04-17-2003, 02:14 AM
[cool]I used to live right on the American River in Sacramento, and truly loved those American shad that ran up the Sacramento River system every spring. JapanRon asked for some patterns for shad jigs, since he is planning a trip up there in May...the best month. I thought I would post it on the forum here for anyone else who might be considering a pilgrimmage for those "poor man's tarpon" Here are some of the colors I consistently did best with...both on the main (Sacramento) river and on the American and Feather Rivers too.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage1443325.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage1443325.jpg)
In heavy current and murky water, use at least a 1/4 oz head...or add a split shot to weight down lighter heads. The brighter colors also work better in murky water. In the cleaner runs and holes of the American, I do best with all white, or white with a red eye.
Shad tend to move in schools, from a few fish to hundreds. If you find a run or hole full of nervous and active fish, you can wear your arm out. Many times you will have to find a cut in a long run and keep casting to it, waiting for fish to move up through it. They are always most active early and late in the day. Many of the locals hit the water at daybreak, battle a few fish, and head home to get ready for work. Late afternoon finds them back in the same spots, fishing until dark.
On the days when the fish are moving upstream aggressively, you can get into them sporadically all day, as small groups move through where you are fishing. Fish hanging close to the bottom seem more inclined to hit drifted jigs than the ones cruising higher in the water column.
Any spinning outfit that will cast an 1/8 oz. jig on 4 or 6 pound line will get a fish or two. Sometimes it is best to cast upstream and reel downstream, keeping the jig swimming just above the bottom, to keep from snagging in the rocks. Other times you will do better casting across the current and letting the jig swing downstream on a tight line. When the strike comes on a downstream presentation it can be exciting.
One of my favorite ways to fish the hard to reach runs, on the other side of the river, away from easy access, was to cast a water filled bubble a few feet above the jig and move it downstream with a few jigging movements. This kept the bubble up and the jig from diving into the rocks...and allowed me to work spots nobody else could reach. I made a "bubble chucker" spinning rod out of an 8 weight fly rod...about 9 feet long. With good 4 pound line and the right timing, I could cast halfway back to the east coast where the shad came from in the mid 1800's.
American shad average about two or three pounds. Most of those are males. The big roe-laden females can weigh over 7 pounds, and will really bend your stick and stretch your string.
While shad are delicious eating, they are extremely bony. It is almost impossible to do a complete filleting job on them. A lot of anglers throw them all back because they do not want to mess with the bones. Some keep the large females and fry up the roe skeins. Delicious. If you like pickled herring, a good recipe for pickling will turn shad into some of the best pickled fish you have eaten. They can also be canned, in a pressure cooker, to soften the bones. Slow bake them for a couple of hours, in a marinara sauce, and you have mega canned sardines...in flavor and texture...with the bones softened by long slow cooking.
Colors for shad can change from hour to hour. Sometimes you have to keep changing to find what they want at the moment. But, if you can keep up with them, they are a ton of fun to catch, and can be some decent table fare too...when properly prepared.
Wish I was going with you JR.
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In heavy current and murky water, use at least a 1/4 oz head...or add a split shot to weight down lighter heads. The brighter colors also work better in murky water. In the cleaner runs and holes of the American, I do best with all white, or white with a red eye.
Shad tend to move in schools, from a few fish to hundreds. If you find a run or hole full of nervous and active fish, you can wear your arm out. Many times you will have to find a cut in a long run and keep casting to it, waiting for fish to move up through it. They are always most active early and late in the day. Many of the locals hit the water at daybreak, battle a few fish, and head home to get ready for work. Late afternoon finds them back in the same spots, fishing until dark.
On the days when the fish are moving upstream aggressively, you can get into them sporadically all day, as small groups move through where you are fishing. Fish hanging close to the bottom seem more inclined to hit drifted jigs than the ones cruising higher in the water column.
Any spinning outfit that will cast an 1/8 oz. jig on 4 or 6 pound line will get a fish or two. Sometimes it is best to cast upstream and reel downstream, keeping the jig swimming just above the bottom, to keep from snagging in the rocks. Other times you will do better casting across the current and letting the jig swing downstream on a tight line. When the strike comes on a downstream presentation it can be exciting.
One of my favorite ways to fish the hard to reach runs, on the other side of the river, away from easy access, was to cast a water filled bubble a few feet above the jig and move it downstream with a few jigging movements. This kept the bubble up and the jig from diving into the rocks...and allowed me to work spots nobody else could reach. I made a "bubble chucker" spinning rod out of an 8 weight fly rod...about 9 feet long. With good 4 pound line and the right timing, I could cast halfway back to the east coast where the shad came from in the mid 1800's.
American shad average about two or three pounds. Most of those are males. The big roe-laden females can weigh over 7 pounds, and will really bend your stick and stretch your string.
While shad are delicious eating, they are extremely bony. It is almost impossible to do a complete filleting job on them. A lot of anglers throw them all back because they do not want to mess with the bones. Some keep the large females and fry up the roe skeins. Delicious. If you like pickled herring, a good recipe for pickling will turn shad into some of the best pickled fish you have eaten. They can also be canned, in a pressure cooker, to soften the bones. Slow bake them for a couple of hours, in a marinara sauce, and you have mega canned sardines...in flavor and texture...with the bones softened by long slow cooking.
Colors for shad can change from hour to hour. Sometimes you have to keep changing to find what they want at the moment. But, if you can keep up with them, they are a ton of fun to catch, and can be some decent table fare too...when properly prepared.
Wish I was going with you JR.
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