Jeff’s 2022 AR Shad Reports

[Pvillarr]

Earle and I floated the upper river again and it was dead slow. We only got 8 to the boat in 5 hours of fishing. I’m afraid the run is winding down. Greg got a few nymphing in his power drifter below us. We did see a gear guy get a 4-5 lb striper using a fluke.

Thanks for the report, Jeff. I think the run started winding down around the same time (if not earlier) last year. What is your current count?

[Jeff C.]

You’re right Peter. I haven’t updated my spread sheet but it’s way down from last year.

[Pvillarr]

You’re right Peter. I haven’t updated my spread sheet but it’s way down from last year.

Same here. I had a lot more days on the water last year, but I also had way more high double-digit days last year too.

[Jeff C.]

Floated today by myself. Unlike yesterday where I only landed 1 I got into double digits. At this point in the run it’s the roll of the dice if you are even going to catch any. A float tuber and a couple of guys in a pram were the only anglers out.

[Jeff C.]

Here’s a summary of how the run has gone for me:

Days fished 59
Daily average 9 (14 last year and 17 the year before)

It’s definitely going downhill fast. Andy floated the same reach that I did last evening and only got a handful. I thought it would have turned on during the magic hour.

[Pvillarr]

Here’s a summary of how the run has gone for me:

Days fished 59
Daily average 9 (14 last year and 17 the year before)

It’s definitely going downhill fast. Andy floated the same reach that I did last evening and only got a handful. I thought it would have turned on during the magic hour.

That is interesting data and comparison to previous years. Thanks for sharing.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

You can see why the CF&W doesn't know as much as we do.

They could talk with Mike Costello about the condition of the Striped Bass population in the Delta for the past 20 years?



I have watched our fisheries decline over the past 60 years in Northern California.


Shad were "100 fish a day" for most fly fishers who were serious at it 50 years ago.

An even after work was a dozen fish an hour?


I wish I had taken more pictures to show all this.


Working in the fishing business of 50 years in Sacramento has given me a sad incite to all this.

[Bkane]

Younger fly fishers don’t know what we had. Fish hard now it’s only going to get worse.

[Jeff C.]

Floated today before it got too hot. Ended up with 10 in 5 hours. The normal hole wasn’t putting out so I had to work some other water to get to double digits. Greg was out early in his power drifter and doing super long drifts nymphing, then motoring back up to do it multiple times. I even got one in the area he was nymphing as I headed downriver. It’s definitely a lot slower but if you want to put in some work covering different water you might be able to hook some.

[Jeff C.]

Floated for 6 hours today. Andy with a client and Tom in his float tube we’re already fishing the hole when I got to it. There was another drift boat anchored up in the run above. Tom was the only one hooking up in a regular basis out fishing us. Andy went down to the next run while I couldn’t buy a bite. The rod holder ended hooking all of the fish I caught in the hole as my line just dangled. I went down to the next run and hooked shad in the area Andy had been fishing. I caught them swinging LC-13 and nymphing. The wind was really gusty and I got blown off of anchor a couple of times.