Just getting into live shad fishing and I'd like to know who makes a quality cast net? Looking at a Bett's Hi-Tider 7'. 

Also, who makes a good shad tank? Thanks guys.

Live shad for bass???

I do. I buy cheap cast nets because I tear them up and lose them in fast water below dams sometimes. Shad tanks, there are several brands usually $400 and up. You can make your own with a big blue plastic barrel, pump, hoses, and filter. The filter material is key if you want to keep them alive for more than a day. Rock salt helps keep the shad alive and coffee creamer keeps all the foam to a minimum.      Also make sure your tank is round as shad will bury their nose in 90 degree corners and swim themselves to death. I use a 5 gallon bucket and my live well for simplicity purposes 

I'm more interested in using live bait for bass, let alone keeping them alive. I always thought it was a catfish thing.

7 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

I'm more interested in using live bait for bass, let alone keeping them alive. I always thought it was a catfish thing.

It makes inactive bass bite, no doubt about it 

Back in the 90's we trekked from Nebraska to Lake Fork. Couldn't catch anything...talked to a few locals and they suggested shiners on slip-bobber rigs.

 

Worked like a charm! We had a blast!

 

Good luck. 

Ive thought about catching dinky bluegill and putting them on a circle hook under a bobber. I bank fish ponds alot and for the bass that suspend in the middle deeper parts ive thought this might entice them. 

2 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

Ive thought about catching dinky bluegill and putting them on a circle hook under a bobber. I bank fish ponds alot and for the bass that suspend in the middle deeper parts ive thought this might entice them. 

That will work wonders in a pond 

On rare occasions in the Fall I'll catch some shad and just throw them in a bucket. They of course die but I still do pretty good drop shotting them. You will catch a bit of everything. 

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

That will work wonders in a pond 

In a pressured public pond by my house I know its got big bass and cats, because ive caught them, but anymore it's really hard to get them to bite. I used to pull four to five fish days but now I'm happy with one. Have to finesse the crap out of it too. So I thought an actual bluegill chucked deep and shallow maybe would get a bite. 

its been a long time since I've fished Shad.  We'd use an ARC Dip net to get them at Casitas back in the day (can't use cast nets in Socal).  We'd just use a normal bucket with an aerator and change the water out every hour or so which was key.  When it was hotter out, we would change the water more frequently.  We found that as long as we were gentle with them in the netting process, they would survive with no issues.  We never kept them more than the day as if we had some left at the end of the day we would just dump them back into the lake.

I'm also in the cheap throw net category. I tear them up too fast to buy an expensive one. Something in the 6-8 foot range is my most effective size. I have a floating mesh bait container I keep them in if I really want them alive. Otherwise, I just put them in a bucket and when they die I catch more.

At my lake, a lot of kids use trebles hook and snag them, some adults use sabiki rig with weight on bottom. They can get 15-20 within hour 2” size (cast net is illegal here). I saw them do that all the time, the problem is a lot of kids gutted hook the fish, adult I’m not sure if they keep the fish.

The old guy told me, he change water quite often and a freeze bottle of water help prolong their life.

I don’t plan to even one of the kids offered me his shad. But who know one of these day I might just net them for fun.

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