Shad Flies

[tidewaterfly 0]

Here's something I've been working on lately! Most I tied recently, and some I had in another box. Size 6 & 4 long shank hooks. Hope you enjoy them!

 

 

 

[kelkay 0]

Very nice, thought ought to catch the attention of a swarm of fish. :-)

[tidewaterfly 0]

kelkay, thank you! After the shad head back out to sea, I'll still use some of them for perch & crappies!

[Druce 0]

kelkay, thank you! After the shad head back out to sea, I'll still use some of them for perch & crappies!

 

i was totaly thinking panfish the minute i saw those and than i read your reply to kelkay! I bet walleye would love a few of those patterns too, nice little platoon you got yourself in that box.

 

oh I was wondering, iv seen a few of these boxes full of shad flies now and they all seem to be very bright colored, more so than alot of salmon flies, is this the standard for shad patterns?

[tidewaterfly 0]

Druce, yes, bright with some flash seems to be the most productive. I've read where they'll sometimes hit dark colors, but that's not been my experience. Shad don't eat when they make their spawning trips, but they will strike a fly. They also strike spoons & small jigs, so I make some real flashy, and others just bright colors with some flash. Some days they'll hit anything, others they seem to favor one color more than others. Some days they don't want them too flashy. Although I tend to use neon or fluorescent colors, regular bright colors work too. Red & yellow is popular here. I've done well with "Electric Chicken", pink & chartreuse combinations.

 

A few of these are based on a fly called a "Goldie", which has been around for several years & will catch just about anything. I got some "Hackle Flash" from J Stockard & really liked it, so I used 2 or 3 turns of it to tie some of these to add the flash. Some are tied with Polar Flash. I think both materials work well for small baitfish flies too, so I expect they'll make great Crappie flies!

 

 

[JSzymczyk 0]

I need to find out where/when to catch shad! From what I've learned, they don't run up into the Susquehanna as I thought they did.

[reactionhit 0]

great looking flies .

[tidewaterfly 0]

I need to find out where/when to catch shad! From what I've learned, they don't run up into the Susquehanna as I thought they did.

 

Joel, they do run into the Susky, but most of them are blocked by the Conowingo Dam in the MD portion. They have a lift at the dam that carries some up above the dam, but don't know how many. I doubt it's enough for them to be targeted above the dam. You would likely have to travel down into MD, and fish in the river, or in either Deer Creek on the Harford Co. side, or Octoraro Creek on the Cecil Co. side. I've read reports that Hickories are being caught in the Potomac now, and possibly in the Susky, but I've not yet heard any confirmation of that! They're probably in there, but may not be moving into the smaller streams as yet. It's raining right now, so that may delay them moving out of the main river.

 

I was thinking about checking out another stream tomorrow, but with the rain, it will likely not be worth it, as it will be too muddy.

 

reactionhit, thanks!

 

[Andy Pon 0]

like you, I also have good results with red and yellow. Shad arent feeding in the rivers, so the goal is a reaction strike. The brighter the better. I get them in Easton and north up to Portland. Not there this year, just moved so I will miss the shad run. Have fun.

 

Also, what kind of flash are you using. Seems very bright.

[tidewaterfly 0]

Some of those flies have Polar Flash, some are tied with the Hackle Flash, and some have holographic Flashabou in them. I also like to mix the flash, so some have a mixture of pearl, gold, or silver, and/or some chartreuse. The "Goldies" are all flash.

[Curtis Fry 0]

Nice mess of bugs there! Great ties...

[tidewaterfly 0]

Thanks Curtis! I'm going to attempt to take some pictures of individual flies & get them posted in the database with recipes.

[buzzin frog 0]

Do you have any experience with shad in lakes on shallow flats? During the summer I see them in schools of 4 or 5 in the morning but have never gotten one to bite.

[tidewaterfly 0]

buzzin frog, that's a different type of shad. They're probably Gizzard or Threadfin Shad. American & Hickory Shad are ocean fish, and migrate into freshwater rivers & stream to spawn, then they return to the ocean. I've never heard of anyone catching Gizzard or Threadfin shad on flies but it may be possible. I think anyone who might use them as bait would be catching them with a cast net.

 

I have heard folks say they have snagged them occasionally while fishing around schools of them for other species. Most any predator species will feed on the shad you see in lakes that's why you see many lures & flies that look like shad.

 

 

[JSzymczyk 0]

twf thanks for the info!!!