Gizzard Shad the bigger Blue Catfish you will catch in the winter season.  The Gizzard Shad is a plankton feeder and a very important part of Lake Tawakoni’s food chain.  For more information please follow Gizzard Shad.

How to keep Gizzard shad Alive on lake Tawakoni

How to Keep Shad Alive-Water Temperature

The easiest problem to fix is the water temperature!  Texas summers will call for more ice to be added to your bait tank than the winter months.  A good idea is to keep a pool thermometer in your bait-tank and check it several times a day.  Make your own ice blocks with distilled water to avoid chemicals like chlorine. 

If you are fishing and the surface water temperature is 60 degrees F, keep your tank five degrees colder with ice.  Make sure your bait bucket with water is not too hot as well.  Cast netting shad causes stress, so don’t put them in a bucket of warm water. Crushed ice will melt very fast so make your own ice blocks with distilled water. Frozen soda and water bottles will kill your shad, use a block mold for ice! Big box stores have great deals on plastic bowls, buy some!

Water Aeration and How to Keep Shad Alive

A quality bait-tank will have good aeration to keep water moving and oxygen levels high.  More oxygen equal frisky shad.  Circulation and oxygen will make you a better live-bait angler!  A good water pump with a fully charged battery solves most of your circulation problems, but don’t overpower the water in your tank!  Oxygen can be as cheap or expensive as you desire!  A bubble box for under $ 20 or an oxygen tank system for $ 400.  The bottom line is the more oxygen in your bait-tank, the better your shad will fish!

How to Keep Shad Alive-Water Filtration

The best Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Live-Bait is filtration.  Fish scales kill shad.  Threadfin and Gizzard Shad lose scales when stressed.  The trick is to keep these sticky small scales from choking your shad to death in the bait-tank.  A quality bait tank will have a filter slot for scale catching material.  Most use polyester fibers and cut them into squares to fit the filter slot.  Please make sure you clean this polyester filter often to keep scales out of your bait tank.  Make sure your polyester fiber does not have glue or other harmful chemicals!  Buy an aquarium filter grade material and cut to fit your tray. 

How to Keep Shad Alive-Quick Tips

1) Buy a quality oval Bait Tank!

2) Don’t overfill your tank with shad!

3) Use block ice to control the temperature.

4) USE SHAD KEEPER.

5) Increase oxygen to your bait-tank.

6) Clean your filter often.

7) Use rock salt.

8) Less Stress is best.

9) Charge your bait-tank battery.

10) Close your tank lid when done.

Thanks for reading our blog post Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Live-Bait.  Follow Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide Tony Pennebaker for more information about our Trophy Blue Cat Trips.

Meet Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide Tony Pennebaker!  Tony is the owner-operator of laketawakonicatfishguide.com and Thunder Cove Guide Service.  JTony targets trophy blue catfish from November to March and puts big fish in the net!  Spring and summer you will find Tony chasing Channel Catfish!  Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide Tony Pennebaker has over 30 years experience fishing Lake Tawakoni and now is a full-time guide! Tony loves to show clients why Lake Tawakoni is the Catfish Capital of Texas!

Source: Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide-Tony Pennebaker

Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide Tony Pennebaker Contact Information 

Corporate Headquarters
2201 E Rabbit Cove Rd.
West Tawakoni, TX 75474
903-474-3078
[email protected]