A couple of late reports:

Thursday, 10th.May: The word of the day was "Alewives", that was all I caught for over two hours of casting practice. I did see a few shad caught, but few was the operative word... The water was down maybe a foot from the 9th, the current wasn't as nice, and the surface temp was about 65°. The breeze came up and gave me fits with wind knots, forcing me to use a 3/4 oz. drail. Otherwise, my terminal tackle was unchanged.

Last night, 11th.May: The water was down almost 2' from Thursday, but more turbid. However the current was strong, and I forgot to get a surface temp. I was there about 3 hours, leaving a little after 8:pm. Only a few alewives were caught, and I saw maybe a 1/2 dozen shad played. But 2 were mine, the skunk is finally off!

After 6:pm a small buck cast off the stinky kitty. He hit so lightly and tugged so gently, at first, that I thought it was another alewife until the water got skinny. Then he made a couple of feeble runs away from the net. He was beat up pretty bad, both sides were bruised, and his colors were faded and dull. He was C&R after a photo op, but I had to revive him in the current before he swam off.

About 7:15 pm I was making my "last cast". 4 cranks after dropping the bail I thought I snagged bottom, until it tugged back. Hard. No mistaking it, SHAD! She stayed low, and ran deep in the current, working the drag and stripping line. Once I turned her head, she made a brief roll at the surface mid river, and ran deep again. She had some fight in her. Eventually I worked her into the skinny water, but the first 3 times I tried to net her she ran off a couple yards of line. Have I ever mentioned here how much I love the sound of the drag? Once in the net, she didn't have much left in her. The hook was deep in the bony part of her jaw, and a little twisted from her struggles, so I had a hard time removing it. She was very beat up, more so than the buck. Both sides were really bruised, missing scales, and a little bloody. After a Kodak moment, I tried to revive her; no go. I wanted to release her, but she was too beat up, and spent. I gave her to a guy who smokes shad, so she won't go to waste. She was a small, immature roe, and maybe ran 3#, but what a scrapper.

Terminal tackle: a 5/8 oz. drail was perfect over a 3' flouro (8#) leader, and a hammered silver willow in yellow/red reflective tape with a black dot turned them on for me last night.

Tight lines!

I stopped by E. Barber St., the Bissell Bridge launch in Wilson after work for a couple of hours. The water was down below the last cleat on the ramp, finally it's fish-able. The breeze was fresh coming up out of Hartford, so the water was turbid-at least it wasn't too choppy. There wasn't much current, and the surface temp was 62°F.

Surprisingly, there were only a few other regulars taking casting practice. Less than 6 of us on the bank, and no shad. About a dozen casts into the afternoon, I set the hook on a shad. Not a big one, but it was far enough out to almost make it sporting. Unfortunately, the hook straightened out as I reached for the net, and I lost it at my feet. Other than the one shad, all I had to show for the effort was a couple of alewives. As nobody else caught a thing, I guess I did well enough today. :shrug:

Terminal tackle: 5/8 oz. drail, increase weight to 3/4 oz. due to the wind, over 3 1/2'-4' flouro leader. I threw the crayon box of willow colors at them tonight.

Tight lines!

I went out a few times last week and all I got was skunked, thus my lack of recent posts. Until today...

I headed over to E. Barber St. after work. The water was mostly clear, some maple whirly-birds were floating on the surface but the current was fair, and the breeze was at our backs (out of the West). Surface temp was ~68°F. About 4:30 pm I hooked a small buck, fairly close to shore. After a brief skirmish, it jumped and rolled, and threw the hook. C'est la guerre. About 5:pm another small buck hit my willow but stayed deep, and played in the current for a little while. No runs to speak of, but it tugged pretty good when the water got skinny. I released it after a Kodak Moment. And that was it; nobody else caught a shad by the time I left, shortly after 6:pm.

Terminal tackle: 1/2 oz. drail over a 4.5' flouro leader, and a silver willow with a paint scheme out of a work by Picasso or van Gogh-and I'm leaning toward van Gogh...

Where are the big roes? I'll try it again tomorrow. Tight lines!