4/21/09 AR Report

[erhetta]

AR Shad is something I have never tried for. Strange seeing as I am on the AR for steelies...

If anybody wants some company, gimme a shout.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

My toughest challenge is the wading part... I'm not the most graceful fly in the box.

I hope these flows don't stay up like they are....

[Jeff C.]

The higher flows are good for bringing fish into the American. The shad runs are great during high water years. I got 20+ one evening when the flows were at 25K. They were 3-4 feet from the bank

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Last year the river was at 1500 cfs for almost the whole month of May and the Log Hole was great. Probably not this year.

I would've thought the opposite based you your previous statement... I guess I better get graceful real quick... I don't want to stay on the porch! LOL

[Jeff C.]

When the flows are low the ones that do come in hang out in the lower river longer so the Log Hole is good. With higher flows, more enter the river but they tend to head upstream so the upper river is better.

[OceanSunfish]

My toughest challenge is the wading part... I'm not the most graceful fly in the box.

Well, you did pretty darn good staying on your feet while we were all out there on Prospect Island chasing stripers around in the muck!

Nonetheless, the American has some pretty slippery rocks.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Well, you did pretty darn good staying on your feet while we were all out there on Prospect Island chasing stripers around in the muck!

LOL... thank you for the compliment... I did get stuck a few times there, but the advantage was that the water wasn't moving....

[Jgoding]

I find the talk of these "high" flows funny... I started fishing for shad about the time we had those two high water years back to back. If I remember correctly, I think flows would hit something like 60,000cfs early in the year. I know my favorite steelhead run and side channel got restructured pretty nicely. Anyways, the flows would come down to about 6000 cfs by the time shad got in and they sure love those high flows. I did figure out my go to spot wasn't fishable until about 4400 cfs though as any higher you cannot wade out safely to the fish.

Right now, I would consider the current flows kind of regular.... a little on the low side. I do like fishing the river when it's low though... Not so great for shad as the spot I like hasn't had a school of shad holding there in 2 or 3 years since the flows were so low but I find it makes striper and steelhead fishing a lot easier.

[OceanSunfish]

Before the river was "rearranged" during the 'floods' of January 1997, Sailor Bar used to be great for wading and shad fishing at 3,500 cfs. That whole run has changed since as has Goethe if I'm not mistaken.

60K CFS?! That's when you can hear the freestone rocks moving under the water as the river is being rearranged. January 1997 was something else!