Storm Shads

[HydraSportsPT]

Nice school of 22-28 inchers working out East. Why wouldnt the blues hit the shad...all stripers - throw metals and blues hit. Interesting story from the gut.
Fun day, not close to home but worth the run.

[Matt A.]

what kind are those bigger fish?

[Mike Mac]

Shad

[Dino]

those bigger fish from the stomach contents are small weakfish...

[pgoins]

Definatley weakfish. See them all time in their stomachs.

As to why the bluefish didn't hit your shad? How were you fishing them? When there's bluefish around, especially, you should be slow reeling them right off the bottom. If you that's what you were doing it could explain it. Or there just could have been another type of prey around like rainfish they were keyed in on.

Either way it's still odd you didn't at least lose a tail or two on your shad baits.

Thanks for the report

Capt. Paul

[bunker dunker]

that's why there is no weakfish to be caught anymore.they have become a bait source to some many different fish.from sea bass to stripers

[Fisherman120]

Originally Posted by bunker dunker

that's why there is no weakfish to be caught anymore.they have become a bait source to some many different fish.from sea bass to stripers

They were always a bait source to stripers, nothing different today in that regard then 50, 75, 100 years ago, etc.

[Chrisper4694]

the bluefish were destroying our swim shads...repeatedly saturday...to the point where it kind of got annoying and we have to go buy more...you must have just been very lucky.

I mean, bluefish can be picky too believe it or not just like any other fish. one day earlier in the season we had birds everywhere but nothing would touch multiple lures. finally i tried a small 1oz. crippled herring and boom we went from 2 fish in the boat in 2 hours to 15 i think in the next hour. and they were all cocktail blues being picky eating the little rainfish or spearing only so nothing that didn't look the same got touched!

[jimmythegreek]

definitely weakfish, see it all the time. sunday we were trolling out front close to the hook and there was nothing but gator blues on the bait, birds working all day. we had a short in the first 5 min on red tube umbrella, and all the blues wanted the chartruese/green rigs. stopped pulling shads they were nailing them 2-3 on at a time and destroying them, but at least they are action on crap days

[HydraSportsPT]

Originally Posted by pgoins

Definatley weakfish. See them all time in their stomachs.

As to why the bluefish didn't hit your shad? How were you fishing them? When there's bluefish around, especially, you should be slow reeling them right off the bottom. If you that's what you were doing it could explain it. Or there just could have been another type of prey around like rainfish they were keyed in on.

Either way it's still odd you didn't at least lose a tail or two on your shad baits.

Thanks for the report

Capt. Paul

Capt Paul- thanks for the input. Exactly what I was doing, very slow and off the bottom, after 10 cranks or so dropping it back down.
Some one said Butterfish..but I thought they were only down south. Weakies makes sense. 28 inch striper had 2 whole, 2 part digested, a rain fish and trying to stuff my 6 inch shad in, wow loading up on calories for sure.