Spey setups for shad

[maebrown]

I've fished shad with single handed rods using floating lines, shooting heads, and sink tips. As a newcomer to spey casting, I'm wondering what some of you use with spey rods for shad, Scandi with versitips or Skagit with tips.

Thanks,

Mark

[Mark Kranhold]

Hi Mark. I have a 4wt Spey that I set up with a intermediate scandi head and various sink tips. The most common tips I use are 8'- 10' of t-8 or t-11, depending on river flows for proper set up. This all varies on water temps and flows, warmer water and hotter days I have seen these fish take dries. Mark

[Dan Harrison]

I will be using a 5wt Redington CPX switch rod 7wt Wulff
Ambush line and 6-12ft of T-8.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Because Shad flies are pretty small now you can use small two-handed rods with all kinds of heads and tips.

Most valley rivers with Shad are pretty large so a two-handed rod is a good idea if you are wading.

[Bryan Morgan]

Throwing a 6wt. with a Skagit Flight. Unless the flows come down some more I will be throwing a MOW Tip with T-11. Hopefully I'll be able to throw a half and half.

[EricO]

Me too Brian.

Throwing Skagit Flight 425 gr with T-8...have a 10' sink and 5' Floating/5' Sinking tips.

Gotta watch my head when I'm flinging that stuff!

EO

[Ben J]

12' 5wt sage VXP with a 400 grain Skagit Flight and the light MOWS. This stick is a bomber... also my go to trinity rod during the fall with a scandi compact.

[Terry Thomas]

Lighter two hand rods are a lot of fun to fish for shad. However, these longer and lighter lead to acute tip angles when landing fish. An acute rod angle leads to broken rods and unhappy anglers. I would recommend staying with rods in the 6 or 7 wt range.

[maebrown]

First, thanks for all the replies. I have a pretty good idea about what to bring.

Terry, how do you land a shad on a lighter rod without the acute angle?

Mark

[Terry Thomas]

My point was that heavier rods have stronger walls in the tip section. Perhaps the best suggestion would involve momentum. Get the fish sliding on top of the water and swing the rod tip past you and grab the leader well above the fish. Release the tension of the tip as soon as you can. If you hit your rod with a shad fly (or any weighted fly) you have just weakened the rod in that area. There is a high probability that the rod could break at that point when placed under high stress when landing a fish. Just sent a rod in yesterday to Sage with a broken tip from landing a shad! I'm sure there will be more on their way soon.