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#1711467 - 04/10/17 09:00 PM SHAD! 2017
No Fish Today Offline

Member

Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1347
It's time for this year's shad thread. Finally.

I've been out twice so far. My first trip was last Monday, it was too nice not to try but I really didn't expect anything. I stopped by Bissell about 4:30 pm. It was not fishable, the water was too high, dirty, and cold, and the wind was whipping. The handful of regulars were standing or sitting around a picnic table jawing, nobody was even trying down there, and they reported no shad sightings. So I headed over to Bart's after catching up with old friends.

At Bart's another half dozen regulars were standing around the parking lot talking. Not one line in the water, and no reports of shad. After catching up with them, I had to at least wet a line. I headed upstream above the RR Bridge, the water clear and flowing. Surface temp was 42ºF. I made a few casts over about 45 minutes or so. No Fish Today.

Important stuff, the tackle: one-piece UglyStick U/L rod, Penn 4200 SS reel spooled with 10# Power Pro. Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, ~3 1/2' leader of 8# Flouro, over a chartreuse hammered silver leaf w/black dot, and an orange/red/white hammered silver leaf w/black dot.

Today I skipped Bissell all together, the water was just too high and muddy. When I arrived at Bart's about 4:30 pm, there was one regular sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot. We chatted for a bit, he had wet a line earlier but nothing was doing, and no rumors of shad. Once again, I headed upstream of the RR bridge. The water was up over 4' from last week, and looked like it had dropped a couple of feet very recently. The water was clear, and flowing well. Surface temp was 48º F! I didn't see any scales on the bank, so I didn't expect much today. After about an hour, another regular joined me on the bank. We cast for another hour when we pulled up stakes to head out, as a young regular walked up to ask how we were doing. No fish today we reported. But with the warmer temps this week, we expect to see shad, if not tomorrow, then maybe Wednesday.

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, a scant 3' leader of 8# flouro, over an orange hammered silver leaf with a black dot, and a chartreuse/red smooth silver leaf with an eye decal.

Good luck, and tight lines!


Edited by No Fish Today (04/10/17 09:01 PM)

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"
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Fishing Info
#1711598 - 04/11/17 09:23 PM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
No Fish Today Offline

Member

Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1347
I stopped by Bart's with a buddy for a couple of hours after work, again today. We were joined by a couple of other folx after the first hour or so. Water was 6-8" higher than yesterday, clear, and flowing. The surface temp was 52º F! But, in spite of the warmer weather, and water there was no action, not so much as a bump. A few folx walking by, and a couple of passing boaters had heard of no reports, either. No fish today. Oh well, maybe over the weekend...

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, over a <3' flouro leader, and a hammered silver willow (red/chartreause w/black dot). My buddy threw similar terminal tackle over a silver willow, red/orange w/black dot.

Tight lines!

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"
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#1711909 - 04/14/17 09:29 PM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
No Fish Today Offline

Member

Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1347
I fished above the RR bridge behind Bart's from about 4:15 pm to 7:pm. I'm pretty sure the water is still rising! It was about 2'+ higher than it was on Tuesday. Water was clear, but the flow was rather languid; moving so slowly as not to raise a riffle or wake around the bridge abutments. Surface water temp was ~52-53º F.

A couple of regulars were on the boat ramp, only one was fishing. Neither reported any action. Above the RR bridge there were a few regulars sitting on the guardrail making chin music. They, also had nothing to report. A buddy of mine met me there, and we decided the shad wouldn't land themselves, so we started casting. About 5:50 pm I had a good hit, fairly close to the bank. I was able to land a healthy shad with nice bright, shiny scales, and good coloration, about 2#. It was fat enough that my buddy, and another regular who had just showed up asked if it was a roe. No, I could see it leaking a little milt, for a buck. After a Kodak moment, I sent it back home to the river. And that One-a-Day vitamin shad was it for the day, nobody else had so much as a bump. It feels good to get the skunk off.

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail, over a 2-1/2' flouro leader (8#), and a smooth silver willow painted red/chartreuse/white w/black dot.

Tight lines!

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"
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#1711930 - 04/15/17 09:40 AM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
carlynewlondon Offline
Member

Registered: 06/22/06
Posts: 7966
Loc: Home: Burlington, Boat: New Lo...
Congrats on the first of the season
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#1711964 - 04/15/17 08:38 PM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
Tom59 Offline

Member

Registered: 12/28/10
Posts: 1174
Nice!!!!!
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#1711965 - 04/15/17 08:44 PM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
Sweetchuck Offline

Member

Registered: 01/04/07
Posts: 2311
Loc: Stafford Springs, CT
sweet nice to get the first one

Save a tree eat a Deer!!!!!!
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#1712109 - 04/18/17 07:24 AM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
No Fish Today Offline

Member

Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1347
Late updates:

I was able to sneak out to Bart's for about 1-1/2 hours Saturday, mid-afternoon. Nothing happening, not one report of shad from any of the regular suspects. Surface water temp was about 55º, high and clear but it wasn't moving much. Terminal Tackle: 3/8 oz drail (no problem finding the bottom in spite of the high water-there just wasn't much current), over an 18" flouro leader, hammered gold painted red/white w/black dot.

Yesterday after work, I fished about 2-1/2 hours. The water was down about 2' from Saturday, clear and moving a little. Surface temp ~59º F. The wind was ripping down the river towards Bart's, but it was manageable. Initially I was alone above the RR bridge but was joined by a guy with a meat pole, and a shad tail chunk. After he left a few of the usual suspects joined me on the rocks. About 6:30, one of them hooked up, and landed a nice roe. Not too big but a nice fattie. The rest of us got skunked. C'est la guerre.

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail over a 2' flouro leader, and hammered gold red/white, and orange chartreuse w/black dot, and a hammered silver green/chartreuse w/black dot. All for naught.

Tight lines!

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"
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#1712117 - 04/18/17 09:53 AM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
CAPT. HOOP Offline

Member

Registered: 11/02/02
Posts: 7540
Loc: Empire / Venice, La
Is floro necessary for that type of fishing? The fish is not feeding it is just picking it up and getting the jig or lure our of it's way.

Fishing is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that.

CAPT HOOP -- OUR FREEDOM
Our Freedom Charters
P.O.Box 449
Empire, La. 70050
H- 504-657-6330
C- 504-247-8459
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#1712181 - 04/18/17 10:37 PM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
No Fish Today Offline

Member

Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1347
Hoop, that's an excellent question. Thanks for asking! Flouro isn't necessary from the shad's visual standpoint. I like the superior abrasion resistance it possesses over standard mono, it just holds up better, and lasts longer as leader material, hence my preference for flouro.

As an aside, I prefer to throw the longest leader I can get away with tossing out of a back cast. When I can, I'll throw up to a ~4' leader. IME I get more frequent hits/hook sets with a longer leader, than with a short one.


Today's report:
I fished above the RR bridge from about 4:30 to 6:30 pm. On arrival, a boater and his buddy was loading his trailer, and they had 7 shad on a stringer between them. Scuttlebutt from the parking lot was that several shad had been caught from shore around the noontime hours. Water temp was about 58º F, same level as yesterday, clear and but little current. I started out alone but was soon joined by "Radio", who reported several shad caught earlier in the day, including a nice roe. He C&R a small buck as he filled me in, shortly after he put his arm in a cast. Before I left, three other rogues joined me. Shortly after 6:pm, there was a hit, after a couple of head shakes, it was gone. A few minutes later I C&R a small buck, after a Kodak moment. Just after I released my vitamin shad, a usual suspect landed a middlin' buck. By this time, the wind had picked up, and was blowing up cold, and getting colder, from Bart's. At that point, I beat feet for home. It seems the action, while scattered, is picking up.

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz drail over a 2' flouro leader, and a hammered silver willow in blue/white w/chartreuse dot.

Tight lines!


Edited by No Fish Today (04/19/17 08:40 PM)

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"
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#1712257 - 04/19/17 08:52 PM Re: SHAD! 2017 [Re: No Fish Today]
No Fish Today Offline

Member

Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1347
I stopped by behind Bart's about 4:30 pm, and met one of the regulars in the parking lot heading out. He had a limit of shad in his bucket, a big bovine-scat eating grin on his mug, and was planning on shad for supper. laugh I headed up above the RR bridge, as usual.

I met 3 others plying their trade in shad. There were no shad on the bank but the 1 fella I know said that he had played a shad briefly, before it self-released. The water was down about 6" from yesterday, clear, flowing slowly, and with a surface temp about 57º F. It started to drizzle around 5 pm, or a little after. About 5:30 pm I landed a nice fat roe, ~3#+. I released her after we posed for a Kodak moment. The drizzle slowly built to a light, steady rain, and the rocks were getting slickery. I lost my footing a couple of times, and it's too early in the season to slip, turn an ankle, or twist a knee, so I beat feet.

Terminal tackle: exactly what I threw yesterday!

Tight lines!

George Darrell ...

I support "PETA",
"People Eating Tasty Animals"
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