Best of luck this coming season.

5.April: 3rd trip of the season, and as unremarkable as the 2nd trip. I set up on the bank up behind Bart's about 4:30 pm. The river was up, but clear and with a good current, and a surface temp about 46º-47ºF. Rick and Sissy had their arms in casts as I set up. Dylan arrived before 5:pm, and Tyler shortly behind him. We all took casting practice. No fish today.

It's supposed to warm up over the weekend, and into next week. We'll be out plying the water and hoping to connect with Mr. or Mrs. Shad. Good luck, and tight lines!

Tackle:
Rod: one-piece Ugly Stik, 4'6" U/L Pro
Reel: I retired the Penn 4200SS, and sprung for a new reel, a Shimano Sahara FJ 1000. It's spooled with 15# Power Pro (Hi-Viz Yellow).

Terminal Tackle: 1 oz drail over a 2'-2 1/2', 10# flouro leader, and willow leaf, hammered gold in yellow with black dots.

Tomorrow’s eclipse will have the Shad running the rivers.

Happy Catching!!!!

Just want to chime in. Never fished for American shad ( but hope to some day) . Really enjoy reading your reports! Please keep them coming.

Nice Eclipse Shad!!!

You’ll hook up next trip.

It is starting!
Keep the reports coming.

9.April: I was able to escape work early today for a Dr. app't, and was on the bank a bit before 3:pm. There were a handful of shadaholics congregate, some jawing on the sidewalk, and a few with their arms in a cast when I pulled up behind Bart's. The water was down a little more since yesterday, very clear, but smooth as a pond, with barely any current. The surface temp was up between 50º and 51ºF. No one had caught anything yet.

After greeting the usual suspects, I got to work practicing my casts. By 5:pm, another handful of folx showed up, including the inimitable Ms Lily, for about a dozen, and about half actually fishing. About 5:30, I had a hit almost under Dylan's feet, I didn't get a good look at it, but I think it was a bronze-back. It didn't mouth the leaf, but head smacked it in the skinny water, as it rolled back out to the deeper channel after tapping it. Still, nobody had hooked anything, and by 6:pm, the rumbly in my tummy had me pack it in for sustenance. Tight lines!

Terminal Tackle: 3/4 oz drail over a 3-1/2', 10# flouro leader, and hammered silver willow leaf in white, with red dots, aka "spotty". After I lost the spotty, I tied on a larger #3 leaf in hammered silver, pink/chartreuse, and black dot.

Mike, when you say "you've got to be in it to win it", you're absolutely right. Glad to see you're getting your tackle ready to give them a shot. It's starting to pick up. See my AAR for today's excursion.

Any 411 you can give from your own trips will be much appreciated. Tight lines!

April 11th is the best day of the year. You’ll get one….even if I you have to be in the rain. Good Luck

11.April: I got out of work late, and didn't get to the bank behind Bart's until almost 5:pm. There were a few folx already taking casting practice, and not shad was reported. It was drizzling as I set up, and the water had risen almost a foot since yesterday. The current was decent, water clear, and the surface temp was the same as yesterday, 51º-ish. It alternated between drizzle, and a light, steady rain.

After an hour of light banter, and steady ribbing, but no shad, I called it an early day, and headed out to complete a couple of chores before I got my supper. No fish today. Tomorrow looks like it might be a wash-out, but I'll watch the weather. If the rain isn't too hard, and the water isn't raging, I'll probably try it again for at least a little while. Tight lines!

Terminal Tackle: 3/4 oz drail over a 3-1/2', 10# flouro leader, over a hammered silver leaf, in white with silver glitter, and a red dot.

13.April: I finished my chores, and pulled in behind Bart's by 10:am. Only a couple of people were trying their luck. The river was WAY up from yesterday, by several feet, and rising. The water was turbid, not as much debris and flotsam as I expected, and the current was slower than anticipated, too. The river was so high, the water was 1/2 way up the boat ramp, there was a pool under the RR bridge where the water was backing up from the storm drains, and percolating through the sidewalk. We stood just to the river side of the guardrail, and cast from the top of the bank. People came in by ones and twos, joining us on the bank, or beating their gums on the sidewalk behind us. We weren't catching, but the chatter was good. And the weather was cooperating, being partly sunny, and only a little breezy to start.


About 10:45 my retrieve came to an abrupt halt. A couple of head shakes gave it away, and it was game on. After a brief skirmish, a middlin' buck was brought into the net, maybe 2 whole lbs. Shad! I am finally on the board. After a Kodak™ moment, I released him. A few of the other shadaholics hooked up throughout the day,mostly shad, but included a couple of schoolies. All were C&R, and a couple were lost at the bank. Things seem to be picking up. About 3:15, I had a solid hit, and it was reluctantly drawn closer to the bank. As soon as the water got skinny, we were off to the races. She put her head down and ran deep, then made some short, shallow runs, but never breached. I had to give her enough rope to proverbially hang herself, before I could get her to the net. A nice, early season roe, close to 3#. After a Kodak™ moment, she was released, too. By this time, the intermittent breeze, was freshening and getting colder.

All this time the river was rising, about an inch an hour. I almost got my feet wet getting into my Jeep at 4:pm, the pool had spread up Pleasant St, the water was lapping at the sidewalk at the low spot under the RR bridge, and had crept up to the top of the ramp. We were all surprised that the road wasn't blocked off with cones by this point. It was amusing watching people drive up to the edge of the pool, stop, and decide discretion was the better part of valor. Then turn around and drive back the way they came down. And then there was the entertainer: a kid on a dirt bike came down the street, stopped at the edge, and decided to send it. He made it about 1/2 way before the bike aspirated, and died. Yep, he got his feet wet, and had to do the walk of shame to get out of the puddle. He was able to eventually restart it, and with effort, he putted away. ROTFLMAO!

Terminal Tackle: I started with a 3/4 oz drail over a 3-12', 10# flouro leader, over a hammered silver leaf in pink with a black dot, and eventually lost it. With the rising water, 3/4 oz wasn't holding the bottom, so I switched to a 1 oz drail, over a 3-12' leader, and a hammered silver leaf in pale yellow leaf with blue and white stripes-I got the buck on it. When I lost that leaf, I finished with a hammered silver in blue with a red dot, which garnered the roe.

All in all, it was a great day to be out on the water! The consensus among the liars' club is the shad should start moving, and things will pick up next week. We'll see, but today was promising. Tight lines!

Great Day! Glad you connected with some nice fish. You might want to share the pictures as they motivate the rest of us
to get out there. Were there were some, others will follow.

MikeV

Congrats!

Great reports and a couple fish to boot. Congrats.

Would you mind taking a picture of your setup?

15.April: I parked behind Bart's around 4:30. The river was down a couple of more feet since yesterday, the water was clear, and the current was decent. I didn't get a surface temp, but mid-50ºs would be a good guesstimate. Almost a half dozen folx were practicing their casts. Rumor was Hunter had scored 1 and lost 1 earlier, but I don't know the time.

By the time I had my arm in a cast, a few more reprobates had joined the circus on the rocks. I cast for an hour and a half, and nobody had so much as a bump and run. Things are off to a slow start. As a metric, Dylan, the boy wonder, would usually have caught more than a dozen by now.
Terminal Tackle: a 1 oz drail, over a 3-1/2' leader, and a hammered silver leaf in yellow/white w/silver glitter and a black dot, and I finished with a pink/chartreuse with a red dot. Other shadaholics threw the rainbow at them, but all was for naught. No fish today. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre. Ah, maybe things will pick up tomorrow...

Tight lines!

OK, Here's my hat in the ring...
I stopped at the Windsor launch yesterday around noon and stayed for an hour.
It was fishable, but no fish were to be had.
Then I went up to Barts.
Now, I haven't been shad fishing for many years and wasn't sure how to set myself up,
I have willow leafs, drails and darts but I think I kind of overdid it with the line,
I was fishing a 30# braid with a 25# fluoro leader on it,
The drail tied to the leader with about 2 1/2 - 3' 15# fluoro leader below it.
I fished until a little after 3:00 without so much as a bump,
Beware that there is something in the water just downstream of the launch about 25' out that eats rigs.
After I lost three I moved.
The guy with the fish hat was there and I bought a bunch of rigs and drails,
He told me that the shad were really heating up,
Some boat guys were 20+ fish.
The folks on the rocks also supposedly picked a few up,
I moved up there to the spot just upstream from the big rocky spot (I was at the steep bank with enough room for one person) and fished that for about 45 minutes with no taps,
But the rock guys caught at least one while I was there.
One fellow told me green was the color of the day.
I'm going to change up my game, see if I have a rod with 10# on it and use that,
Maybe get back to Barts early tomorrow morning.

I'm going to drop off some reels for the fish hat guy to put carbon drags in and I'll probably pick up some more willow leafs,
Anybody have any experience with his reel repairs?
He says that when his current supply of willow leafs runs out he's not making any more.
They seem to be an article that doesn't stick around for too long once you start fishing with them,
So I should probably have a few brazillion on hand at all times.
Funny thing,
I was using a stiff 6'6" rod and I was casting like a little girl.
I've been using spinning gear since I was able to walk,
But I was pitching into the water 50' in front of me with a loud "Thunk".
I had to slow myself down and remind myself that I didn't have a 9-13' rod in my hand.
Could one really forget how to throw a spinning rod???
I'll post of I get out tomorrow.

18.April: I was late getting out of work, so didn't get to Bart's until almost 5:pm. Hunter and another guy I don't know were working the bank. Hunter said he had been fishing since 1:pm, and caught 2 in the half hour before I arrived. A little while later, he C & R a very small schoolie, about this time, Dylan showed up. The river was down another couple of feet, mostly clear, and the current was very good. I didn't get a water temp, but I would be surprised if it didn't go down a few degrees with the rain, and cooler temps last night and today.

About 5:30 or so, the other fella C & R a small buck shad. And by 6:pm, I couldn't feel my thumb and trigger finger on my casting hand, and the rest of me was getting cold, so I packed it in to get home for supper. Vaughn showed up just as I was shoving off. He had tried his luck at Bissell where he prefers to fish, but the water is still too high and dirty there.

Terminal Tackle: a 1 oz drail, over a 3' leader, and a hammered silver leaf in pink/chartreuse with a red dot. I was able to work the bottom (work being the operative word), but the current was stiff enough that I could have thrown a 1-1/2 oz drail.

Tight lines!

April 20 - Barts at dawn
Got to Barts with a buddy while it was still misting around 05:45. We struggled to get the rods set up in the dark with 3/4 drails, 3' leaders and one silver, one green willow leafs. I left the big guns (15# fluoro) home today in favor of a much more "shad'able" 8# setup.

It started raining before we were done setting up, and we were on the rocks by 6:30.
The weather was getting worse, a light rain was ramping up into downright pouring by 6:45.
I came damn close to losing my rod, I stumbled while trying to free a snag and fell onto the rocks at the edge of the river,
I let go of the rod in the mayhem and it landed in the water.
I wasn't that concerner until I saw it leaving for the middle of the river.
One giant step and a quick grab and I was able to grab it by the last inch.
Another split second and it would have been out of reach.

The rain wasn't improving and my buddy was soaking through so we called it around 7:00.
No hits, no misses, no nuthin'.
We were the only ones there.

We stopped at the Windsor launch on the way home and, oddly, there is about a 22' fiberglass boat dragged up on shore and tied to a tree. It doesn't have any numbers on it but it has one of those red stickers that the police put on stranded cars on the side of the highway.

Anyhow, that's all I got.

20.April--late report, life gets in the way, and will continue to for a couple of days--at least a couple more...

I parked at Bart's before 11:am, and some of the usual suspects were lollygagging in the usual manner. A few were even fishing, although nobody was catching. However, a call had come in just before I got there, that they were catching them at the Wall. Bill C, Dylan, and a few others had already bugged out, and headed down. Whelp, I'm not wasting my time when a reliable reporter said he's catching.

I arrived at the Wall about 11:45, and there were over a half dozen with their arms in a cast. Miguel said he had caught 3, and lost 1, and John said he had caught 1, too. That's music to my ears, so I rigged quickly, and put my arm in a cast. Over the next few hours, more people dribbled in as word spread. I wouldn't say it was crowded, but we covered half the wall. And shad made their appearance, every so often somebody hooked up. I got a good solid hit a little after 3:pm, it put it's head down, and stayed down, or tried like hell. It pulled long, and hard, and as it got closer it dug deeper, and made a few short runs, putting up a good scrap before John was able to assist with the net. It was a nice long, thick buck. All in all, I saw about 9 shad caught for the afternoon, not everyone hooked up, but most did. I got my vitamin shad, so it was a good day!

The water was a couple or 3' below the top of the wall, but turbid-you couldn't see far into it. The current was good, but an ounce and a half weight was enough to find and hold the bottom. I didn't get a surface temp.

Terminal Tackle: a 1-1/2 oz drail, over a 3-1/2' leader, and a hammered silver leaf in pink/chartreuse with a red dot, until I lost it. I caught my vitamin shad on a hammered silver leaf in yellow with a touch of blue/silver glitter, and black dots.

Tight lines!

Yes!

24.April: at the Wall a little after 4:30 pm, 6 or 7 shadaholics were tossing leaves. The water was down a few feet from Saturday, nice and clear for the first time, with a good current. A number of shad had been caught before I arrived, John who had been there most of the day had at least 5, Bill C who arrived a few minutes before me had already landed one. People arrived by ones and twos, and by the time I left at 7, there were over a dozen of us lining about half the Wall. At least a half dozen shad were caught, and most were released. Most of the shad were caught tight to the wall, and toward the middle section. I was fishing near the left corner, and got skunked tonight. The folx to my right had to be intercepting them before they made it to me. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it, LOL! No matter, the banter was good, and some nice shad were caught, bucks for the most part, but a couple of roes were C & R.

Terminal Tackle: a 1-1/2 oz drail, over a 4' leader, and a hammered silver leaf in yellow with a touch of blue/silver glitter, and black dots. After I lost that, I tied on a hammered silver leaf in pink with a white stripe and black dot.

Tight lines!

26.April: I stopped at the Wall after work, arriving about 4:45 pm. There were about 20 people spread out along the wall, most fishing for shad. A newbie hooked up on his first ever shad shortly after I got there. I grabbed my net, but before I could get it in position, the shad flipped away from the wall, and he gave it a hard tug. And it dropped the leaf, or more likely, he tore it out of it's mouth. Scuttlebutt was that a few shad were caught earlier in the day, but not much else was happening at that time.

The water was down another couple of feet, nice and clear, but there wasn't much current. By 6:pm the current was picking up, along with the wind, which was getting cold. By the time I left a little after 6:30, another 4 shad had been hooked, and most landed. I got bumped a couple of times, but nothing stuck to the leaf.

Terminal tackle: back and forth between 1 oz, and 1-1/2 oz drail over a 4' flouro 10# leader, and a hammered silver leaf in pink with a white stripe and black dot.

Tight lines!

29.April: I got stuck at work, and didn't get down to the Wall until after 5:pm. Surprisingly, there were less than a half-dozen regulars plying the wall on the left side. There were a few people down on the right corner, but they looked like they were chunking for the most part. 411 from the regulars, including John who was out since 7:am was that things were dead at the moment, not unlike the current. He reported that he had caught 7 earlier throughout the day.

The water was clear, down almost another foot, and slack, barely moving. I threw the U/L with an ounce for weight, and had no trouble reaching and holding the bottom. Before 5:30 a shad was C & R, and by 5:45 another was netted. By then, the wind picked up, and the temp dropped almost 10º; it got chilly. A few more people had joined us along the Wall, but I still didn't count a dozen. And people started packing up around 6. I threw in the towel, too. No fish today.

Terminal Tackle: 1 oz drail over a 3-1/2', 10# flouro leader, and hammered silver willow leaf in red and white, with a black dot.

Tight lines!

I agree, Mike!

30.April: I was at the Wall a little after 4:30 pm today. It was a near ghost town, only 3 people fishing, and one left as I set up. Tales of shad caught earlier in the day, but recently, not so much. Of course it was near slack tide, and with the shad, its all about the current. I had that familiar bump on my first cast; the bump of alewives grabbing the weight, or leaf. They are starting to show up regularly. The first one stuck, and was promptly released. On my second cast, I had that bump, but it didn't stick. Just as well, the next hit was a shad. We didn't fight long before it threw the leaf near the Wall. It was deep enough that I never got a look at it, but it fought like a small buck. And that was it for me.

A couple or 3 more people showed up, but only the alewives were making their presence known. The breeze freshened out of the south, and it was getting cold, so I packed it in just before 6:30, leaving only 1 to continue fishing. I'll try it again tomorrow, hopefully the weather is milder, and more cooperative. Tight lines!

Terminal Tackle: 1 oz drail over a 3-1/2', 10# flouro leader, and hammered silver willow leaf in red and white, with a black dot.

Some action….nice

6.May: Other commitments kept me away from the river for the last 4 days, hence the radio silence. Today I was at the Wall by 4:45 pm, and found almost 20 folx lining the wall. The weather was perfect, mild, and no breeze. Reports were it was a slow day, although Cissy reportedly caught 2 stripers on willow leaves; one at 34.5", and another at 29"! The water was up a couple of feet from the rain, mostly clear, and the current was fair. Some flotsam was on the water, but not bad. So I joined the throng, and put my arm in a cast. A 1 oz weight was all I required, so I stayed with my tried and true U/L set up.

I could feel the alewives bumping my rig on most casts, and every once in a while one stuck. They weren't abundant, but they were a bit of a pest. Shad were landed or lost at intervals, one here, another there. About an hour after I started casting practice, I had a solid hit. After a little skirmish, he came to the net, where he promptly snared the hook. It took some effort to get the barb out of the netting without cutting it. A middling little buck and I had our Kodak™ moment. I wanted to throw him back, but he was out of the water so long, I didn't think he would make it, so I donated it to someone who asked if he could have it. By 6:15 about half the crowd had moved on, and I moseyed on home for supper about 6:30. At least I caught my vitamin shad. Most of the fish today, including Cissy's stripers were caught close to the Wall.

Terminal Tackle: 1 oz drail over a 3-1/2', 10# flouro leader, and hammered silver willow leaf in red and white, with a black dot. That traditional color seems to get it's fair share of attention.

Tight lines!

7.May: late report. I got out of work late, arriving at the Wall a little after 5:pm. The water was up a bit from the last trip, clear and with a fair current. I took casting practice for almost an hour before heading home. The fishing was slow. A few shad, and alewives were caught, but they were few, and far between. No fish today. Still, it was good to be out with the usual suspects.

8.May, I didn't get out Wednesday. The regulars said I didn't miss much. The water was high, current stiff, and a LOT of flotsam, including whole trees which they had to pick and thread through to reach the shad. A few shad were caught; few being the operative word.

9.May: I was at the Wall by 4:45 pm. Only about 5 shadaholics had their arms in a cast, while another 4 made chin music at the parking lot. The water was higher still, but below the top 2 courses of rocks. The current was good, water clear despite the recent rain, and the debris floating by wasn't bad. Sure we had to time our casts to miss the larger sticks, but it was very fish-able. And shad were caught at fairly regular intervals today! About 5:15 I had a hard hit, it ran deep, and stayed deep, using the current to it's advantage. Eventually, she reluctantly came to the Wall. She ran from the net a couple of times, and made us work to land her. A nice fat roe, about 3.5#. Not huge, but thick. A little while later, I caught a small white perch. A few alewives filled out the score card for a nice afternoon on the water. By 7:pm I was ready to head home to my supper.

In the morning, I'm driving down to Christmas City in PA to visit my brother, sister in law, and niece. My brother and I will take some time to fish the shad run in the Delaware River in the Easton area. While things are spinning up around hear, the run is slowing down in that area. Who knows, maybe we'll run up to the Water Gap if the weather isn't too bad. time to finish packing. Tight lines!

Terminal tackle: started with a 2 oz drail, but switched to 1.5 oz after losing it. Under that, 3.5' of 12# flouro leader (lost my 10# spool, ya take what ya can get...), and a rainbow of colors in willow leaves. Ms. Shad was caught (and released) on a hammered silver leaf, in white w/glitter and an eye.

11-13.May: I spent the weekend visiting my brother and his family in PA. He and I fished the Delaware on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we hit the Reigelsville boat launch, in Milford NJ. We each picked up one shad for the day. On Sunday, we headed up to Belvedere NJ, where he scored one shad. We didn't see many people out, on either day. On Monday, I drove home via the Water Gap, and scouted a few places. Bushkill boat launch is a day use fee area, and I wasn't paying $10 to fish for a couple of hours. And the shore access was very limited, and not conducive to shore fishing. Eshbach boat launch was much more accessible, and undeveloped. It's accessed by a dirt road/ramp, and no fee. I wasted about an hour there. The channel runs closer to the NJ side, so next year, we'll try that, I think. (Gotta love PA's reciprocity with NJ! You can fish either side of the Delaware.) Finally, I stopped at the Milford (PA) boat launch. It's another day use fee area, so I didn't even scout the shore access.
My brother said things were slowing down in his area. Next year I'll try to go down in late April, which seems to peak thereabout.

14.May: I hit the Wall about 11:am to find a few shiftless shadaholics practicing their casts. The water was down, clear, and had a stiff current. 1.5-2 oz of weight were the order of the day, on the outgoing tide. A few alewives were caught, but I only saw 2 shad caught before 2:pm. Being slow, I did my grocery shopping, with plans to come back after 5.
After 5 wasn't much better, and even the alewives were scarce. By 7, I threw in the towel; no fish today.

I'll be going out mid-morning, we'll see if it's any better today. Tight lines!

I couldn't agree more, Don. It's always good to be with family, and a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work!

15.May: I got out later than I wanted today. One of the cats has been moping around for a couple of days, and this morning, he looked like he was ready to check out. I spent a couple of hours at the vet, while they worked him up. He got into it with something, and had a bite near the base of his tail that was abscessed. So I left him for treatment for a few more hours to head over to the Wall in Cromwell. (I picked him up late this afternoon, he's home, and doing much better, FWIW.)

I arrived at the Wall in the drizzle, about 11:15 am. There were 5 people chatting, and taking casting practice, and no reports of shad caught. The alewives occasionally made an appearance, but the shad, not so much. To make a long story short, I left at 2:30 pm, and had only caught 1 alewife after losing a few. A couple of other shadaholics joined us, and I only saw 4 shad caught while I was there. One was a short, but FAT roe weighing in at 3.95# on Bill C's scale; hell, I'll give him the 1/2 oz. It was all of 4#. That roe, and 3 decent, but smaller bucks were caught, 2 were released, including the roe.

Tomorrow is going to be iffy, at best, but we'll see how accurate the forecast turns out to be. I'll head out if the rain isn't too bad. Tight lines!

Terminal tackle: 1.5 oz drail over a 3'+ 12# flouro leader, and hammered silver willows in pink w/black dot, white w/red dots (aka: spotty), and candy corn (use your imagination for the color scheme, LOL).

Nice buck, and have fun at the salt mine.

Good effort. As Yogi Berra used to say, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings". Unfortunately I think I hear her warming up for the end of shad season. Not sure how much will be available after this long weekend. On a positive note; stripers are getting more plentiful and more ccoperative by the day.

MikeV