Jeff’s 2025 AR Shad Reports

[Jeff C.]

It’s that time of year that I look forward to. With flows around 1400 cfs I was expecting the lower river spots will be fishable but the flows are going up to 7K on Monday. It looks like another year where wading for shad will be tough. I’m going to do a little scouting down low today.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Jeff.

Many here really enjoy your daily reports of your yearly quest for the American Shad.

The high flow might draw some Shad into the America early?

What is your earliest date to find Shad in our river?

[Jeff C.]

I went to Paradise this morning and the Sac had the river looking like a lake and with flows are going up to 7K cfs today the lower river is a no go.

The higher flow might bring them into the A but from my experience the higher flows just make them jet up river. If the flows stay lower they will hang out down lower at spots like the Log Hole and Gristmill.

The earliest I’ve caught a shad on the A was mid-April but have heard that they have been caught as early as the first week in April.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Jeff.

Maybe it will start soon.


In the 1960s, we lived in South Sacramento below the Zoo, near the Sacramento River.

We were teenagers at the time, and we rode our bikes a few miles south along the river levee to the famous "Minnow Hole".

Using lighter spinning tackle, we caught American Shad there, which were plentiful and came along in large schools.

During that time, we had many top anglers who came here from Japan in the early 1900s.

I watched them closely and copied what they were doing so I could be successful too.



Bass and panfish in ponds are the entry-level fish for fly fishing.

The American Shad is the entry-level fish for Steelheading.

[StevenB]

Lived in Rancho Cordova in the early 90's (?) and fished the heck out of the A for Shad and Stripers in the spring to mid-summer before
switching to Trout from about June on.
Use to launch my small-ish jet at Grist-mill and run up to the Arden Rapid (as I recall). Great Striper spot up there.
Watt Ave and run up.
Sunrise to hit that water.
The Shad fishing out of a boat was very reliable during the season,
and flows were usually low-ish.
Occasional challenges and adventures with tubers and inexperienced river floaters.

Love to read your reports, Jeff. Reminds me of past times on the river.

[Charlie Gonzales]

March 28th is the earliest I have ever hooked a shad, but that was out of a boat on the color line.

[Ed Wahl]

Charlie, how does one go about fishing the color line? Been there once, the depth and current were both big. Got to admit I was intimidated.
Ed

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Around 1970, Al Perryman had been fly fishing at the mouth of the American River in the early AM, looking for Spring Salmon, but caught

a bunch of small/medium Stripers. He drove to West Capitol Rod & Gun, where I was working at the time. Al gave us all the information

we needed to catch those Stripers. My fishing partner, Cecil Wilder (Junior), went home and tied some streamers with bait hooks, rod

wrapping thread, and some white hackles from a feather duster. After work that evening, we anchored in the clear side of the color line at

the mouth of the American River and fly cast a streamer with 25' of lead core line into the dirty water of the Sacramento River. As it swung

back into the clear water, we caught lots of small to medium Stripers, 5# to 10#. It was our first Stripers on a fly, thanks to Al.

[Jeff C.]

A few shad are being caught at Freeport so they are on their way. They won’t be in the A for a while. The river is running high but is warmer than last year.

[The Cal Fisher]

I just got word from a friend that some buddies of his caught some Shad at Gristmill yesterday.