Striper/Shad Jam, 21 April 2018, Susquehanna State Park, MD

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I appreciate all the info being shared here.

 

[shadspoon]

To Dave_W. If you do target stripers in the river you won't be alone and they don't enforce the rules. Fishing for smallmouth and walleyes... is the story. As dusk approaches the shad guys are leaving and the striper guys are arriving. Years ago they did allow targeting stripers for 1 year only. A real mess! Many fish died a result of guys without the skill and tackle to land a large fish in current. Fishing below Lapidum ramp it is legal. Most use bait on the bottom. Further down in the flats it is shallow and dusk and dawn are the times. If you get the right conditions it will work with a kayak, just be patient. Like anywhere, you may see someone dragging a 30 pounder up to the car on the river. Also shad on a stringer, neither is legal.. Not a perfect world! Shad are my favorite fish and I look forward to it every year!! And don't forget the Delaware!! I hope this all helps. below Conowingo is a magical place to fish spring to fall.

 

[Beefheart]

All this info is really helpful! I have to admit I'm a bit apprehensive about kayaking in that water, especially reading what you guys are saying about quickly changing conditions. I've never fished from a kayak before, so I might not make my first attempt there. It sounds like that area is better suited for people with experience.

I'd be totally happy to catch just shad if the stripers are out of reach.

 

[AFISHN]

I like Dave's plan A LOT.Primarily because it gives not only date backup options) but also location options.

BTW:If it's not considered heresy here,bring along a spining rod with 6 Lb line..Pre rig tandum shad darts with a small swivel 6 inches above your dart set up:You could always fish off the rip rap at Lapidum Landing if it's windy or the river is ripping or your just feeling lazy

I have fished the Flats and Deer creek for 25 years and will stop by the campground daily to help with anything else that might come up. I will probably bring my 18 ft center console to Harve de Grace one day ,if the striper fishing is on and fish Deer Creek one day
Will not be camping with you guys ,but commuting back and forth to West Chester
Tom C

 

[tracker12]

The main river is very difficult if not impossible to fish from shore with a fly rod. Most Ff fishing is in Deer creek. Kayaks and canoes can be used depending on flows. The river can be very dangerous the closer you get to the dam. For fly think shrimp platterns or anything pink white or red combos

 

[poopdeck]

I'll second Dave w on the use of flutter spoons. Shad darts are yesterday's news and are grossly out fished by flutter spoons, at least on the Delaware river.

I do agree with afish in taking a spinning rod. It's okay, really it is. Tie on a rapala SR7 with the hooks removed. Put barrel swivels on the tail split ring and add a split ring and swivel to the line tie. Tie the SR7 to main line and tie a 3' 6lb leader from the tail ring to the flutter spoon.

The difficulty in fishing for shad is locating them. Catching them is easy but being in the right spot is the trick. Been out plenty times where the boat next to me is catching them left and right and your not catching any. Also been the boat catching them while others watch. They do not come up in wide wave after wide wave. They come up in pods and they seemingly come up in a single file like ducks in a row. You can catch 10 in 15 minutes and then sit there doing nothing for an hour and then catch them in another 10 minute window. When they are in the thick of the run you can wear your arms out catching them one after another after another. It actually becomes super crazy with multiple hook ups and trying to clear the other lines out of the way and then resetting them again.

I'll stick to the Delaware where it's easier simply because there's less water, easy access and no dams. You can't not catch them in the Delaware in April but I hope you guys are successful, catch the meat of the run and have a blast.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I gotta start tying some flies for this!

 

[tomgamber]

so what happened in 2011?

http://www.fishandboat.com/Fish/PennsylvaniaFishes/Pages/SusquehannaShad.aspx

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Good question.

 

[AFISHN]

FYI...2 forty inch rock/striped bass were caught at Port Deposit this morning.A friend was out last week and he and his son caught 30 schoolies
NO reports of shad though.However:The DR river is definitely fishing well for shad..this should last another month there.
.

 

[Susquehanna]

We should do a roll call......
I'm in!

 

[Fredrick]

I cant make Saturday but I will do my best to get out to the flats this Wednesday if I don't get called in for OT . Might be a little windy for the yak so I am keeping a close eye on it

 

[Dave_W]

I'm out unfortunately.

 

[Fredrick]

I got called in for some OT on Wednesday so I didn't get out . This thread has been kind of quiet . The strippers and shad are in is anyone getting out ? Unless something crazy happens I will be hitting the salt with my kayak this Sunday I cant wait it will be the first time that I take my yak out with the new fish finder .

Dave_W wrote:
I'm out unfortunately.

Sorry to here Dave I cant make Saturday either .

 

[salmonoid]

tomgamber wrote:
so what happened in 2011?

http://www.fishandboat.com/Fish/PennsylvaniaFishes/Pages/SusquehannaShad.aspx

https://www.fws.gov/northeast/susquehannariver/pdf/2011.pdf

Fish ladders/lifts are a joke. The only way that shad will ever be restored will be if the dams are removed. PFBC and it's precursor have been trying and failing at restoring shad since the 19th century! Would love to see eels and shad make it back to the upper Susky and it's tribs, but how they are going about doing it won't make it happen.

 

[raftman]

Sorry fellas, I won't make it down today.

 

[tomgamber]

Do you have an answer or do you just assign homework?

 

[Fredrick]

I hit the salt today in the yak I did pretty good on numbers no keepers but at least 15 stripers were brought to the yak I actually left them biting sitter was getting impatient

 

[Dave_W]

Was anybody able to show for this event?

If not, it's not a big deal. We've had some jams that fizzled or never came off. Doing an event like this in a different state with different license requirements, at a place few are familiar with... is tricky.