The BEST WAY We Freeze Our Gizzard Shad for Catfish Bait

Over the years we have realized that there is a certain time of year that is most difficult to catch gizzard shad in the cast net. Shad is our favorite go to bait and can be frustrating when you go several places to try and find them and can't catch any. This is usually a problem for fisherman castnetting from the bank but, it can also be frustrating to people casting from boats as well.
We decided to start freezing our shad when we caught a lot at a time. We did this for those moments we couldn't find any bait and wanted to go fishing. We tried several different ways to freeze our shad but, some of those ways left our shad dried out, freezer burned, and just generally not usable as a fresh bait.
The way we show in this video has proven to keep our frozen bait fresher than the other methods. There is nothing like fresh caught shad but, this is what we do when we have to.
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[@mamaj_fishing]

Appreciate the video - now I know how to keep them fresh. Just gotta get the net throwing technique down.

[@CatfishKC]

The net throwing just takes some practice. You got it!!

[@DaleWyman]

What is the maximum time you will freeze them for and still be an effective bait?

[@CatfishKC]

I went out real quick the other day and didn't get bait. I grabbed some shad from the freezer and it actually felt fresh instead of the normal freezer burn and dried out feeling (when I used to just put them in bags). It had a date on it that. was over a year old.. It's not better than using the shad fresh that day, but it's a way to have fairly fresh shad later in the season when it gets hot and it's hard catching them from the bank. It lasts well over a year or more. I'd use it as a last resort after that.