Shad Run 2009 - Not Long Now !

There are few things as exciting in the realm of fly fishing than taking improbably large fish, no matter what the species, from small waters.

It is the ability of the fly fisherman to fish the small tributaries of a main river that opens the door to a unique fishing experience.
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Where spinning gear and heavy darts would foul on every cast, fly gear can often be used with a minimum of difficulty.

The first Shad I ever caught was on the Annapolis River, not a spot particularly famous as a shad river. I had stopped to look at a dam where the river meets the salt water.

In the depths I could see a handful of biggish fish fanning against the current and then suddenly swirling around each other and darting off, only to reappear in the same spot within a few minutes.

I had no idea what they were but I had some saltwater fishing gear in the car, specifically a spinning rod rigged up for Pollack fishing with a yellow Mr. Twister as the lure. That is a round lead jig to which a plastic tail is added. It is a great lure for Pollack and Mackerel too, although it was probably originally designed for Bass fishing.

I crouched over the spot where the fish were milling around and lowered the lure down in front of a fish. He didn’t react at all until I let the lure sink to rest on the bottom and then raised it with a little dancing motion. Bang! He nailed it and I was into a spectacular battle before I had time to absorb what had just happened. After about ten minutes I managed to land my first shad.


When I got home and mentioned my adventure to some friends they were unimpressed. Shad just didn’t seem to rate.

It was a pretty good lesson in what will elicit a strike from a shad though. When presenting a fly to a Shad I always try to get the fly a bit lower then the fish and expect a strike as it rises.
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Because fly fishing for shad is still in its infancy in Eastern Canada it is still possible to find new, un-fished and un-crowded water.

Almost every Eastern Salmon River has historically also had a run of shad, some better known than others.

Although Shad, as open water spawners, do not need to run far up rivers and tributaries to find perfect gravel beds, they do disperse throughout the system.

If there are a lot of fish showing in the main river it is usually productive to check the tributaries too. Not just to find fish but to find those spots where a fly fisherman has the room to practice his art.




It won’t be long now until the Shad Run 2009 begins. I can’t wait.