Jeff’s 2024 AR Shad Reports

[Jeff C.]

Don’t get worked up because I haven’t been out looking for shad this run but it will be soon. This year the river conditions (4K cfs and 54 deg) are more conducive for them to make the right turn into the American. I expect them to be in the river within the next two weeks. I’ve cooked up a new Perdigon style fly that has worked on steelhead. We'll have to see if it works for shad!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Many local fly fishers are excited about the Shad run, every year.

We are so fortunate to have Jeff C here to let us know how it is going, daily.


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In the 1960s, my brother Dick and I had been riding our bikes south of our home along the Sacramento River to fish the "Minnow Hole"

for Shad from the bank with spinning tackle.


In a good sporting goods store, we were told that the Lower American River had lots of Shad in it but was very "snaggy" for spin fishing

and most fly fished it. I bought a 9' #9 line fly fishing outfit for Shad from Sports Unlimited on Arden Way.


We went to Goethe Park (River Bend Park now) with one fly outfit that was professionally put together for us. At the top end of Goethe

Park were about 50 fly fishers from all over the country because the America was one of the top places in America at that time for

wading and fly fishing for Shad. I think we had been to one of the California Fly Fishermen Unlimited meetings and some of their

members were in that "lineup" and recognized us as newcomers. A very nice older Japanese fly fisher, Tommy Fukushima, was catching

a Shad on almost every cast so he gave me his spot and gave me one of his own Shad flies. After some good coaching, I finally could

get my shooting head out there a ways. I finally hooked a nice Shad and landed. Dick and I took turns with the one rod and it was the

start of our love affair with Shad on a fly in the wonderful American river.

[Al Baltz]

Good memories Bill- makes me smile to think of young guys getting their first shad on a fly

[Joshua]

I look forward to lurking on here every year. Thank you for your regular reporting!

[cmcdhuibh]

I remember when I first came to sac 40 years or so ago. I saw the walk bridge lined up with a bunch of people fishing. I had no clue what a shad was. Someone showed me a “shad dart”. It was heavy. I bought a few and took my old wright and mcgill backpacking rod down there. I set it up for a fly rod put on my pflueger reel and that typical sinking line, you know that old dark green one. It was a disaster. Couldn’t cast it at all. I was totally small mountain stream fisher from Colorado. My neighbor was with me laughing, said I was embarrassing myself. You know I never went back until maybe 3-5 years ago. Missed out on years of fun fishing the AR .
I’ll be stumbling around down there with ya’all.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The American Shad was like the Blue Gill for trout beginners, but for larger river fly fishing practice.

After a few seasons of wading and fly casting for Shad, we were kind of ready for Steelheading.

[Luckee]

Glad to see this thread up and running!

The earliest I have hooked shad in the season was 4/20 some years ago, near Verona.

Chomping at the bit to get out and give it a try, but for me it's a 2.5 hour drive so I'll be following this discussion for signs of the green light.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The Shad are at the mouth of the American and the mouth of the Feather Rivers first, but most of it is anchored boat fishing.








40 years ago when the access at the mouth of the Feather River was wide open many waded the sand bar there when the Sacramento

and Feather Rivers were flowing lower. We fly-fished there, wading for Shad and Stripers back then. We have many stories and many

memories from that wonderful place and time.



There was a group of top Japanese fly fishers of the Great Generation who came from the Lodi area who were all wading there and

catching Shad, in the 1970s, and a huge school of Stripers showed up and it was a historic event for Striper fly fishing. Back then most

were using Fenwick fiberglass 9' #9 line rods for Shad so you could land anything on them. All these really good fly fishers also fished

the Coast for Salmon and Steelhead, back in the day. Some of the best anglers in California were Japanese.



Ron Hayashi, merchant marine and one of the best fly fishers I knew, was wading at the mouth of the Feather River, fishing for

Shad. He hooked a Fly Fishing World record Striper on 8# test with a Shad fly. It was around 44# and was in the IGFA record book

for decades. Ron was a revered member of the excellent fly club, the Flyfishers of Davis. Ron and his wife got into Spey fishing and

moved to Oregon.

[Jeff C.]

Capt Andy Guibord and I did a little scouting in his jet Lowe today down in the lower river. We didn’t find any shad be did notice that a lot of spots that should have good current at 4K were very froggy. Weird how every year the river seems to change.

[mogaru]

the more gravel and sand the froggier the water. Many fast water runs have been filled up with gravel.