First off, we'd like to thank our good friend Mike Smith from Coastal Fiberglass Fish Mounts for helping us out with the filming of this show. Mike ran our camera boat and did a great job helping us get some great footage. Coastal does the best fiberglass fish replicas we've ever seen. If you've ever thought about getting a trophy fish "mounted" to put on the wall of your den, give Mike a call at (215) 887-8604. He doesn't need the actual fish and his work is unequaled in the business.
Now on to the shad fishing...
We’ve always found American Shad to be one of the more interesting species pursued by anglers in our area. These oversized herring spend most of their lives in the open Atlantic, where they are seldom encountered by anglers. In the springtime, however, these fish enter their natal rivers to spawn, a ritual that brings them into contact with anglers plying the sweetwater in hopes of putting the season’s first bend in their rods.
Timing of the shad run
In the Delaware, the shad run begins sometime in March, but doesn’t become consistent until main river temps reach the low 50’s and stay there. This usually occurs around April 12th, give or take a week. The peak fishing in the lower (Trenton) area lasts into early May, and the run peaks later the further upriver one travels.
This episode was filmed in mid-April in the area of Bulls Island State Park, just north of Stockton. The run had begun in earnest the week prior, with most of the big catches coming from the stretch of river between Trenton and Lambertville. We waited until river temps stayed above the 50-degree mark for a few days before moving a bit upriver and bringing the cameras. On the day we filmed this show, river temps ranged from 52 to 54 degrees and the river was low and clear.
The spring shad run on the Delaware used to be enormously popular with anglers throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. As recently as the mid-90’s, the best spots on the river attracted huge crowds that flocked to the Big-D from far and wide to intercept these hard-fighting anadromous fish on their way upriver. Since then, the shad run has dwindled a bit and so have the crowds. In 1992, the shad run was estimated to consist of more than 500,000 fish. In 2006 only about 180,000 fish made the upriver trek. What has caused this decline remains a mystery, but the fact is that anglers need to work a little bit harder for their fish these days. Regardless, it’s still an exciting, if not underutilized fishery.
Playing the percentages
More than any other fishery we know of, shad fishing is a game of percentages. The key to a productive outing is to be able to put one’s lures (flutter spoons and darts) in front of as many fish as possible. For boat anglers, this usually means anchoring in a location that allows the highest number of shad to pass under the boat as they migrate upriver.
Shad generally follow the main river channel, and will spend most of their time traveling along the edges of the main current flow, something we refer to as a “current seam”. Anglers should always keep this in mind when choosing where to anchor. Many of the best spots on the river are in locations where the fishable water is greatly diminished by points of land, bridge abutments or wing dams. Such locations create a “funnel” whereby the shad schools are squeezed into narrow areas as they move upriver. Dropping lures into such areas produces better action, by simply increasing the percentage of the time the lure is in front of a fish’s face. Again, shad fishing is all about the percentages!
Lures and rigs
Shad are filter feeders, and are not believed to feed at all while they’re in the river. They strike our small, bright, flashy lures primarily out of annoyance, and not out of hunger. While shad darts are still popular with anglers, flutter spoons have become all the rage, and rightfully so because they catch shad! These spoons are nothing more than small willow-leaf blades (gold or silver) that are partially painted and soldered to a light wire gold hook. In the lower river, chartreuse/green on gold is the most popular color scheme, with red/white on silver coming in a close second. We’ve found the latter to work best in clear water situations, and on the day we filmed this show, this color was responsible for almost every hookup. Most of the tackle shops along the river carry these spoons during the spring run.
Some weight is needed to sink the flutter spoon to the desired depth, which is generally just off the bottom. This weight can vary from 1/8 ounce up to several ounces depending upon water depth and current flow. In the location we were fishing, 2 ounces was about right when used with 15-pound Power Pro braid. We use bead-chain trolling drails because they help prevent line twist. The spoons are rigged 3 or 4 feet behind the drail on light (6-8 pound) mono or fluorocarbon. The rig is slowly and carefully dropped back with the current until we’re comfortable that the spoon is riding just above (and not sitting on) the bottom.
Alternatives
Many river rats use downriggers to position their spoons at the desired depth. These can be a huge advantage, especially in fast water. In recent years, shad specialists have begun using medium diving crankbaits or minnow plugs in lieu of the trolling drail. These lures will dig into the current and reach a consistent depth. Although some experimentation is needed to match the proper crankbait with the particular fishing location, once a productive combination is found the angler is at a significant advantage.
