In the past 50 years all flies in general have gotten smaller.
Shad flies 50 years ago were tied in size 4 and 6 on 1x or 2x long, heavy wire chrome steelhead hooks.
Back then the Eagle Claw 1197N and the Mustad 3908C were the standard Shad hooks. Nickel or chrome hooks were used.
Back then local Sacramento City Fire Fighter, Joe Shirshac, tied thousands of Shad flies for local sporting goods stores.
Shad flies were tied with bead chain eyes to try to get them to turn upside down and hook the Shad in the top of the mouth.
The top of their mouth was a better place to hook them because the lower mouth was thin and the hook could pull out.
Over the past decades the Shad flies got smaller and smaller till now they are maybe a size 8/10 shorter shank hook.
Some locals like Andy Guibord started putting a caddis nymph trailer behind a larger Shad fly.
Today on most years the American Shad run in the lower American river is our best anadromous fishery.
May/June seem to be top timing but some can be caught from April through July.
Fishing early and late in the day or during overcast days can be more productive time for Shad.
Jigging or twitching the rod or line will give some action to your fly and might help induce more strikes.
Shad can show up any time now in the lower river......
Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)
567 Barber Street
Sebastian, Florida 32958
Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
Certified FFF Casting Instructor
Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
Cell: 530/753-5267
Web: www.billkiene.com
Contact me for any reason........
______________________________________
Anyone fishing 2 or 3 flies for Shad?
Are 3 flies legal?
Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)
567 Barber Street
Sebastian, Florida 32958
Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
Certified FFF Casting Instructor
Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
Cell: 530/753-5267
Web: www.billkiene.com
Contact me for any reason........
______________________________________
To each his own but I like just a single fly. Once you've located them it's all about presentation. You dont have to lay out a smorgasboard for them. I hate hooking a fish then having it wrap on one of the other flys. Also I tie the non-slip loop knot, adding a second fly may take away some of that extra action. See what suits you best.
"I never saw a fish I didn't want to catch"
I fish 2 flies all the time, not only myself but with my clients as well.
Doing a 2 fly system is pretty easy if you make your own main leader section then build a loop knot in the middle. Top is loop to loop to your sink tip, bottom is loop to loop with tippet that goes to the bottom fly, also this is a longer length of tippet, middle loop is the same, loop to loop with tippet to upper fly, this section is much closer.
It jigs really well, let's the flys move naturally and very easy to swap flies out if there are hitting 1 fly over another
My main line is 15 or 17lb red label Seaguar fluro, tippet material is 10 or 12lb red label seaguar fluro. This set up has landed more 2 shads at a time that I have lost count. Even better is it never tangles.
And Always Remember
Keep Those Line Tights
Brian W Clemens
Nor Cal Fly Guides
530-354-3740
norcalflyguides@gmail.com
www.norcalflyguides.com
"I have many loves and Fly-Fishing is one of them; it brings peace and harmony to my being, which I can then pass on to others."
~ Sue Kreutzer
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