3 NJWW Members have a Shad beat-down

[JHbowhunter]

Do you eat those things? Or are they just fun to catch?

I like the roe, and the rest gets scaled and fileted for excellent bait for catfish, sharks, blues, stripers, fluke and seabass. I consider the fish itself to be inedible, although you can smoke or pickle it to dissolve the zillion tiny bones.

[JHbowhunter]

You could catch them like crazy right now from Yardley to Port Jervis and beyond.  Seeing some amazing reports from way up north of where I fish.  There really are no secret spots and I was only busting Jay's stones...

Edited April 18, 2017 by JHbowhunter

[outdoorslife]

Nice report looks like you had a blast!

 

 

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[Oneday121o]

I like the roe, and the rest gets scaled and fileted for excellent bait for catfish, sharks, blues, stripers, fluke and seabass. I consider the fish itself to be inedible, although you can smoke or pickle it to dissolve the zillion tiny bones.

thought so, they look like bunker....

[JHbowhunter]

thought so, they look like bunker....

 

More in the herring family

[_X7]

The fish are just flat put fun to catch and play. For whatever the reason they are as feisty as all get out this year. The smaller bucks are a real trip when they run and jump and say no to the net. The roe are as just bullish getting sideways to the current with their thick bodies and then running as fast as lightning, screaming drags while trying to get away. I said it before that if shad tasted like trout or were as big as stripers you wouldn't be able to find a spot to fish. Great to see a smile on all of the faces on that trip. These fish will do that to you.

 

Here is a video of a friend's daughter fighting a shad. Check out the smiles.

[Zipper]

Great job guys. You can't beat good friends and good fishing.

[JHbowhunter]

Great job guys. You can't beat good friends and good fishing.

 

You are next and also the furthest away - pick a date between 4/28 and 5/8...  Maybe carpool with Buck154?

Edited April 19, 2017 by JHbowhunter

[hammer4reel]

Fished WAY south tonight. fora few hours , we had about a dozen.

fished a pool above a large set of rapids.

could tell the fish we caught had just got there, very little fight in them tonight. not the usual hard runs , and extra push away  fro the boat

[Newtonlt2]

Jack said it right. There is no bad spot on the river. We slammed them this morning. Only pics we could take the action was so fast!

 

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[51smd]

The fish are just flat put fun to catch and play. For whatever the reason they are as feisty as all get out this year. The smaller bucks are a real trip when they run and jump and say no to the net. The roe are as just bullish getting sideways to the current with their thick bodies and then running as fast as lightning, screaming drags while trying to get away. I said it before that if shad tasted like trout or were as big as stripers you wouldn't be able to find a spot to fish. Great to see a smile on all of the faces on that trip. These fish will do that to you.

 

Here is a video of a friend's daughter fighting a shad. Check out the smiles.

https://youtu.be/GV7EC6pb4tI

That would be great congratulations

[JHbowhunter]

Jack said it right. There is no bad spot on the river. We slammed them this morning. Only pics we could take the action was so fast!IMG_20170419_144229_183.jpg

 

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Way to go John, glad you got into them!

[outdoorslife]

Tell ya what...

 

Ive spent many years fishing/growing up on the Delaware. Ive chased and caught cats, muskies, smallies and eyes in the gap, largemouth up and down from Trenton to the fluctuating salt line, stripers, perch and sturgeon. Ive never chased shad on light tackle. Ive caught or snagged a few here and there(cooper river too) but never targeted them. It does look like a lot of fun, especially wading out for them. Id like to give em a shot one day.