American Shad

The weather has started to warm a bit but the fish inshore are still a bit sluggish. Further offshore has been hard to reach because of all the wind and high seas the past few months. For those of you whom cabin fever is taking its toll, there is relief in sight. It is spelled S-H-A-D, as in American Shad, also known as white shad.

American shad is a saltwater fish and is highly migratory. They spend most of their time up north in large schools in the Gulf of Maine. They move into deeper ocean waters for the winter. However they are anadromous, meaning they swim up rivers to spawn. They can be found in most of the coastal rivers from St. Lawrence to Florida.

Many of them spawn in the coastal rivers of North Carolina, including the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear rivers. They start showing up in the river in late February and run through March before returning to sea.

One of the best spots to find them is a lock and dam #1 in East Arcadia, about 30 miles above Wilmington. The locks are still functional and the lockmaster does lift a number of them up the lock and past the dam but very few in comparisons to the number that migrate to that point. This makes for good fishing in the vicinity below the dam.

The site is one mile off of highway 87 on the right shortly after you pass the East Arcadia city limit sign. There is limited shore fishing at the dam site so it’s best to fish from a small boat. There is a public boat ramp right at the dam facility and plenty of parking.

It can get rather busy in that area when the shad are there but you should be able to find a spot with no problem. Just be considerate of your fellow boaters and fishermen. You will want to anchor up as there is a heavy current below the dam. I recommend you use a concrete block for an anchor as there is a lot of debris on the bottom and you likely would lose an anchor.

American shad range in size from around 2 pounds up to eight pounds with mainly females reaching the larger size. The males are called bucks and the females, roe. Shad are a re good eating fish and a favorite to smoke. The roe is also considered excellent table fare. They also put up a good fight on light tackle. When the bite is on, they will wear you out with a hook-up on just about every cast for hours on end.

Most folks use what is a called a shad dart, a small lead jig with a 1 – 2 inch grub threaded on. Small spoons are also popular lures. It seems shad are fond of bright colors like chartreuse and pink, often in the same lure.

One of my favorite things about shad fishing is the catfish and striper fishing. Yup! The stripers follow the shad schools and are often found mixed in with them or nearby. So you will want to keep at least one rod rigged and ready for striper.

You’ll also want to have a heavier rod rigged up for bottom fishing to target the blue catfish that hang below the shad waiting for a meal ticket. These cats get big with fish in the 20 pound plus range not being uncommon. My favorite rig is a tube jig with strips of fresh shad threaded on a 4/0 hook. Just cast it out and let it rest on the bottom. Make sure your rod is secure though, because these cats will fight like the dickens!

Catch all three in one trip and we'll call that a river slam! And we'll call you tired but happy.

Tight lines to all!