what's with the sexy shad dilemma? 2024
EasternPAfisherman reply :
Why do they make a big deal about it? To be honest, I picked up a super spot in Foxy Shad color yesterday and caught 4 bass today after setting traps.I like the color but what's so good about it? :-?
Wayne P. reply :
The name got you to buy it, that is what is good about it for the mfg that use that color.
ib_of_the_damned reply :
In my opinion the Sexy/Foxy Shad color is good for slightly stained to stained water. I have caught a 5lber off of a Foxy Shad Super Spot. Also I believe its something different that the fish haven't seen(at least in my area). I have other lures in the Sexy Shad pattern as well, they have all produced for me. I honestly dont think that it is a fad color. My catches are proof of that! Hope I helped!
ABLE2DISABLE1 reply :
Every one in the country has been trying to come up with a consistent color in white, egg, bone, glossy you name it, besides he is right they have not seen it because it simply wasn't available to the public.Wild how we all go NUTS. 
kikstand454 reply :
ive done pretty good with the sexy shad colors. though.... im not really sure wheather the color actually contributed to any of the catches as opposed to another color.
*shrug*
ToledoEF reply :
Up here on Lake Erie and some of the other areas in nw ohio, that color has been far and away better than anything else! My friend and I have a few of the same setups and we tested it out several different times. Out caught other colors at least 2:1 ratio!
The Rooster reply :
KVD made it famous. That's the big deal. Give it a few more years and the fish will have seen it so many times in various forms and in different bait types that they will recognize it instantly. I have yet to purchase any lure in the sexy/foxy or otherwise imitation color of this. I don't really see that it looks all that similar to any baitfish swimming. I think they could have matched a shad pattern better than they did with it. This is just my opinion only, but it's the reason I have not bought one yet.
whoopbazz reply :
I disagree with the whole, "It's a marketing name, KVD thing."
This color has out fished most if not all of the other cranks this year in our club. We had one 2 day tourney, that if you did not have a sexy shad crank or spinnerbait on you might as well slept in and went for breakfast. And I mean boats fishing the same shoals and weedlines...it made a difference.
I heard once that is very close replica of a Threadfin or Gizzard shad (I think). Any how it has to do with the chartruse "stripe" and the natural shading to it (dark top and light bottom).
Whatever...it is no BS IMO. And I'm the last one to buy something based on what some pro says works.
Sam reply :
Sexy Shad is a very productive crankbait.
Have not had any good results with the spinnerbait or lipless cranks.
But those cranks are excellent.
The Rooster reply :
Well I may try one sometime.
This is how I have thought about that color until now. I just figured that KVD got that color in the spotlight, and there's no denying he's good at what he does so when he used it, it naturally works. Then a lot of others went out and bought those by the gobs based on that and were successful using them as well (if enough people do the same thing, you're bound to get some results). So the word spread and more and more people started getting them, and then with so many people using them you're bound to have a lot of fish caught on them and hense the creation of the mentality that this bait is great cause it catches so many fish. And to further fuel this fire, I started seeing it showing up in every type of bait available. Not only crankbaits, but lipless baits, spinnerbaits, jigs, topwaters, plastics, swimbaits. And then every company out there has their own "knock off" version of it now too, plus they are starting to make variations of the same color also, like sexy shad chrome, or charteuse sexy shad. How many ways can they think of to make it?? It's like a giant fishing bandwagon. So I formed the opinion that it was a lot of hype instead of the real deal.
And of course, this was without any side by side comparisons on my part, but that's just the way "I" perceive it for my own self is all.
I haven't bought one yet cause it didn't appeal to me. I also typically will go the other way when reading about a bait that worked like magic for a pro. I stay away from it instead of getting one. Otherwise I may buy baits based on thinking this has to work for me as well as it did for him, giving no thought to his skill level making most of the difference instead of the bait.
These are only my opinions, and I may be missing out. It isn't that much to pick up at least one bait in that color to try, and if it didn't work for me then it would definitely not be the first time I bought a bait that failed. So I may grab one before long. Bandit makes a bait in that color and that's my favorite crankbait so what the h-ll, I'll just pick one up next time out and give it a try. 
Hopefully, I'll find out I was wrong.
Boogey Man reply :
To me, it's one of the "niche" colors that fits a certain water clarity. In dirty water, you've got chartreuse, dark colors etc, in clear water you've got shad/lighter colors. Sexy shad is a color I've found to work good in those "in between" water clarities. It could also be that it's a pattern fish hadn't seen before. Regardless of any color or lure, you still have to be throwing it at the right time and under the right conditions.
JWallin reply :
Seems like a lot of the secret color schemes are coming out. I noticed Skeet Reese's has some of his favorites coming out too. The gun metal splatter backs. It seems like they are producing good and being used by a lot of guys in the Basssmaster series.
Stringjam reply :
I think part of it is that a lot of people are fishing crankbaits that simply didn't fish them much before.
I have a friend who NEVER throws cranks.....until KVD.....he rushed out and bought some Series6 deep cranks and - *surprise*- caught a bunch of fish on them.
Now he swears up and down to the effectiveness of "Sexy Shad," not the actual crankbait he was using to catch all those fish.
The Rooster reply :
QuoteI think part of it is that a lot of people are fishing crankbaits that simply didn't fish them much before.I have a friend who NEVER throws cranks.....until KVD.....he rushed out and bought some Series6 deep cranks and - *surprise*- caught a bunch of fish on them.
Now he swears up and down to the effectiveness of "Sexy Shad," not the actual crankbait he was using to catch all those fish.
That last post is along the lines of what I was saying on how the color of sexy shad took off.
But....in the interest of having a good time here on this site and learning a thing or two new about bass fishing to help me out on the water, I think I'll go ahead and grab a couple cranks in that color and give them a whirl. I'm not so closed minded that I can't try something new.
Infidel. reply :
When it came out it was not a new color at all. It was just clever marketing that made the masses think it was.
BassBandit35 reply :
Lucky Craft's chartreuse shad started it all.
Jake. reply :
It's a great marketing plan by Strike King. Any other shad pattern is just as effective.
brushhoggin reply :
yeah i learned my lesson about this kinda thing when i bought the dancing eel that bill dance was pimpin a while ago. however the sexy shad actually works because it imitates something that they eat and that actually exists
Garry2Rs reply :
I don't think that "Dilemma" is the right word to use when talking about all the press and attention the Sexy Shad has received.
According to Wikipedia:
A dilemma is a problem offering at least two solutions or possibilities, of which none are practically acceptable.
As for the bait itself, like some of the other posters, I too was slow to get on the Sexy/Foxy/Sassy Shad bandwagon.
I liked the look of the bait, but my reasoning was this; I spend my summers about 60 miles north of Lake Ontario and as far as I know there are no Shad in those waters. Shiners, Cisco, Crappie, Rock Bass, and Perch form the forage base, along with young game fish.
That doesn't mean that shad shaped baits like Shad-Rap's or Rattle Trap don't work there, because they do. But, I already had plenty of baits that matched the hatch, so I took a pass on Sexy Shad.
Then, in September, while I was checking Arizona Bass fishing sites, I read about all the success local anglers were having with the Sexy Shad.
SO...
On my drive south I stopped at a BPS somewhere south of Chicago and north of St. Louis beside I-55 and bought the 17 bait KVD Sexy Shad box set. What can I say? I'm a tackle junkie and the price was right.
In the Yuma area, the places that I fish, have water that runs from clear to murky but it is generally shallow and weedy.
Chartreuse cranks and rattle baits always seem to work around here. I have been throwing the Sexy Red-Eye Shad rattle bait in original white pattern, plus the chartreuse sexy and chrome sexy. All have caught fish for me.
If you look closely you can see the Chartreuse Sexy Shad between the fish and my fingers.
Where the water is more open I have been using the #2 and #3 cranks from the KVD set.
They also have caught fish.
The spinnerbait looks great, but so far it's been a bust!
Perhaps they're too big or it's too early in the winter. I have done okay with spinnerbaits, closer to the spawn, in other years.
I picked up a dead Shad minnow, that one of my fish regurgitated, the other day. It was a perfect size match for the Red-Eye rattle bait.
Garry2R's
Fishing is my favorite form of loafing.
wickyman reply :
Sexy shad is a color, made famous by Mr. Van Dam. It was something that helped him win some tournaments, and it's now popular because he is one of the greatest fishermen in the world, so if he can catch them on sexy shad, so can you! I personally think that color has nothing to do with it, but action, and consistency of that action, produces more fish.
Take for example... I threw a red craw in a medium diving, rapala. I caught 3 fish around 2 lbs each. I then followed up with a blue craw, same rapala medium diving plug, and caught just as many... I then threw another rapala medium diving, in white. You know what? Same deal, except this time, I stuck with it, thinking the color didn't matter.
It really doesn't. Think of the bass as being color blind, they only see shades of color, not hues. They look at everything as being dark, or light, and they are going to strike at it, if it's right in front of their face. They are aggressive fish, with a nasty habit of having a temper!
We only get drawn into all the colors because someone else had some kind of success on it... Try throwing forage colors, and you will produce just as many fish, as someone throwing a popular color... It's all about technique...
Primus reply :
Wickyman, I diagree a little, there are times color does matter. Admittedly, presentation and location will always be more important. However, when fishing clear water there have been times when I've fished that I was getting the occasional fish hooked on the outside of the mouth to catchting a lot more fish that were choking on the bait came as a result of a color change. I have a lake by my house where I used to think they didn't hit crankbaits well as my success with cranks was sporadic and limited at best on this particular lake. Though I'm no KVD I am an expierienced crank fisherman, I've even talked to some of the other fisherman in our area about this lake and they've never done that good with deep diving cranks on this lake. This year I started throwing a Bluegill colored Bandit 700 series in a few key areas and I've had some great days on the water at this lake as a result. I expierimented with other deep diving cranks and even other colors of the 700 series but for whatever reason besides the fact the color closely matched a key part of their forage they would only respond well to this specific crank and color. I can think of other examples over the years where a color change played a key role in increasing my catch rate. That said I don't buy every color under the sun but have a few key colors in both soft plastics and hard baits that I turn to depending on water clarity, seasonal patterns and in some cases if I'm trying to match certain types of forage.
kikstand454 reply :
well.. i have experience with the red eye shad in sexy shad color and a deep diving bandit in the foxy shad color. i have caught fish on both.
like everyone else said though.... hard to say if it was ever ONLY because of the color.
i dont think it is on the "rattletrap" red eye crank because the paint has long since started chipping off of it. i think its the baits unique action. im a nonboater and the guy i normally ride with listens intently to other tourney talk. but wiht a grain of salt. and he went out and got a few red eye shads last winter cause of the stir it was causing. he says theyre great for the action and they actually come with sharp hooks...lol... unlike rattletraps.
as far as the deep crank goes...i out caught him a few times fishing ledges with the foxyshad ... but then i was fishing different angles, different cadence,speed, and brands of lures than he was. so its apples and oranges as far as color goes.
wheather its the next greatest thing... who knows..i doubt it.
but it catches fish just as good as anything else and kvd freakin KILLS with it.
but then.... he kills with most everything...
simplejoe reply :
I went down to Cabela's yesterday and I picked up a couple cranks in sexy shad color for the simple fact is in our club I've seen first hand how many fish they catch. I bought 1 in a 4s model runs 2-4 ft deep and a series 5 that runs 10-13 ft. deep.
It might be the color. But for me it's well balanced crankbait. I like Strike King crankbaits for the simple fact they don't turn on their side when reeling it back to the boat like some other models do.
K_Mac reply :
I just watched a repeat of the BASS Angler Of the Year final event, won by KVD. I think every fish he caught (on camera anyway) was on a SK Sexy Shad crankbait. He was in a tight race with $200K and AOY on the line. I know he is sponsored by SK, and that particular bait and color are his deal, but I have to believe he was using the bait that he thought gave him the best chance of winning. He is a seriously competitive guy.
I think there are times when color means nothing. I have seen other times when it is the difference between getting bit or not.
wickyman reply :
I feel, that if you are confident in a bait, you are going to stick a lot of fish. If your confidence is low about the bait, chances are you are going to fish it wrong, and end up with squat. I fish my strong points, cranks with lips, drop shot, and jigs, and last, a good old stick bait... I only fish what I know works, and when I know it works... Regardless of color, or shape. If I feel confident that I am going to catch a bunch of fish on one bait, I go for it, gung ho!
I have had summers where a stick bait produced 100 or more a day. I have fished cranks, where the fish were either small or big, and only about 5 a day. Drop shot has yielded over 4+ lbs for me! And then jigs have given me a run for my money a few times, where I just broke them off due to excitement... So it's all about confidence in the bait.
Gimics are out there, whether or not you choose to jump on it, is your choice. ;D
K_Mac reply :
Wickyman we agree that knowing your strengths is a major key to success. 8-) I catch a lot of fish on wacky rigged Senkos and Stickos, either weightless or on a weighted hook or jig. I can work it a variety of ways. Same with a jig; pitch it, hop it, swim it, whatever I know it works. Add a shakyhead and trickworm to the mix and I'm ready to go. I do have 3 or 4 go-to colors-not a sexy one in the bunch. :
Edit: I usually have three or four other things ready to go... :-?
Bassin_Fin@tic reply :
It is an incredible color aound here in the kind of waters I fish. The sexy red eye shads outproduce all of our other lipless cranks. I have confidence in it. on the other hand though white and shad variation patterns work great too.
hammer84 reply :
I have had very good success with the sexy shad color but I have been using a BLACK=>GREY=>WHITE fade crank for years and had success. It has been killer in the spring when water is still pretty cold.
Following is just my opinion and observation
I think white is a lost color. My local large fishing retailer told me last summer that he could give whie baits away. Plastics or cranks.
Second, KVD has people cranking again ( at least in deeper water ). I have always been a big fan of cranks but I would says that 80% of the boats at local tourneys go straight to pitching and flipping.
s13john reply :
its a catchy name(no pun intended) and a simple color that looks fishy. look at reaction innovations and all their names ... sweet beaver... i mean ..... 8-) 8-)
The Rooster reply :
Ahh.....I went ahead and bought one today anyway, and I was the original sexy shad skeptic in this thread I think. I got a knockoff color, it's the foxy shad in the Excalibur lipless cranks line.
ab8aac reply :
Have ya'll ever fished for yellow bass? Here in texas in the spring and fall they school up and thrash the small shad, and the bass thrash them, the sexy shad resembles a yellow bass. If you catch the water boiling with the yellows throw a sexy shad and crank it down real quick and just see how many large mouths in the 4-6lb range you get swiming under the yellows picking up the dieing shad and also feeding on the yellows, I got one 5lber last month doing this that had 2 small yellow bass in his stomach whcih he threw up in my live well. Several times I have caught large mouths this way and you could see the tail of a yellow in their throat.
It might not be the reason but it sure seems like it to me.
SALUTE
Frank Williams
ttufishinman reply :
The first collegiate tournament i fished in i won it throwing a sexy shad strike king suspending jerk bait. i think it is a great looking color but maybe a little over marketed. every bait company has their own rendition of this color scheme. Ill be honest i have a lot of cranks and traps in this color :
grimlin reply :
White/chart. color is a very popular color here.Seeing how KVD is from MI. doesn't surprise me one bit how he incorporated that color into his arsenal and called it "Sexy Shad" color.
Every single spinnerbait i buy is usually white/chart.
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