I watched a video last evening from below Fairmount Dam of an individual claiming that he was catching American shad. He wasn't, at least in the 10 minutes that I watched. Each fish that he called an American shad was a Gizzard Shad. Just a heads-up. Anglers fishing below Fairmount Dam need to be able to discriminate between Ameraican shad, Gizzard Shad, and Hickory Shad. Catching a Hickory Shad and not immediately releasing it unharmed (as in no photos or measurements being advisable if you are attempting to release unharmed) is important since they are on the threatened list. None of these fish take handling well at all. Trout are much more accepting of handling. Likewise for the blueback herring that are present with respect to quick release, although they have no particular special status other than being illegal to harvest, which makes it necessary to release them unharmed.
For members of these species you need to hustle them off of the hook and immediately get them back in the water facing into the current. Better yet, unhook them in the water. With the exception of Gizzard Shad, putting them into dead water with no current is not a good idea and they may just sink to the bottom. Of course you would need to know that you had a Gizzard Shad and not a herring or other shad in hand if you were going to release it into still water.
