MikeV, glad you met up with Paul to learn the ropes. You're hooked now! BTW, you posted in the 2020 Shad thread, LOL!
Sunday, 16.May, 12:45-3:45 pm, on the Wall. The water was way down from Thursday, the current was decent, and there wasn't too much flotsam. There were only about 10 or 11 people working the wall when I arrived. One shad was landed as I pulled my gear from the car, and another as I set up; 15 minutes later I C & R my vitamin shad after our Kodak moment. Throughout the afternoon one or two were caught at long intervals.
When the heavy rain came most folx left, but a couple of us waited it out. We fished in an off and on light rain for another hour or so, but with meager results. Other than a few alewives, and a couple of hits that didn't stick, I was done. Rumor has it things heated up after 4:pm when a nice run came to town. I guess I should have stayed, but I was hungry and tired.
Terminal tackle: 3/4 oz drail over 3' 8# flouro, and hammered silver in red/white w/black dot, blue/chartreuse w/black dot, Jamaican, and blue/white w/black dot.
17.May, 8:30 am-5:15 pm, on the Wall. The water was down even more from last night, current about the same, and no junk floating by worth noting. And there were only a few people, and never more than about 7 or 8 people total, the wall was down right lonely today. About 15 minutes after I started casting practice, I had a good hook-set. After a short tussle, it came to the net, and was released after our Kodak moment. Then the casting practice set down in earnest. A shad, or two was caught about every 45-60 minutes; not clock work, but fairly regularly at intervals.
One of the regulars caught a huge roe before I left, it was heavy, long, and fat. I'd guesstimate over 4#, maybe pushing 5#, and it gave him a nice fight. I managed to tangle with 6 over the course of the day, landing 5 and losing 1 that saw the net, turned and looked at me, then jumped and spit the hook back. I'd swear it, that shad mocked me!
Terminal tackle: 3/4 oz drail over 3' 8# flouro, and hammered silver in red/white w/black dot, blue/chartreuse w/black dot, orange w/black dots, orange/yellow w/orange dot, Jamaican, and a smooth gold in pink w/black dot. The last hour or so before I left, the current was so slack I had to switch to 5/8 oz because I was losing rigs, including drail snagging the bottom hard.
Since I took the week off, I will be hitting the River hard. The Wall for sure, and maybe a couple of trips down to Harbor Park, or Rocky Hill. Tight lines!
18.May, 10:45 am-5:pm, on the docks at Ferry Park, Rocky Hill. The water was clear, except for flotsam that came by in clumps, often hanging up on the docks before floating loose again. The current was good, surface temp ~64°F. There were only 2 regulars working the docks when I arrived, and 0 shad to be had. Another regular showed up by 11:30 or so, and we carried on a brisk casting practice for the next 2 hours. We caught and released a few alewives, yellow and white perch, and the odd minnow to keep the skunk off. The two regulars who were there before me left around noon.
About 1:30 Bill landed a nice roe, and 15 minutes later I did the same. A little after 2:pm, I landed a buck, and another regular joined us on the docks about that time. I wound up catching one more roe about 3:pm. Over the rest of the afternoon we caught shad about every 20-30 minutes. And between us we caught about a dozen, most were released, and most were roes! It was a very good day to be out.
Terminal tackle: 1 oz drail over 3' of 8# flouro, and willows in hammered silver orange/yellow w/orange dot (candy corn), Jamaican, blue/chartreuse w/black dot, Bill's "Stop Light" (white w/ some red and green dots and a couple of black bars; it's hard to describe without looking directly at it!). Candy corn was hot for me today. Another regular had good results with a hammered silver in pink w/black dot.
One of my brothers is coming to visit for a couple of days. Tomorrow we'll hit the Wall by noon, and maybe Ferry Park (depending on the 411). It's looking to be a great day to be out, and I can't wait. I hope the shad cooperate, but we all know it's fishing and not catching. Tight lines!
19.May, 11:am-1:50 pm, the Wall. The water was down a bit more, decent current, clear and very little junk floating by. My brother drove up from Christmas-town, PA this morning, so of course I took him fishing for the day. We've been trying to get together for shad for a few years, and this year worked out. There were only 3 regulars working the wall, including Radio, and only Rod reported catching one earlier. We fished, well mostly took casting practice for an hour or so, until Bill showed up, and whispered a couple in. One of the regulars caught a decent roe, and a while later, Bill C & R one small buck at the far right of the wall. By 1:45 I was getting hangry, so my brother and I went and grabbed a bite.
2:30-6:15 pm, Ferry Park at Rocky Hill. There were only 2 regulars working the docks, one of whom hailed us across the parking lot with a thumbs up; he had two on his stringer. A couple of hours later, a bunch of other regulars showed up. As did the shad, mostly for everybody else. About a dozen were landed in the last couple of hours, with most released safely. I did manage to get my one-a-day before retiring. My brother managed a few alewives, and a dink schoolie, but the shad spurned him. We'll be out tomorrow morning to try again. Tight lines!
Terminal tackle: 1 oz drail over 3' *# flouro, and hammered silver leaves: candy corn, Jamaican, and chartruese/blue w black dot.
Thanks for the updates. They are most appreciated. Glad to see you were able to get together with your brother and catch fish. Sounds like they are still in, maybe not as thick as mid run, but enough of them to be entertaining. Stay on top of them till they are gone.
20.May, 8:15 am-11:45 am, Ferry Park at Rocky Hill. My brother and I had the place to ourselves. We opted for the half day trip so we could meet up in North central Mass with a couple of old friends from our college years. My brother managed a few alewives, and a yellow perch, but no shad. As for me? No fish today. Nada.
21.May, 8:am-11:30 am, the Wall at Cromwell. Another half day trip, as my brother had to head home for an early tee time on Saturday (today) morning. There were only two fishing the wall, and one was landing his 2nd shad as we arrived, and he prepared to head home. As yesterday, my brother C & R a few alewives, but no shad. About 10:30 am right after I touched bottom, I had a solid hit with 3-4 heavy head shakes, and then it was gone. Somehow it had broken my leader above the leaf. Maybe it was cut on a clam shell, who knows, but that was all the action anybody had until he had to head home.
On both days the water was clear, but not really moving, although the current started to slowly pick up about the time we left.
Terminal tackle: we had to drop down to 3/4 oz drails, and we threw the usual hardware.
22.May, 1:45-4:40 pm, Ferry Park at Rocky Hill. The water was barely moving, but there was more current than I had on the preceding two morning excursions. However, the cotton has started to pile up in the water, clinging to the line, and clogging up the guides, and spool. Some casts caught me pulling more cotton, than actually fishing. And its only going to get worse next week. I may be putting things to bed for this season.
On arrival there were 5 regulars on the docks. Bill had one buck on his stringer, and nobody had caught anything but a few alewives. Between 2 and 3, another regular showed up, and he managed a buck by 4:pm. Other than a couple of alewives, I go nothing. At 4:30 I had a call from home, that one of the cats was in distress. So I had to bail to attend to the critter. Male cat, turned out to be a urinary blockage. The vet has him now, and he should be fine after 2-3 days. He's a pricey little piss-ant...
Terminal tackle: 3/4 oz drail, over 3.5' 8# flouro, and hammered silver in pink w/black dot, pink w/white dots, and pink/green w/sparkly sh*t.
It looks like the shad run is winding down. I'll head out to Rocky Hill or Cromwell after work next week, but only until the cotton is so heavy on the water that it sticks to everything and clogs up the works. Then I'm done, unless I hear of a late run in early June, after the cotton has had it's run.
Thanks for the update. It does sound like the shad run is about over. It should get good for small mouth pretty soon. I wonder how those spots would be for smallies. I usually launch at Barber street and take the run way up to beyond the Farmington. There is generally only enough water to fish though June.
24.May, 4:30-6:45 pm, Ferry Park at Rocky Hill. There were 5 regulars working the docks, and 0 shad. One, who had been there in the morning for an hour or so, reported he had C & R one then, but had returned again, just minutes before I arrived this afternoon. The current was fair, and while there was cotton on the water, the stiff breeze from the South must have pushed most of it to mid-river, or the Glastonbury side; it wasn't too bad for the amount drifting in the breeze.
About 15 minutes into casting practice I had a solid hit, and a decent fight on my hands. We tussled for a few minutes before I was able to get a look at it, but when it saw the dock and the net, it ran deep, and turned under the dock. I got it out twice, but each time it saw the net, it ducked and ran. The third time it ran very deep, and well under the dock, and that's where we parted ways. It was a heavy shad, probably a roe. A little while later Bill C & R a nice fat roe. He netted and released another one before 5:30 pm. A little after 6:pm I had a hard hook-set, she just stopped me, and immediately started running. She made a couple of hard, deep runs that nearly doubled my rod, and pulled a lot of line off the spool. Once near the dock, she made a couple of shorter runs underneath, but I managed to get her to the net for a Kodak moment before I released her. By this time the breeze kicked up a couple of notches, and it was getting cold and difficult to cast. I gave it another half hour or so, but called it a day after nobody else was getting more than casting practice, and tangled leaders in the stiff breeze.
Terminal tackle: 1 oz drail over 3' 8# flouro leader, and hammered silver willows in pink/green w/glitter, yellow w/white dots, and blue/chartreuse w/black dot. The first and third leaves worked the shad magic this afternoon.
There are still some shad trickling through, although I believe we are nearing the end of the season. I won't be out tomorrow, as I have to pick up a cat at the vet after work, but I'll be out Wednesday again. Tight lines!