Jeff’s 2023 American River Shad Reports

[Jeff C.]

Went out with Cookie Cardinez in his 1448 Lowe jet this morning to show him how to run the upper river. We stopped to fish and he discovered that he had a rod but no reel so that cut our trip short. I went home and got my mini but it ended up being a slow day for me ending up with only 9. Mary Ellen got Lori into double digits nymphing the slack water. Met Scott Gilligan who was fishing above the take out. They are balling up in slower water and nymphing is the best way to get them.

[Jeff C.]

Solo float today and it was a grind but I did get into double digits. Swinging Andy’s secret guide fly did the trick. Float tuber Tom was getting quite a few stripping his fly in the slack water. The highlight of my day was landing a big thick hen (22” to the fork)!

[Jeff C.]

Just got home from a solo float and it was brutally slow. I only landed a handful in 6 hours of fishing. It was slow for Rob also. The only guys getting fish were the bankies who were running their jigs through the schools in the slack water. I actually saw a bunch of fish but they had lockjaw and I LDRed twice the amount I landed. Tomorrow is another day and the outcome might be different.

[Jeff C.]

Another solo float today. Got a late start and there were already 3 boats in the big hole (Rod, Colt, and Steve Sylvester). There were a lot of fish in the hole but like yesterday they had lockjaw. Rod even turned off his fishfinder because there were so many fish but they weren’t biting. After getting a handful I couldn’t handle it any more and bailed down river. I ended up in double digits but it was a lot of work. I guess they are doing their late in the run thing and only getting grabby when the sun gets off the water.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I am guessing if the boats were all anchored further from the schools of Shad they might bite better? Maybe no?

[Jeff C.]

I don’t think it would have helped Bill.

[Jeff C.]

Floated with Earle today. It wasn’t on fire but we got double digits to the boat. The highlight of the day was a wild halfpounder in the net.

[Jeff C.]

It was dead slow for me this morning. In the first three hours I LDRed only one. There were a couple of other boats and they got a few. I bailed down river and had to put in some work to get double digits.

[Jeff C.]

Just got home from a solo float. It was absolutely dead. Didn’t get a single bump swinging the big hole. One broke me off nymphing the slack water. Landed one swinging further down river. Looks like it might be ending. If you want to hook some before they exit fish the last hour of light.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

50 years ago we always went out after work during the week in the PM fishing right up till dark.

Some retired folks fished the AM during the week with some success.

Then the out-of-town bunch, mostly from the Bay area, fished on the Weekends.


Nobody fished out of boats, it was all wade fishing. In fact, we never saw any boats to speak of on the Lower American River.

Back then it was 90% plus fly fishers for some reason?


Everyone used 9' #9 line 2 pc fiberglass fly rods with a large fly reel filled with mostly braid Dacron line for "backing".

Then for about 100' of mono shooting line or running line we use all different kinds of 20# to 30# mono to find one that worked best.

Most of us had two different sink rate 300 grain 30' factory shooting heads from Scientific Angler or Cortland.

I think leaders were simple, two pieces of mono, a butt section and a tippet?

The only knotless tapered monofilament leaders were Berkley Finalists.


Flies in those days were huge by today's standards, #2 and #4 because, because there were so many Shad.


Shad average around 10#...................................(just kidden')

Harry Boley caught a 7#er that we kept in the freezer at the Bait Shop in West Sac to show off during Shad season.