I started fly fishing for Shad with my brother Dick at Goethe Park in mid-1960s.

I went into the best place for fly fishing products at the time, Sports Unlimited on Arden Way. They sold me a 9' #9 line Fenwick fiberglass fly rod with a Pflueger 1495 1/2 Medalist fly reel and 2 each #10 SA shooting heads, a type II and a type III(Hi-D).

They sent us down to the upper end of Goethe Park. When we arrived there were about 30 people there fishing for Shad. Mostly fly fishers. Some were from the Bay Area. We watched for a while and there where two older Japanese fly fishers that were really catching fish. We were standing far behind them on the bank.

As they waded back in to the shore one of them asked if we were going to take their spot? and gave us a few special Shad flies. They told us to fish the last half hour right up till dark and it would be even better.

We took their spot and in the last half hour we got 11 Shad.

Later I met one of those guys again and it was Tommy Fukashima of Sacramento who was a founding member of the California Fly Fishers Unlimited fly club. He was a really fine guy and has sense passed one.

There were so many Shad in those days you did not have to be very good to catch a lot of them.

I think we are going to have a good Shad season this Spring.



Shad lineup.........