Susquehanna Shad Run 2018

[Johnsfolly]

In Maryland all sea run shad (hickory and American) and herring (blueback and alewife) are a catch and release fishery only. It's my understanding that NJ and PA still allow for the harvest to American shad out of the Delaware river. I have never eaten shad roe, but remember it being sold in PA at the Farmer's markets.

[tjm]

I lived about ten minutes from the Palmer River in Ma for nearly fifteen years before I knew of the shad fishery, I read about it in a national fishing magazine, people form the world over were going there for shad. Shad Factory pond. Only ever made a few trips there during the run and never caught any. Did witness a couple caught and when the shout of "fish on" went up everybody got out of the water,  strong running fish on a hook.

[Quillback]

1 hour ago, Johnsfolly said:

In Maryland all sea run shad (hickory and American) and herring (blueback and alewife) are a catch and release fishery only. It's my understanding that NJ and PA still allow for the harvest to American shad out of the Delaware river. I have never eaten shad roe, but remember it being sold in PA at the Farmer's markets.

There is a big run of what I believe are American shad in the Columbia river, story is they planed some in one of the SF Bay tributaries and they made their way north and I believe the Columbia is as far north as they get on the Pacific coast.  Never fished for them as I was always chasing salmon and steelhead.  But when they were running, people would catch them in bunches and they could be kept.  Anyway, people were after them for the roe in addition to the hard fighting fish that they are.  Always heard that if you want to eat the fish it is best to pressure cook them as the bones are so bad, but the pressure cooking softens them, like canned salmon.  

[Johnsfolly]

I never got to Day two on my shad fishing. I ended up back at the confluence Sunday afternoon. I had picked up a second rod, a medium weight, and put on my reel with the nanofil #6 line. felt that I would be able to get my casts out further as well as having a little more backbone to control these fish a bit better that the ML rod with #4 fluoroclear line. I also had a few shad spoons, #13 Tony PET spoons (now sold by Luhr Jensen) and a Nungesser spoon. I had used a green highlighter marker to add some green to a #13 chrome PET spoon with yellow feathers. The Nungesser spoon was green and yellow.  

I tied on the Green/chrome spoon with a green/yellow 1/8 oz dart as the top lure. There were at least 10 people in the spot that I fished on Sat, but the spot that I fished from was open. With the tandem combo I was able to reach the seam between the fast river flow and the slower flow of the creek.

The first cast and BAM had a strong hit and after a nice fight I landed my first of the day.

I had another strong hit on my second cast and then nothing. Somehow I broke off above the top lure. I hate losing lure and especially losing fish. I tied on my other #13 chrome Tony PET lure and a red/white 1/8 oz dart. I got a couple of bites and landed two on the chrome spoon, but not at the pace of the other fisherman in that area. I switched back to a green/yellow dart and the Nungesser spoon.

This combination was the ticket. I ended up catching 5 shad on the dart and 12 shad on the spoon. In just over two hours I hooked and landed 20 hickory shad. What an amazing fish. They hit hard, fight hard, and are plentiful when they run the rivers/creeks. I could only reach the productive water two or three times for five or six casts and would get bit half the time I got it in the sweet spot. The guys along the bank were catching fish after fish as well. What a great time !!

[Ham]

I’m taking notes. I’m not buying anything until I actually get there, but I’m paying attention.