Shad fishing advice

[21 Skiff]

I’ve tried shad darts in the past but you can’t cast them very far. I didn’t know if I should put a weight on, or maybe tie a spoon behind a crank bait or what. What size baits work good. The Shad darts seem really small. I’ll hit spots from Rocky Mount to Greenville. Thanks

[Old Hunter]

I'll use the rigs with one dart and one spoon on it (Honey Hole is one or tie your own). Gives the rig a bit more weight for casting.

[LedHotZeplinPepr]

What is your setup that you are casting with? I have 3 different setups, but if I were to cast a shad dart by itself, it would be an 1/8 ounce dart on a 7 foot rod with 4 or 6 pound line. But you got me thinking of adding a split shot to it

[todobien]

Yep how big of rig are you casting them with? You want to go light and a light rod tip.

[21 Skiff]

Ok so what I have used is a rig. Dart and spoon. The darts are only 1/64 with about half inch spoon. I’ve been reading that I can go bigger. Set up is a 7ft medium with 10 pound mono

[damarshall7]

medium rod is way too stiff and 10 lb mono is too heavy.

[LedHotZeplinPepr]

My single-lure 7 foot rod is rated 1/64 to 1/4 ounces. Depending on the flow of the river, I use either a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce lure. This setup has 4 pound line

I also have a 7 foot rod rated 1/8 to 1/2 ounces. I'll rig two 1/8 ounce jigs with plastic grubs, 6 pound line, and cast across the state with it

I've gone down this rabbit hole and forcefully refrained from buying anything longer than 7 feet for lightweight distance casting. That means by the year's end, I'll own a few 7.5 and 8 footers . . .

[21 Skiff]

Thanks fellas, I’m going shopping this weekend. Plan is to buy a lite 7 footer, 6 pound line, and some bigger darts and spoons. What’s the biggest I should go on spoons?