This is the only aspect of fly fishing in which a quiet sport becomes a social event. Fly fishers from all over will congregate at locations on the Sac/San Joaquin River Systems to catch this hard charging anadromous fish. On the Sacramento River near Verona and up the Feather at Shangai Falls, fly fishermen will line up their boats on the "slot" to drop fast sinking lines to get their flies down to the school. On the Lower American, people will wade at "The Log Hole" near Paradise Beach for their shots at shad. Jetboats race up the Lower Yuba for prime spots. I have never fished the Lower Stanislaus for shad, but I understand that it is a good fishery.
What is the attraction of fly fishing for shad? These fish are hard chargers. Shad have spent most of their lives being chased by predators in the ocean, so they have some horsepower in them. Once they put that flat body into the current, hold on! It feels like a bigger fish is on. Another reason is that shad school up in vast amounts. If you find one shad, you found the whole school. It is highly likely that one can have a double digit fish day within a few hours. Lastly, fishing for shad is fairly easy. All one has to do is cast, and swing the line. The rest is up to the shad.
What kind of gear is necessary? Stout rods that can handle fast sinktip or shooting head lines is the key. I've used rods with line weights from 5 to 8. The most popular rods are 6 and 7 weights. My Sage Z-Axis 691-4 is my main shad stick. Reels with a good drag need to balance the rod well. I have an Abel Super 6 for that rod. The most important part of the equation is the line because the fly has to get to the right depth of the school. For wading, a sinktip or a shooting head is recommended. The usual sink rates that will be used can range from 3 to 6. Sometimes in low water years floating lines and ghost tip lines are highly effect. Out of a boat, it is good to have an ultra fast full sink line for those really deep holes. Leaders are easy. Tie 4 to 6 feet of 8 pound monofilament to your butt section. For flies, what is important is that the flies are weighted, bright, and gaudy. My favorite fly is a size 8 no named bright red thread wrapped fly with dumb bell eyes and a white marabou tail.
With all that said, it's April 17. I just read a report that there are some shad at Verona on the Sacramento River.
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Denny - Doin' it real since 1969. dennis@flyfishingspecialties.com
