Depending on the cover, weather, and time of year, it is important to know what to look for when choosing between the Red Eyed Shad and the Chick Magnet. Andy Morgan compares these two similar baits with quite different qualities.
This is a little tight of a comparison because I like to use these two baits at the same time of the year, when it is colder outside. Fishing during this time of the year is my favorite.
When the water temperature is somewhere around 50 degrees, the Red Eyed Shad is like poison. I typically like to use this bait in a large area of flat water that is less than three feet deep. Ideally, there are few contour lines on the map with mud or hydrilla to reel my bait over. The Red Eyed Shad is just deadly in these situations.
The Chick Magnet is going to roll into action at the same time as the Red Eyed Shad, when the water is reaching around 50 degrees. The Chick Magnet is really kicking its best at 50 degrees, but you can still catch a lot of fish on this bait as they come in to spawn near the 60-degree mark.
My favorite time to fish the Chick Magnet is when the water temperature is from 50 to 60 degrees, but I use this bait year-round regardless. I also prefer to use the this bait more often around cover such as rock, wood, stumps, and above grass.
So, during the cold times of the year, such as early spring, these two baits are both critical in my arsenal. I prefer to use the Red Eyed Shad in flatter water and the Chick Magnet in areas that have more cover, such as rocks and wood.
