2007 Shad Season

[Jeff C.]

I read on another board that a guy caught a small shad 5 days ago down in the lower river near the confluence. It seems pretty early but it might be time to start tying up some shad flies!!

[Jeff C.]

I did some reading at lunch about shad in Peter Moyle's "Inland Fishes of California". He wrote that shad normally enter fresh water at 14 degrees C (57 degrees F) and start spawning around 17 degrees C (63 degrees F). It would seem the the water is still too cold on at A. at 51 degrees F.

[Katz]

Interesting info about the water temps. I wonder how close those #s are to the spawning #s for Striper.

Jeff - I noticed from you Aug 2006 report that you fished 44 evenings in 2 months!

You must love the shad bite! Good luck and I hope they are early and plentiful for you!

Katz

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

American Shad are usually at the mouth of the American River and the mouth of the Feather River by April first.

Stripers are there too.

Time to buy that boat or make friends with someone who has one.

April, May and June are absolutely crazy times locally especially in a low water spring like we hare having now.

[Jeff C.]

Hey Katz,

Yes, I'm a shadaholic but I like to fish for other species too. I normally fish 2-3 times per week but when the shad are in I can't think of a better way to spend your evening. With the low water this year, I think using a Type 2 shooting head will be the ticket. Besides my usual shad flies (surf candy, wet pinky, prince, and dirty bruce (dirty bird tied with black ice dubbing and a pink thread head)), I plan on trying a soft hackle chartreuse and red wire brassie.

Jeff C.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

For many years I heard of people accidentally catching adult American Shad in August/September at Sailor Bar on the American River on dry flies while fishing for fall Halfpounder Steelhead.

Now Jeff Putnam has really got it going catching Shad on dries.

He does it late season (June/July) in the 'tail outs' from Sailor Bar down to the Sunrise Bridge area in the evens when it is very calm. He uses floating line and a #12 caddis dry fly that he skates across the smooth end of long pools.

We did it one night with him last summer. You can see the Shad eating the adult caddis that are laying eggs in the late PM.

[Charlie Gonzales]

When Jeff first converted me to a fly angler we were fishing Gristmill one evening. I had broken of my shooting head and only had a floater. I didnt ever think you could ever get them on top but that last hour of light was magical. Now every year I wait for those special opportunities, you dont catch as many, but it is great. I miss fishing with that guy.

This should be great year with the current flows. Ancil Hoffman hasnt fished well for me for a couple years but I think this year should be different.

Jeff C, that soft hackle should work well. I often fish a peacock soft hackle with a chartreuse tag with much success.

Feel free to pm me if anybod wants to go out on my boat.
See you on the water.

[Bryan Morgan]

It sure looks like it will be a great Shad season.

[Jeff C.]

I heard that are starting to be caught on Feather so they should be entering the A. soon.

[lee s.]

The first time we did dries for'em was in the early 70's in the
Los Molinos/Woodson Bridge area of the Sac. Just could not resist tossing top-water at all those surface fish in the LATE evening.
There are some "incidental" catches of shad reported on the Russian already.....small bucks.
.....lee s.