# Sunburn & Shad



## mr.fish (Apr 18, 2008)

I worked 2 late days, just so I could leave work early thursday, and hit the shad with all I had. I left work shortly after 11, and was on the river by lunch. The first hour was very slow. Finally after an hour or so, my friend Joe lands a double. An american on the dart, and a smaller hickory on the trailer spoon. About 2 minutes later, we noticed a very large school swimming up current of the outgoing tide. Just about every other cast we were striking a shad. The fun lasted just over an hour, and just as they had turned on, they had moved out, and turned back off. My friend Joe landed, about 6 small hickorys, and lost about 10 more. I managed just over 20 or so small hickorys, and a 1 much larger american. I would have had a new personal best american if it didn't break me off after about 5 minutes of drag ripping jumps. We seen it 5 times out of water, and it was pushing the 5 to 6lb range. I had this saturday planned to hit the run on the deleware, but I got my shad fix until next years run.

One of the many hickorys






My only american that got landed


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## Jim (Apr 18, 2008)

Nice fish man!


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## jkbirocz (Apr 18, 2008)

That is awesome, those are some weird fish. I have heard the fight is awesome, someday I will have to give it a shot. Nice catchin


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## DocWatson (Apr 18, 2008)

Nice day fishin' Mike !! Real nice American you got there too. Pretty day to be out on the water.


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## Waterwings (Apr 18, 2008)

Nice catches! I've never seen shad that size, or heard them called American or Hickory. Learn something new everyday!


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## Derek777 (Apr 18, 2008)

those are pretty cool. i looked at the fairmount cam to see how they were running, but it seems to be down. that american shad is a hog!


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## SMDave (Apr 18, 2008)

Great "Poor man's tarpon" there! I have yet to catch a shad, can they be eaten?


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## whj812 (Apr 19, 2008)

I caught one once in a river around here!!! Man let me tell you they fight like a mini tarpon all over the place jumping running.....WOW 


NICE fish man!!


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## Captain Ahab (Apr 19, 2008)

Nice job there Mike - I need to give it another try, maybe north?

These Shad are the big migratory ones that go into the Delaware River to spawn each year. The ruins have been steadily improving each year, so that means better fishing for everything.

The shad are filter feeders using a gill rake or baleen to catch and filter out plankton. When they enter the rivers to spawn they will strike at small brightly colored objects - like shad darts and spoons 

You can eat the shad and shad ore is considered a prize by some, they are rather bony and I do not care for the flesh very much. one of those fish that is edible, but does not taste good unless you do a lot of stuff to hide the flavor.

If you target them know the difference between the American shad and the Hickory becuase Hickory are endangered and it is illegal to keep them


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## slim357 (Apr 19, 2008)

Im not 100 percent on this but i think both are illegal to keep here in Va, I think they just started this rule this year


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## DocWatson (Apr 19, 2008)

Derek777 said:


> i looked at the fairmount cam to see how they were running, but it seems to be down.



The camera at Fairmount is not operational now. It will be out of commission until they finish the reconstruction they are doing on the ladder. Probably won't be back up until this fall at the earliest.


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## DocWatson (Apr 19, 2008)

Fishin NJ said:


> Esquired or Mr. Fish, How long are they in our hood for???? May have to get out and give it a go, mention the word tarpon and i'm there. If they are anything like a tarp, fight wise i am game!!!! Can they be had from the jersey side????



They should be around for another week or two. The later in the season, the farther up the Deleware they will be. But not too many get past Fairmount even when the ladder is working, so that is the most fished spot on the Skuke for them.


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## mr.fish (Apr 19, 2008)

Fishin NJ said:


> bummer for me, next two weeks are out :x will have to try next year. thanks for the info.



If you find time right now, then fairmount dam in Phila is hot, but not for long. In 2 weeks you should still have time to hit some shad from easton on north up the Deleware river.


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