Shad fly info request

[Scott V]

Can someone either show me a somewhat simple shad fly to tie or send me a link for shad fly receipes. I would like to get a box ready for this shad season. I have never fished for shad so any other info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much

[David Lee]

http://www.kiene.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=1067

David :D

[Scott V]

Thanks for the link Dave. I also found this: www.deltaflyfishers.com/files/mypinkyshadfly.pdf

Can we get together next Wednesday and tie a bunch of these up. I will get the supplies.

[Matt Frey]

Hey Scott
Get a copy of the most recent California Fly Fisher. There is a good article on fishing for shad with a number of patterns that look pretty straight forward.

[Jay Murakoshi]

I would have to agree on the Pinky fly. There's another fly I use and it's tied with a silver underbody, chartreuse mono and small black chennile. Dave Simmons came up with this fly and it was a hot fly on the Sac.

Jay

[Scott V]

Hey Scott
Get a copy of the most recent California Fly Fisher. There is a good article on fishing for shad with a number of patterns that look pretty straight forward.

Thanks Matt I will pick up a copy, it will give me something new to read on my flight tomorow.

[k.hanley]

Say Hey Scott and crew,

Here's the recipe and tying steps to Dave Howard's "Wet Pinky." Davo was a top flight shad guide. His fly gets the job done. Excellent easy tie...

http://www.fresnoflyfishers.com/flyofthemonth/Daves%20Wet%20Pinky%20Shad%20Fly1.pdf

Al Smatsky is one of the top shad guides for fly fisherman (in my opinion). I loved the trips with Davo. I love the trips with Al. The "Wet Pinky" is a favorite fly for both these guys. Pretty darn good recommendation for a shad pattern in our valley waters.

Enjoy!
Cheers, Ken

[Scott V]

Thank you one and all for the information. I have read and heard stories about shad, I can't wait to create some of my own. See ya on the water.

[mike N]

Scott,

Ken's post is the bug I PMd you about. Don't forget the 10 wraps of lead on a few. I weight all of mine.
MN

[Skunked again]

I'm trying my hardest not to get excited about shad season, as last year(s) were pretty much a bust (at least for me) on the American. My favorite and most productive fly I tie is a simple one that I've named "peaches and cream" I tie it on a #8 nymph hook, small gold bead chain eyes, or lead eyes, pink thread, peach chenille body with a white marabou tail. The occasional steelhead seems to like the peach as well. Also I've found at times that trailing a large #12 prince nymph about 12" behind a big ugly Shad fly can be deadly. A pain in the ass to cast, to say the least and sometimes I think you lose more fish because of the hook orientation (riding down rather than up), but it can be very productive.

Have fun and let's hope for a good year for those little guys.

[Charlie Gonzales]

I have two words for you... crazy charlies. or as I like to call them "loco gonzos". Chartruese, pink, orange or rootbeer. In low water conditions(like the ones coming up) I dont think you can beat them.

[Jeff C.]

I tied a shad fly that's a cross between a Wet Pinkie and a Crazy Charlie. I'm calling it the Crazy Pinkie. I'll let you know how it works in a month or so. Jeff C.

[Scott V]

I tied a shad fly that's a cross between a Wet Pinkie and a Crazy Charlie. I'm calling it the Crazy Pinkie. I'll let you know how it works in a month or so. Jeff C.

I knew a crazy pinky once, her name was Pinky Tuscadero. :lol: Free shad fly to whom ever tells me where that name comes from, and don't google it.

[David Lee]

That would have been Leather's cousin .

Who played Leather ?? Big star in England back then ...... :)

David :D

[Scott V]

That would have been Leather's cousin .

Who played Leather ?? Big star in England back then ...... :)

David :D

I knew either an older fart or just as old as me old fart would get it. give that man a pinky fly. :lol:

[David Lee]

Awwwwww .... :?

C'mon , Scott - EVERONE knows I'm the world's largest well of useless information . Trivial Pursuit is child's play ..... 8)

David , Master of nonsense :D

[Dabalone]

Two years ago my son and I fished behind Expo and below the footbridge below Sunrise Blvd. Everytime out we were hooking up much more than the people around us, we were using Prince Nymph's! Missed the shad run totally last year but will go back to the fly again this year, used a flashy gold dubbing for body, ice dubbing I believe, on no.6. We caught fish on it at all different times of the day.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

My brother Dick and I started fly fishing for Shad about 45 years ago in the Lower American River.

I went to Sports Unlimited on Arden Way in Sacramento and bought a fly fishing outfit for Shad, Salmon, Stripers and Steelhead.

I got a Fenwick Fiberglas rod that was 9' for a #9 line in two piece with a Pflueger Medalist 1495 1/2 fly reel. They put on some Cortland Micron 20# backing, a spool of Cortland Cobra flat mono shooting line and sold me two #10 30' shooting heads, a type II and a type III(Hi-D).

The Shad flies they sold there were tied by a local Sacramento fire fighter, Joe Shirshac. I think they were size #4 in those days on a big nickel hook with a red tail, oval tinsel body, white hackle, chartreuse chenille collar and nickel bead chain eyes.

The most famous "hot spot" on the river in those days was 'Upper Goethe Park'.

We went there on a Saturday morning and there was about 50 fly fishers lined up in one run covering maybe 50 yards of river. If you can imagine that and most everyone was hooking fish too. Many had driven there from the Bay Area.

In those days there were thousands of Shad in the river and all you had to do was wade out and "chuck" something out there, let it straighten out below you and hang on. Didn't take a lot of skill.

These were the years of the "100 fish days".

The Shad run today is not 10% of what it was so you have to really fish for them now.