Shad

[JeffK]

My saltwater fly friends do well with shad because they are comfortable with heavier tackle, longer casts, sinking lines etc. I don't break out my fly gear until later in the season above the Gap if the water is low, medium. Then I can get by with a floating line and a smallie outfit. BTW, one of my best shad on a fly days was in the Beaverkill by Trout Bk. If I have to cast far or fish deeper than 2 or 3 ft its spinning tackle for me.

Shad travel upstream in a line following a certain path. Find that path and you can have a good day; miss the path and you go without. In my opinion, above the Gap they stage more for spawning and can spread out. Then put the fly in front of their face to annoy them, they may be a foot or two off the bottom. My shad crazy friend for a while used a fish finder to find the depth the shad were cruising and then fished flutter spoons behind a trolling ball to get exact depth. That is the far end, but need to get weight and swing adjusted to get the right depth. Don't bottom bounce! You shouldn't lose that much tackle if you get the drift right. They don't pick up lures off the bottom.

 

[KELORGO]

I’ve only fished for shad (American) in the Delaware twice, both times with a noodle rod and spinning gear. They put up a nice fight and some people call them “the poor man’s tarpon”.

I’ve fished for hickory shad a few times in Deer Creek down in Maryland. They are a ton of fun on a 4 or 5 weight! It was SO much easier getting into the fish, because the creek is so much smaller than the Mighty D. There were so many fish that at times they were actually boiling in front of and behind me in what I assume was there mating ritual. It’s a sight to see!

 

[sandflyx]

cool, do you know where’d i’d be able to find that article at?

send me a email I'll send a copy in full color

 

[Bamboozle]

Why not post it on PAFF?

 

[shadspoon]

Jump on the Dealaware River Shad Fisherman's site. A lot of info there about shad fishing. It is old but all is the same, even the spots! Written for spin folks but just use a fly rod. Reports will start to be posted soon. I am closer to Conowingo and fish the big river (Susquehana) when the levels are right. I nolonger fish Deer Creek as I snagged 1/4 of the fish. I use a 7 wt. with a short sinking (#3) shooting head with a basket. I use flies, home made flutter spoons with short hooks (Lars is right about deep hooking) and small darts.
One of the hot spots on the Delaware is Easton, the mouth of the Lehigh. Only a few of us use fly rods but it can be done if the folks around you know how to fish for shad. Another spot is Fireman's Eddy below Lambertville NJ and the wing dam.
Hickory Shad are smaller but my favorite to catch, more of them. They are minnow eaters as opposed to Americans that are filter feeders. After the spawn, Hickories are along all our beaches and hang out at the jetties. They don't migrate more 10 miles from the tide line so few are caught in the Delaware.

 

[sandflyx]

Why not post it on PAFF?

Ill have to try. I think its in the arcives though.

 

[Bayviewrr]

I fished for shad years ago on the Delaware with a fly rod. I had done a lot of spin fishing for them and had constant success using a white dart tipped with pink and a chartreuse twister tail. I basically tied a fly to imitate the dart colors using floss, a little hair and crystal flash.

It was always deep wading so I used a 9 1/2' 7 wt with a Teeny sink line. The extra rod length helped. Early in the season when they are fresh, I would think they could beat you up pretty badly on a 5 wt. They are a lot of fun though.

 

[Bamboozle]

Ill have to try. I think its in the arcives though.

You might want to ask Dave but I THINK those archives may have been lost during one of the software upgrades. I'm sure if you could convert it to a PDF or image file, it would be a simple matter to re-post it as a separate thread.