Story and photo by Tom Seymour
American shad once ran up Maine rivers by the thousands. But during the industrial age, dams thwarted upstream movement of not only shad, but all anadromous (spends time in both fresh and salt water) fish species.
But now, with clean water, fishways and in many cases, dam removal, shad have returned to Maine. Better yet, each year sees more and more returning shad. We now have sufficient shad runs to host a new sportfishing industry.
Shad aren’t supposed to eat when visiting their inland spawning sites. But they do eat, perhaps out of instinct, or maybe when a lure or fly triggers the strike response.
Anglers take shad by both trolling and casting. For casting, select medium-weight fishing tackle. Use at least a 6-pound-test line, since shad are not leader shy.
When trolling, any rod will do, but fly rods and sinking lines eliminate line twist and offer the best way to get a lure down to waiting shad. I just purchased a 7-weight fly rod for this season’s shad fishing, but a 6-weight rod will suffice, as will the much heavier 8-weight.
For the terminal end of your line, use commercially made shad darts. These are leadhead jigs produced especially to trigger the strike instinct in shad. Select colorful darts. Last year’s favorite, at least for me and my shad-fishing buddy, was bright orange.
Shad are known as, “poor man’s salmon,” for their habit of making long, line-sizzling runs and frequent jumps.
Shad, a member of the herring family, enter Maine rivers in May. The Penobscot, Kennebec, Sebasticook and Narraguagus rivers, to name a few, all host shad runs.
Edible Hairbrush
So you caught some shad and took one home to eat. Know that shad are extremely bony, laden with fine, hairlike bones. But careful filleting removes much of this. The fillets will still have lots of bones, but by cutting just above the centerline, where you can feel bones near the surface, removes the worst of it.
All the same, shad is a renowned delicacy. Baked shad tastes great, but just remember that there will be lots of fine, thin bones. It doesn’t bother me to pick bones from cooked shad. It’s worth it, because shad taste so good.
Last year I put two shad up in a salt brine and after several days, smoked them in a Cameron’s Stovetop Smoker. The results were luxurious.
For those who relish fish chowder, I’m told that shad make a superb chowder.
Gear Up
So get ready for the shad run next spring. Go to your favorite sporting goods store and ask to see their shad darts. If they don’t have any (again, shad fishing is new to Maine), go online and type, “shad darts” in your search engine and you’ll find everything you need.
Good luck, and I’m sure that once you hook on to one of these silver leapers, you, too, will become hooked on shad fishing.
