ok...the shad are up and it seems like the largemouths don't
want to have anything to do with any other bait (artificial). 
So I got myself a shad net.  Can anybody out there give me
some pointers on the best way to hook them up and present
them.  Provided, of course, I can actually net some!! 

Netting them is the hardest part. Probably fly-lining them with a hook in the nose would work, add weight if necessary.

thanks for response. By "in the nose" do you mean thru one nostril and out the other, or thru the top lip and out the head?

>thanks for response. By "in the nose" do you mean thru one
>nostril and out the other, or thru the top lip and out the
>head?

I don't have allot of experience, I guess it depends on how big the shad are and what they can handle without dying. You might need to experiment with a few and see what works best. You can always hook them in the back behind the top fin too.

Whatever let's them swim freely away from you and does not kill them before you get bit is best. ;-)

Thanks...I'll try each method. Now if I can just net some!

Use a light hook, preferabbly something like an Owner Mosquito. #8 is the standard size, 6 for larger bait, and 10 for smaller stuff or a tougher bite. I prefer to hook them behind the dorsal fin, handling them as light as possible. Nose hooking works well to. If the birds are up, and the fish are down, I try to use a smallest hook possible and belly hook the bait. This makes the shad to swim down, away from the birds and hopefully towards the fish. Good luck!

I havent fished bait in a long time but what Dockboy had to
say is the ticket. I usually will add a small split shot. I
believe the bigger fish are deeper and we never had any
problems catching them. 

-Shane

Thanks for the feedback guys.