From Northern Florida to the Canadian Maritimes, American shad flood coastal rivers every spring. Their annual spawning run from far out in the Atlantic is historically significant: it provided a reliable food source for early settlers and even saved George Washington’s army from starvation during the Revolutionary War. But behind that commercial value arose recreational value. Throughout their range, droves of anglers eagerly anticipated their arrival. Shad had much less to do with food than pure sport. These fish bring a saltwater fight to inland rivers. They make light-tackle drags scream, and much of the program is simple.
American shad stop feeding once they enter cold freshwater. They strike out of annoyance, slashing at shad darts, tiny jigs, and flutter spoons. The real skill is figuring out where to position yourself so the maximum number of shad advancing upriver will essentially collide with your lure. According to my friend and 30-year veteran Delaware River shad guide, Dieter Scheel, as the culture around these fish wanes, those tricks aren’t being passed down.
Though shad can be targeted from a boat, many anglers — especially first-timers — are going to attack from the bank. Scheel’s insights gleaned from decades of observation are an ace up the sleeve of any shore-bound angler looking for their inaugural catch or simply more shad per trip during this fleeting run.
Life Is a Highway
The most critical element of shad fishing to understand is that when they swim upriver, they are following a specific course. Whether there are 10 fish in a group a school of 100 or more, they are following each other along an underwater highway that will zig and zag frequently. With that in mind, showing up to a random section of bank without some forethought put into the location is a huge gamble, mainly because, in this game, feet matter. Being just in the ballpark isn’t good enough.
“Ten or 20 feet can mean the difference between catching and not catching fish,” says Scheel. “If the stream of fish going by is not within your casting range, you’re not getting them. You’re not going to lure a fish off its line because not only is it not interested in food, it also may have hundreds of miles left to swim. It’s on a mission.”
On the best days in the right spot, your line can stay tight from morning to evening. More commonly, however, the action comes in waves. It can balloon at first light or last, and will vary by water color and height. But with shad, the old adage never leave fish to find fish couldn’t apply more. If you catch a shad, stay put. You can make minor moves within the area, but if there’s one fish in a lane, it’s safe to assume more will follow the same course.
Traffic Laws
So, how do you identify the underwater highway shad will use? It starts with a basic understanding of how to read a river. Pretend you’re a fish on a mission. Based on a topside view, what would you define as the easiest path to advance? You’re going to avoid shallow, fast water as much as possible. You’d probably avoid heavy flows in the center of the river and skirt edges. You might take a rest in an eddy. But according to Scheel, no element matters more than depth.
“You always want to try to identify the deepest part of the area you’re fishing,” Scheel says. “Keep in mind that many of the rivers shad run aren’t going to be very deep, so what I’d consider ideal depth is four to seven feet. Once I’ve figured that out, I want a current seam in that depth range. Ideally, that seam will outline the edge of the deeper water.”
If you fish from a boat, positioning in the best lane is much easier. Of course, from shore it can be a challenge, and speaks to why many prime foot locations get crowded. Google maps can be one of your best tools for identifying likely runs, but naturally, choke points or areas where the river narrows and forces the fish into a tighter slot are great places to start.
Red Light, Green Light
As a kid growing up fishing for shad on the bank, I remember being awestruck by the handful of guys in the lineup that would be out-fishing everyone else. In short order, color chatter would begin. “They’re on pink darts!,” someone would shout. “Bob’s hammering on chartreuse!,” someone else would yell. Years later, after many trips with Scheel, I began to understand that color barely mattered. According to him, it’s practically irrelevant. The ringers just knew how to keep their dart in front of more shad.
“Shad generally hug the bottom as they advance,” Scheel says. “But they won’t be right on the bottom. They’ll be a foot or so off it, though that can fluctuate a bit based on this like the amount of sunlight and river flows. So, when you cast a dart upstream, you want to vary your retrieve rate as best as you can to keep that dart about a foot off the bottom for as long as you can.”
Modern braided line makes keeping contact with a dart easier than it was years ago. Soft rods also help, and double as insurance during the fight, as shad have paper-thin mouths and turn on a dime. There’s no need to jig a dart—just reel steadily as it sweeps down current, and if you can keep it in that depth zone longer than the guy to your left or right, you’ll be the hero of the day.
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