# Ideas and tips for keeping shad alive????



## hoytzx20 (Jun 12, 2009)

I USE WELL WATER,ROCK SALT. JUST WONDERING IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER TIPS?


----------



## James Vincent (Jun 12, 2009)

I use a 20 gal round bait tank and I have no trouble keeping 60-80 shad all day. I use 1 cup of Shad-Keeper(BassPro sells it) plus 1 handful of plain rock salt to 20 gal/water. I place SK+salt in tank and fill the tank night before I go fishing using city water with a nozzled water hose. When tank is full the water will be light blue and white which means it has plenty of O2. The SK will remove clorine by morning. I do not use lake water to fill tank as surface lake water has no oxygen in it. this means you are placing stressed shad in water with no oxygen and your trying to catch up from there. I use the double bubble aeration system or the infuser pump system because they work great and are SILENT(some tanks come with impeller system and are loud). This is turned on before i leave home going to lake so the water has plenty of oxygen in it when you place shad in. I also use a couple of drops of foam off(can be replaces with one rits cracker if no foam off). If you are making foam you are not getting O2 in water. Most people kill the shad early by dropping the lead weights from castnet on them while placing them in bucket. DO NOT do this. Remove any dead shad immediately. I personally do not use filter but it will not hurt The infuser has a foam filter that works good. I also pick shad out of bucket using rubber glove and do not squeeze them. We keep 60+gizzard shad in 90 degree weather till 3pm and very seldom have any die or turn red nose.


----------



## BradMyers (Jun 12, 2009)

I knew a fellow that used the aboved mentioned excpet he added aloe juice to the water, said it's what is used in stress coat for aquarium fish. He had bait in the tank that was 3 day's old and looked like they were just caught.


----------



## Hunter Blair (Jun 12, 2009)

+1 on the Shad Keeper... makes a big difference.... also, if you can, try to use an insulated bait tank so the water won't heat up in the sun....


----------



## Bill3508 (Jun 12, 2009)

Shad keeper, handful of rock salt, a little foam off every now and then.  Stay alive all day.  Good bait tank also.


----------



## BLACKJACKMTMAN (Jun 13, 2009)

Agree with everything others have said above.  Also, something I started doing a couple years ago that I believe has helped tremendously.  I keep a five gallon bucket on board when netting shad and fill it about 2/3 to 3/4 with lake water and put one of those cheap minnow bucket type aerators in it for a few minutes prior to casting the net.  When I net the shad, I put them in this bucket for about 5-10 minutes before putting them in the shad tank.  When they are initially caught, the stress causes them to conduct certain bodily functions if you know what I mean.  They do this in the bucket and not in your tank which makes for much better water in the tank.

Believe it or not, powdered coffee creamer will keep the foam/scum off the water as well as any product designed specifically for that.

Also, I'm a big believer in a filtered tank.


----------



## Dupree (Jun 13, 2009)

pm 300mag, he can keep em alive for days in his tank. 
I know when i have been we never touch the shad with our hands until putting them on a hook. He has a plastic wash tub with water and empties the net strait into it. Then after several minutes net them out and put them in a bucket, then net them into the tank. It keeps down on the poop and scales in the tank. He also keeps an eye on his filter throughout the day.


----------



## Dustin Pate (Jun 14, 2009)

I have always used Shad saver and rock salt and it works fine...BUT today I tried a new product and I don't think I will go back to Shad saver again.

It is called U2 Pro Formula Livewell Treatment. It is a liquid and 1/2 oz. treats 30 gallons. I added a small handful of rock salt and foam killer. I ran 100 shad for close to 9 hours today and the ones left at the end of the day were just as frisky as when they went into the tank.


----------



## BLACKJACKMTMAN (Jun 14, 2009)

Dustin, where can you get it locally?


----------

