I'd like to know if any of you have a better method for live lining Shad. For the past few weeks we have had tremendous success using these for bass, however now the freezers are full and I can't seem to give away any more fillets.

The problem is the bass are almost always gutt hooked, very seldom will we get a lip hook up. We have tried single hooks, circle hooks, and large treble hooks. We also have tried hooking the shad through the nose and also before the dorsal fin. The way we fish the shad is to let the bass run with it for a few seconds then plant the hook with a hard pull.

We want to keep fishing with the shad as it's so productive, but we really don't want to keep any more fish for the time being. Is there anything that can be done to lip hook more of these fish, so they can be released?

sent PM :D

your not the only one with the shad gut hook phenomenon. releasing a shad stuffed bass isn't easy. :(

I don't fish them but i'm told that you'll have less gut hooks if you hook the shad half way between the dorsal and the tail. Maybe you're already doing this.

:)

anytime your livebait fishing you run the risk of guthooking...i hook them in the snout with an eagle claw L774 4X bronze treble (size 2)...set the hook when the line starts peeling...most often i get a mouth hook but if i don't then the bronze hooks rust out faster, just cut the line and let the fish go...

Try crushing the barbs or better yet filing the barbs off the hooks you use. Even if the bass is gut hooked you may be able to slide your fingers into her gullet and turn the hook and it should slide out backwards.
DZ