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Quote:

Originally Posted by nofish (Post 20527)

I learned how to throw one from a little boy in a youtube video. He really simplified it.

i need to check that out. I know I'm now throwing it the most simplest way. I went with Fred Mclintock after his heart surgery and he had to invent a whole new way to throw one. It was a slow motion 360 degree spin and toss. Funny looking but effective.

Piscator rig for shad? <'TK><

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALANRAYG2 (Post 20526)

If you are fishing below dams from shore, be prepared to loose your cast net. It might get hung up on the rocks. I have used piscator rigs to catch shad and skip jacks. I was in a boat; But if you can cast to the right places you can catch them from shore, too. I suggest keeping a rod rigged with the piscator and another for fishing the shad. You can catch a couple shad then fish with them. When you need some fresh shad your ready to catch some more. Here is what a piscator rig looks like. You will need a sinker on the bottom for casting.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/st...136+4294966969

I hope this will give you another option.

Now I really don't want to step on anybody's toes here ... Just speaking from experience (can't say you can or can't)... I have caught literally thousands of skip Jack on Piscey rigs, (in fact make my own) And when I was in Japan in 1998 on Business I bought 50 of the original Piscey rigs that was feature in the video .. (except Academy's were made in China) ... But I have never caught a threadfin nor Gizzard shad with a Piscey rig ... Shad are Plankton eaters ... Don't eat minnows that I am aware of ... Like you will rarely if ever catch a skippy in a cast net .. (They will out run it)

Now to make a cheap piscey rig (Short for piscator) this works for skippies ... .. Now Skippies can be kept alive for a short stint of time if you can keep fresh water flowing through your baitwell... No matter How big of a baitwell you have or Oxy you pump including bottled Oxy ... ... Skippies give off a toxic oil that is even detrimental to themselves ... ... I have fished with skippies with a 8/0 Gamakatsu through it's nose all day and be perky at the end of the day ... but put this fish in a baitwell with out enough water flow ... won't last long ...

Sorry off subject ... Piscey rigs ... Take three Crappie Tube jigs ... Using a Palomar knot .... tie them 5 to 6 inches apart directly to the line and make a leader with a double blood knot as the terminal end ... Color ... white or red is good ... But the action is what makes skippies bite ... Here is an example ... You need a pulse .. just not a retrieve ... The best way is to use a Micro lite spinning rig .. Hold the reel handle ridged and reel the rod ... It may sound strange ... But believe me folks it works !! ... I am getting old and I am letting my trade secrets go LOL !! <'TK>< :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkwalker (Post 20568)

I have never heard that skippies were toxic to themselves, but it makes sense. I have a 40 gallon, round, insulated, filtered, oxygen infused bait tank and experience keeping fair amounts of bait alive, but have never been able to keep even one or two skippies alive for long. But I usually do not run the fill pump much, about 5 minutes an hour or so, other baitfish seem to do better with it off. I just thought 40 gallon was too small for them. What do you think?

Quote:

Originally Posted by StriperFan (Post 20616)

Striperfan ... I had a 40 gal... top of the line (high $$$) in the back of my guide boat. (six batteries on board) And when I wasn't traveling on the water or trailer out to change fisheries .. The water pump was running constantly while I was fishing .. An hour to 2 hours was the best we could do ... ... Drive a hook through it's nose and pitch him in the water and he is like new !! ?? <'TK>< :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkwalker (Post 20624)

Thanks TK..I would be more than happy with a two hour window. Would that be a couple of baits at a time, or more?

Friday, a friend and I caught about a dozen skipjacks, put six in each livewell. Set the timer to pump water, one minute on-three minutes off. We kept our skipjacks alive for over two hours, and we had a couple large ones over 14 inchers. Unfortunately we didn't catch any stripers, and only talked to one guy that did, but we had bait all day. We used sabiki rigs of multi-colored jigs and would triple and quadruple up on them. Bad thing was,we couldn't catch many 10 inch skippies, mostly big ones, some 15 inchers.
And these are square livewells in a bass boat, not the nice round ones that cost $400.00.

Well Agelessone, that settles it. I'm going to make some more attempts at keeping them alive longer. I had really given up on it.