Jeff’s 2020 AR Shad Reports

[Jeff C.]

Things are looking up! Solo float today resulted in double digits but it took 8 hours so they are not in thick. Hot flies were the Bloody Maria, Red Lipstick and my new Black Pearl.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Wow...........May should be a good month.


I guess it is time to put your tackle in your vehicle and hit it in the evens?


Captain Andy Guibord said he was probably going to start guiding Shad/Striper trips in the American river next week?

[Jeff C.]

There are shad throughout the whole river but not in big numbers with the most mid river. Fished this am for a couple of hours mid river and got a handful. Then Earle and I floated this afternoon and got double digits to the boat. The normal spots most anglers fish are froggy due to the low flow so the places that are swingable will be coveted unless the flows are bumped up.

[Tony Buzolich]

Bob Simms said Rick from Fly Fishing Specialties took a ride all the way up the Yuba to DeGuarre Dam and didn't take or see a single fish.

The higher you go in the river system the longer it takes for them to get here.
Tony

[Brian Clemens]

Hey Tony, that ride up was with me on Friday. We looked in all the usual holes from bottom to top and top to bottom didn't see any shad. But saw sturgeon, stripers, trout and lots of sucker/squaw fish. With that said should be any day now.

[Chasin Fin]

Floated a few hours this morning. Didn’t see any shad floating down but did see one boat pull a few so they are there. We were targeting stripers and stuck a few schoolies for the kids to reel in. Can’t wait to get them on a school of shad. Should be fun for them this year as they both can cast a spin rod pretty good. Hoping for the best as it’s been 10+ years since I’ve target shad.

Flows are down and water is low. Also seems like more homeless camps along the river than last year...

Hope to be out later this week in the am

[Jeff C.]

Earle and I only got a handful today on a short float. Broke a rod fighting a shad due to a nick from a tungsten bead head fly (bad single handed casting). The big push is in it’s way.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Earle and I only got a handful today on a short float. Broke a rod fighting a shad due to a nick from a tungsten bead head fly (bad single handed casting). The big push is in it’s way.

Jeff, do use two handed while wading and single handed from the boat?

[Jeff C.]

I use two handed rods exclusively for both wading and boat fishing. Most of the time I’ll do spey casts from the boat but occasionally I’ll single hand cast when I use 30 ft of LC13 or T-11 and a running line. Also the rods are 11 ft 5 or 6 wt switch rods.

[Quinnphoto]

Spent late afternoon on the upper rive and stuck only three. I also didn't see a school the whole time. I'm sure by the end of the week they will be thick. The flows seem especially low compared to last year's flows.