Noticed on Beaver Lake that during the evening hours just as the sun starts to go down, there are lots of large shad schools running toward the bank area in the open water. The depth of the water is about 12 ft. and the water temp was 81 degrees. Large fish are top water feeding and they are dark in color, thick and some are long. The shad bodies are being ate but their heads are being left behind. What does this sound like?

I have tried shad rubber baits and spoons. No bites with the spoons, but the rubber baits are getting hit toward the end lightly. Unable to set hook at this point in time. Any suggestions?

 

Pike, catfish, snakehead, I have no idea. 

Sounds like chupacabra..seriously it would help if you gave a location..at least a state.

You are located in Arkansas, Beaver lake that has Musky, walleye, wipers, LMB and smallmouth bass.

Of those predatory fish species small musky, wipers and walleye could be biting Shad into pieces.

Tom

Cutting there heads off dark fish from the top bass.

Pike are long look like a swimming stick.

Match the natural bait I use a rapala.

Bass eat fish head first, they aren't toothy slasher fish.

Tom

Pickerel?

Lochnest? Lake Champlain champ? Alaska has another one the Hildebrand brothers went after it.

There's no northern pike, muskie, or pickerel in Beaver Lake. 

 

There's only 3 things I can think they would be and that's stripers, catfish, or gar. 

It's pretty common for stripers to rush schools of shad, they're long, thick, and can be really large, but they're like black bass and tend to swallow the entire fish head first.

Catfish will also rush schools of baitfish, match the description of the fish, but aren't a fish that tends to leave any morsel behind.

Gar can be long and pretty thick, they have the tools to decapitate a fish, but they're more slow, stalking predators, not rush in and attack type fish.

Walleye would be another potential option but, even with their teeth, they tend to swallow fish head first and whole.

 

If I was to guess, I'd say you're seeing stripers, but I have no explanation for why you're seeing shad heads.

 

Best suggestion I have is to either throw net some shad, or buy large shiners/goldfish/minnows and try to freeline them in the area you're seeing the shad get chased if the fish won't eat an artificial. 

Bluebasser86 is correct, no musky in Beaver Ar, my mistake, Beaver lake NE came up when searching fish species in Beaver lake AR? Beaver lake AR does have all the other species including stripe bass, all types of catfish and Gar. The fish in question could be Gar.

Tom

Sounds like gar to me .  They are incredibly difficult to hook .Next time you use a plastic make sure it doesnt extend past the hook . Dont set the hook quickly , let them hold it for awhile ,   You might get lucky and hook one in the top of his bony mouth . 

Thanks for the help. We'll try again this weekend and see what happens.

Do thy make a distinctive sound when they reach the top water? Gar have a distinctive gasping for air sound a lot of times. Their swim bladder doubles as lung. My wife calls it out each time we hear one when we are fishing.

The only way I catch gar is to let them swallow cut or live bait

Nope, no noises like you mentioned. The water looks as if it is boiling and then the larger fish begins to go to town in the shad school. It may last a few seconds or maybe even up to a minute. Haven't had a chance to get back to that location yet. I hear the Striper's are being caught in the Rocky Branch area of Beaver Lake (Arkansas) just near the island and behind the boats about 100 ft though. Lots of top water feeding happening around Hickory Creek side of the lake starts about 4pm and goes into sunset.

You don't need hooks to catch gar at all.  That nylon rope frayed out a little bit and let them chew on it.  they will get it tangled in their teeth and then you just cut it free when you get them to the boat.