Soft plastic lures, who isn't familiar with them? Often soft lures are called shads. Actually, this is not quite correct. Softbait or softlures are better names for this group of lures. After all, there are so many different imitations on the market nowadays, and not all soft baits imitate a fish. You could say that a shad is a soft, plastic lure that imitates a fish. Shads can be fished in many different ways. The most common way is fishing with a jig head. This is probably the easiest way to use them. Furthermore, shads are fished on a dropshot mount, Carolina or Texas rigs and other increasingly popular techniques that have mainly come over from America. Shad fishing is a technique that continues to evolve.

Shad fishing

Shads are often fished in combination with a jig head, the main target species being zander and perch. The weight of the jig head makes the shad sink to the bottom. By fishing the shad towards you with hops on the bottom, you imitate a wounded fish and you are always fishing in the zone where the zander and perch are most often. When you fish for pike with shads, the jig head is lighter and the shad is bigger. You can cast these shads without touching the bottom. Pike often lie a little higher in the water and are prepared to swim up. Using different predator fish leaders or traces, you can attach hooks to the shad. With a small shad you often fish with a single hook of the jig head, on larger shads you can use a screw jig head in combination with hooks on a stinger for example.

Shads  for zander

The species that is targeted the most with shads is undoubtedly zander. Zander are mostly found around the bottom of the water, often near obstacles or structure. With a shad, you can reach these spots easily because the jig head makes the shad sink straight down. You are not dependent on a diving lip to reach a certain depth, as you are with a crankbait. Because you fish a lot on and around the bottom, you can sometimes get stuck. A shad is a lot cheaper than any other lure, so it doesn't hurt as much if you get stuck and break your line. Shads imitate a wounded fish and that is exactly what the zander is always interested in. So, there is no better lure to use when fishing for zander than a shad.