Keep at it Jack...I noticed you are in Ohio and here in Indiana it has been a weird year for the flatties. Lack of rain and above average temps have them all messed up...and now they are heavy on the spawn.

ihavent gotten to fish near as much as i would have liked to but this is probly the worse year for me as well......usually by now i have caught a couple of decent fish but i cant get lucky at all.....one of my problems is i cant get out long enough only have a couple of hours sometimes to go......but heck i cant hardly even catch a channel cat this year..... hopefully in the next few weeks my work schedule will change and ill be able to get out and try it again...so yeh i feel your pain jack....the worse year for me as well :cry:

Jack I keep telling you to load up and come on down  [smilie=poke.gif]  [smilie=a_doh.gif]  [smilie=a_chuckle.gif]  [smilie=a_chuckle.gif]  [smilie=a_chuckle.gif]

Flathunter,
Maybe you should try and change your luck a bit. Try wearing that pink dress Mellon wears when he fishes............... :roll:

Alright Jack, new plan.  Throw away the shad in your freezer.

Now, go to Wal-Mart, Gander Mtn, or whatever you have near.  But, I know those two places sell these.
 
 http://www.stormlures.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=wildeye_swim_shad234&freshorsalt=Fresh&type=soft_lures

Grab the bluegill one and the shiner chartruese silver.  Get them in the 3 inch size.  Be sure to grab the ones that are swim shad and not the curly tails.  They are pretty cheap too, 6 for 3 bucks.  Not bad.  Smallies and largemouth loves these things.  I kill them on them.  Put these on your bait pole.  Throw them out into the river.  I've been doing good throwing them into heavy current, large rocky areas.  All you got to do is real in.  Now, when you catch one, put it in your bait bucket.  Keep it alive.  Oh, and don't tell the OGFers.  I don't think they like the next step.  

After you got a few between 10-15 inches.  Take them, along with your cat poles, to your favorite spot.  Hook them with at least a 7/0 kahle or J.  I'll let you choose.  I prefer the kahle.  The bigger ones I hook through the nose hole, smaller ones in the tail.  You will get a bite if the Sciota is anything like the GMR.

I am beginning to beleive bass is by far the main diet for flatties on the GMR.  It is loaded with 10-14 inchers, so why not.  There are probably more of those than decent size shad.  I rarely DONT get a bite when using bass.  And I hardly like to fish unless I have them for bait either.  

Good luck man.  It will get better.

A couple weeks ago, I was using one probably 14 inches or so.  I had a bite, jerked, fish on for all of 10 seconds and the hook popped.  Real him in and he is still alive and kicking.  Not even missing a scale.  He just got inhaled.  So I threw him back out.  45 minutes later, I get another run on him.  Jerk, and this time I caught a 25 pounder.  The bass was still on there again though, alive and kicking, and this time missing a few scales.  I threw him out again, where he sat scared as hell for the next half hour til I left.  When I took him off my hook and threw him back into the river, he just took off alive and well.  Catch and Release.    :lol:

go fishing alone a couple of times......

fish the bank with live blue gill of something that flops around alot

and fish a couple deep..... the ones deep keep them moving back in to you dont just let them sit all night maybe every 30 minutes reel them in 20 feet                 you will find them  ::  ::  ::  8)  8)  8)