No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
Hey Now, O-Bass! I'm going to disagree with Paul (cat_in_the_hat) on the Wall in Cromwell. I struck out there Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Sure, I saw a few shad caught by others, but it was really slow, few and far between. Wednesday I left after less than an hour to check out Ferry Park in Rocky Hill. FINALLY the docks are all in! I fished for an hour, and got one small, spent roe. The regulars caught at least 5 between them in that hour.
Today I spent 2.5 hours at Rocky Hill, and all I got was . No fish today, for moi. On the other hand, the 5 regulars landed about 8 shad between them on the outgoing tide. I recommend heading down to Ferry Park in Rocky Hill, and talk to the regulars. Bill Chung especially, but also red-shirt guy (see RebeccaD's post, above). Hey RebeccaD! :wavey: I've seen you at the Wall, but didn't know you are a CTF'r, too.
Tomorrow I'm heading down to see my brother and SIL in Christmas-town PA for the weekend. Happy f*n birthday to me, going to chase shad in the Delaware River around the Easton area, and maybe a trip to the Water Gap. Have a great weekend, all! Tight lines, especially you O-Bass!
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
I spent the weekend with my brother and his family in Christmas-town, PA. Saturday we hit the Delaware River in a couple of spots around Easton. A surprise t-storm Friday afternoon brought the river up a bit, and dropped the temp a few degrees to about 67ºF. Scott Park was the most promising of the spots, but even the boaters we saw didn't seem to get any action. It was hotter than hell but still, it was a good day to be out. C'est la guerre.
Sunday we hit Scott Park again for an hour or so, but the only action was the river still rising from Friday's t-storms. So, we decided to try the Joisey shore. He had scouted a promising spot in Belvedere, NJ at a boat ramp. He lost his shad cherry here the day he scouted it. Just around 11 or 11:30 am he landed a small spent roe, ~20", long and thin; it looked like a buck at first glance. A few minutes later, I hooked up. Unfortunately, it threw the hook right at the net. Still, I got a good look at it, and don't feel too bad about losing it. I was going to release it anyway. Other than the 20" Walleye my brother caught, that was all the action we had for the day. See ya, Joisey!
On Monday, we figured to hit the Delaware Water Gap, as there were some recent, promising posts on the DWRSA Facebook page from the DWG. Since we were short on time, me to get back here, and he to fix his daughter's car (no headlights). We spent about 3 hours fishing Smithfield Beach in E. Stroudsburg, Pennsyltucky. I was waiting to hear banjos... We both had a couple of hits, but the only one that stuck was a nice little stocker rainbow my brother dragged out of the current. The water temp was up to 69ºF!
It was a nice trip, and fun despite the lack of tight lines!
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
Wednesday, 25 May.
After work I headed down to Rocky Hill, and found 3 regulars working the docks. They had C&R a few before I got there, and fought and lost another as I set up. On my 5th or 6th cast, fish on! And I landed a small buck. After our Kodak Moment™, he went back in the drink. Two more regulars joined us about then, and a couple more shad were C&R. About an hour later, I had another good hookset, and it fought harder than the first. It tried to stay deep, and it ran off a little drag a few times. Roe?! It had hit far out on the cast as the drift in the current was getting started, so it took a few minutes to get it near the dock, and into the net. Lo and behold, it was a Walleye--my PB, at 22", and about 3#! I sent it back into the river amid much keening, wailing, and gnashing of teeth ("that's good eats!"), but I don't feel bad about it. About 10-15 minutes later, I had another good hookset, resulting in my 2nd buck for the day. A few more shad were C&R by the shady cast of shadaholics around me. Ah, my tribe, LOL!
Today's winning terminal tackle: 1.5 oz drail over 3'+ flouro 10# leader, and a Jamaican leaf (hammered silver, green and yellow w/black dot).
My son and DIL are currently driving up from TN for a wedding for which he is best man, and we are all attending next weekend. Depending on his time of arrival, I may or may not be hitting Ferry Park after work tomorrow. I love my son and DIL, but I hope they're tired, and want to get settled and get some rest. I want to catch more shad...
The run is still on, even if it is near the end of the season. The cotton is blowing down into the river, and starting to mat and clump. It wasn't too bad today, the line picked up some, but it didn't foul the guides, and was easily plucked off the line while retrieving slowly. In a few more days it will become (to me) intolerable. Until then, tight lines!
The river from Trenton up to Hancock is a really good walleye river especially in the Fall when they move into the deeper pools and congregate in schools. Congratulations on the PB. Seems to me the shad run in the Delaware River is late. Mothers Day was always the peak of the run up by the Lackawaxen River confluence and the main body was well above the Water Gap area. Nice report, thanks.
No Fish Today
Member
Registered: 09/04/03
Posts: 1376
Buck, you are correct that the Delaware R. shad run was late this year. My brother and a couple of locals confirmed what I had been seeing on the Delaware River Shad Fishing Reports FB, and Delaware River Shad Fisherman's Associations pages. It roughly mirrored our shad run, which BTW is not yet over.
After work, as is my wont of late, I ran down to Rocky Hill for my fix. I found 4 shadaholics with their arms in a cast, who reported scattered action. They in fact caught a couple after I started casting practice with them. A couple more reprobates soon showed up, and a half hour later I got tap-tapped and set the hook with a flick of the wrist. I was thinking it's an alewife, or white perch. Once the water started getting skinny, it put its head down, and tugged harder--SHAD! A little buck came to the net for a quick pic, and was released to grow some. I may have had a couple of other hits, or maybe just bumped the bottom, it was hard to tell with the wind gusting up from Cromwell/Middletown, but at least I got my vitamin shad.
Jim Curto
Member
Registered: 01/15/05
Posts: 457
Loc: Wilton, CT
Howdy. Here's hoping you keep this thread going in 2023. I would like to learn & fish for Shad this spring, never really tried it much over the years. Caught plenty of Alewives and Hickories but the Shad fillets someone gave me last year were pretty damn good. Plus, it's a classic fish run I'd like to experience. Hope you all have a great spring. Thanks.
MikeV
Member
Registered: 07/07/03
Posts: 2476
Loc: Tolland
Jim,
There are several guys who regularly fish for shad on this site. I make a few trips each year on the CT River North of Hartford. Some of the others, like Paulie Wallnuts AKA Cat in the hat, have made shad fishing a science and do a tremendous job at it. Watch the tread as these guys are very generous sharing their spots and techniques. You can meet a few of them and likely pick up some Shad rigs (Pink Panthers) at the Tackle Swap coming up in March.
I have watched the video several times. I am not too bad with a knife. I have tried to filet a shad on multiple occasions. The chances of me enjoying a well fileted shad are about as good as me enjoying a brisket of Unicorn. Catching the shad is not easy but is nothing compared to the filleting process. I hope you get some shad and master the art of filleting them.
. No fish today, for moi. On the other hand, the 5 regulars landed about 8 shad between them on the outgoing tide. I recommend heading down to Ferry Park in Rocky Hill, and talk to the regulars. Bill Chung especially, but also red-shirt guy (see RebeccaD's post, above). Hey RebeccaD! :wavey: I've seen you at the Wall, but didn't know you are a CTF'r, too. 
About 10-15 minutes later, I had another good hookset, resulting in my 2nd buck for the day. A few more shad were C&R by the shady cast of shadaholics around me. Ah, my tribe, LOL!
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