The shad are coming! The shad are coming!
February 17,2006
Ed Wall
Special to the Sun Journal
Its a sure sign that spring is near as dogwoods start to bud
Fishermen have long used different environmental phenomena to mark the critical points of their sporting seasons. Fall surf fishing on our barrier island beaches is said to kick into high gear each year following the first mullet blow on the coast. The first full moon in June prompts bluegills to begin congregating on their spawning beds and anglers to begin stalking them with cane poles and crickets. When eastern North Carolinas ubiquitous dogwoods begin to bud, its a sign that the shad are starting to move up our coastal rivers and its time to get out and gather the makings for the seasons first fish stew.
Fishermen who heed the signs and head up the Neuse, Trent, Roanoke and other waterways in search of shad are participating in a ritual that pre-dates the coming of their ancestors to these shores. Consider the words of the colonist George Henry, penned in 1794:
When the shad-fish come up the rivers, the Indians run a dam of stones across the stream, where its depth will admit it, not in a straight line, but in two parts, verging towards each other in an angle . By this contrivance they sometimes catch above a thousand shad and other fish in half a day.
A century later, the shad still made their way in untold numbers up our coastal rivers and they were still caught by the thousands. Only, instead of Indians, the fishermen were fourth and fifth generation settlers tending bow nets and seines. Low, sleek shad boats, their gunwales nearly awash with their silvery cargo, labored up the Pamlico River to Washington, N.C. where the fish were salted, packed in barrels and shipped north.
Today, the commercial fishery for shad in North Carolina is almost dead a victim of overfishing, pollution and damming. Symptomatic of the fishs decline is the fact that the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission voted a few years ago to ban the commercial netting of shad and their cousins, herring, after April 15 each year.
Sport fishing for shad is still very much alive, though, and is more popular than ever. The difference is that the hook-and-line fisherman doesnt have to bring hundreds of pounds to shore in order to be successful. A small mess of the sporty, tasty fish is usually more than enough to satisfy both his predatory instincts and his appetite.
The introduction of spinning tackle to this country after World War II helped popularize shad fishing because, for the first time, the small lures so effective for the fish could be handled easily by the average angler. Bait casting equipment had been too bulky to be practical for most fishermen and fly rods were seen by many as something for the elite. Tar Heels discovered the new tackle technology and hook-and-line fishing for shad almost simultaneously.
A landmark in the evolution of shad fishing in North Carolina came in 1962 when the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began locking fish through the dams on the Cape Fear River. Shad had traditionally ascended the stream to Smiley Falls near Lillington, about 180 miles from the ocean but had found their way blocked with the construction of the dams. Once their route was reopened, the fish began to congregate again in the rapids below the dams. With the fish came the fishermen.
Another milestone may have been reached by the shad in 1997 when the Wildlife Commission removed a dam built by Carolina Power and Light Company at Quaker Neck near Goldsboro in 1952. The dams removal opened up 75 miles of the Neuse River and 925 miles of its tributaries for spawning by shad. Other anadromous fish such as striped bass and sturgeon will also benefit.
Two species of shad hickory and American (white) are starting to move up Tar Heel streams right now. The hickory shad is the smaller of the two, averaging around a pound and a half, and only occasionally going more than two pounds. The American shad grows substantially larger, averaging about 3 pounds and sometimes double that. The state record American shad, which weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, was pulled from the Tar River by R.S. Proctor in 1974. The largest hickory shad was caught in Pitchkettle Creek, a tributary of the Neuse in February 2004. It weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce and was landed by Trey Maroules.
While the American shad is more prevalent, by a large margin, in the Cape Fear and Roanoke rivers, the hickory shad is more common in the Neuse watershed. According to biologists, the dynamics of the different spawning areas is what causes the geographical differences. American shad need faster water to keep their eggs moving and facilitate fertilization. For that reason, they tend to return to streams with greater flow. Hickory shad, on the other hand, prefer rivers and creeks with slower moving water and more flooded swampland.
Regardless of where theyre caught, the techniques for shad are the same. Small (1/8 1/4 ounce) jigs, called darts, and shiny spoons, fished either individually or in tandem, are by far the most productive baits. The darts are generally white or yellow with a contrasting head and tail. The spoons are silver or gold.
Fished on light spinning tackle with 4 to 8 pound-test line (depending on how sporting and skilled the fisherman is), the terminal tackle is cast across the current and allowed to swing downstream. Its then worked back slowly with little or no extra action.
If theres a secret method, its to work the lure so it stays right on the bottom. Theres an old saying among shad fishermen that goes, If you arent losing lures, you arent going to catch any fish. Shad, both American and hickory, tend to hang in deep channels adjacent to swifter current. Strikes frequently come when a lure ends its downstream swing or just as it starts to move back upstream.
Once a shad is on, the real fun begins, and the anglers skill becomes apparent. Very few freshwater fish can rip line like a shad. That, combined with the fishs propensity for jumping, makes it a real challenge on light tackle and has caused some people to call it a mini tarpon. A net is an absolute necessity. If you dont believe it, just watch someone try to land one by hand. A shads narrow jaw and flat shape make it nearly impossible to grasp.
The regard in which shad are held in eastern North Carolina is indicated by the fact that the town of Grifton is celebrating its 36th annual Shad Festival this year. Most of the festivals activities will take place the first week in April and will include a golf tournament, a parade, craft shows, canoe races, a beauty pageant, live music and a lot more. Several fishing competitions, including a shad fishing tournament, are part of the event. Trophies and gift certificates will be awarded for the first and biggest shad caught in several different categories. Any fish that has all that going on in its honor must be pretty special.
Ed Wall can be reached at edwall@cconnect.net.
February 17,2006
Ed Wall
Special to the Sun Journal
Its a sure sign that spring is near as dogwoods start to bud
Fishermen have long used different environmental phenomena to mark the critical points of their sporting seasons. Fall surf fishing on our barrier island beaches is said to kick into high gear each year following the first mullet blow on the coast. The first full moon in June prompts bluegills to begin congregating on their spawning beds and anglers to begin stalking them with cane poles and crickets. When eastern North Carolinas ubiquitous dogwoods begin to bud, its a sign that the shad are starting to move up our coastal rivers and its time to get out and gather the makings for the seasons first fish stew.
Fishermen who heed the signs and head up the Neuse, Trent, Roanoke and other waterways in search of shad are participating in a ritual that pre-dates the coming of their ancestors to these shores. Consider the words of the colonist George Henry, penned in 1794:
When the shad-fish come up the rivers, the Indians run a dam of stones across the stream, where its depth will admit it, not in a straight line, but in two parts, verging towards each other in an angle . By this contrivance they sometimes catch above a thousand shad and other fish in half a day.
A century later, the shad still made their way in untold numbers up our coastal rivers and they were still caught by the thousands. Only, instead of Indians, the fishermen were fourth and fifth generation settlers tending bow nets and seines. Low, sleek shad boats, their gunwales nearly awash with their silvery cargo, labored up the Pamlico River to Washington, N.C. where the fish were salted, packed in barrels and shipped north.
Today, the commercial fishery for shad in North Carolina is almost dead a victim of overfishing, pollution and damming. Symptomatic of the fishs decline is the fact that the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission voted a few years ago to ban the commercial netting of shad and their cousins, herring, after April 15 each year.
Sport fishing for shad is still very much alive, though, and is more popular than ever. The difference is that the hook-and-line fisherman doesnt have to bring hundreds of pounds to shore in order to be successful. A small mess of the sporty, tasty fish is usually more than enough to satisfy both his predatory instincts and his appetite.
The introduction of spinning tackle to this country after World War II helped popularize shad fishing because, for the first time, the small lures so effective for the fish could be handled easily by the average angler. Bait casting equipment had been too bulky to be practical for most fishermen and fly rods were seen by many as something for the elite. Tar Heels discovered the new tackle technology and hook-and-line fishing for shad almost simultaneously.
A landmark in the evolution of shad fishing in North Carolina came in 1962 when the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began locking fish through the dams on the Cape Fear River. Shad had traditionally ascended the stream to Smiley Falls near Lillington, about 180 miles from the ocean but had found their way blocked with the construction of the dams. Once their route was reopened, the fish began to congregate again in the rapids below the dams. With the fish came the fishermen.
Another milestone may have been reached by the shad in 1997 when the Wildlife Commission removed a dam built by Carolina Power and Light Company at Quaker Neck near Goldsboro in 1952. The dams removal opened up 75 miles of the Neuse River and 925 miles of its tributaries for spawning by shad. Other anadromous fish such as striped bass and sturgeon will also benefit.
Two species of shad hickory and American (white) are starting to move up Tar Heel streams right now. The hickory shad is the smaller of the two, averaging around a pound and a half, and only occasionally going more than two pounds. The American shad grows substantially larger, averaging about 3 pounds and sometimes double that. The state record American shad, which weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, was pulled from the Tar River by R.S. Proctor in 1974. The largest hickory shad was caught in Pitchkettle Creek, a tributary of the Neuse in February 2004. It weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce and was landed by Trey Maroules.
While the American shad is more prevalent, by a large margin, in the Cape Fear and Roanoke rivers, the hickory shad is more common in the Neuse watershed. According to biologists, the dynamics of the different spawning areas is what causes the geographical differences. American shad need faster water to keep their eggs moving and facilitate fertilization. For that reason, they tend to return to streams with greater flow. Hickory shad, on the other hand, prefer rivers and creeks with slower moving water and more flooded swampland.
Regardless of where theyre caught, the techniques for shad are the same. Small (1/8 1/4 ounce) jigs, called darts, and shiny spoons, fished either individually or in tandem, are by far the most productive baits. The darts are generally white or yellow with a contrasting head and tail. The spoons are silver or gold.
Fished on light spinning tackle with 4 to 8 pound-test line (depending on how sporting and skilled the fisherman is), the terminal tackle is cast across the current and allowed to swing downstream. Its then worked back slowly with little or no extra action.
If theres a secret method, its to work the lure so it stays right on the bottom. Theres an old saying among shad fishermen that goes, If you arent losing lures, you arent going to catch any fish. Shad, both American and hickory, tend to hang in deep channels adjacent to swifter current. Strikes frequently come when a lure ends its downstream swing or just as it starts to move back upstream.
Once a shad is on, the real fun begins, and the anglers skill becomes apparent. Very few freshwater fish can rip line like a shad. That, combined with the fishs propensity for jumping, makes it a real challenge on light tackle and has caused some people to call it a mini tarpon. A net is an absolute necessity. If you dont believe it, just watch someone try to land one by hand. A shads narrow jaw and flat shape make it nearly impossible to grasp.
The regard in which shad are held in eastern North Carolina is indicated by the fact that the town of Grifton is celebrating its 36th annual Shad Festival this year. Most of the festivals activities will take place the first week in April and will include a golf tournament, a parade, craft shows, canoe races, a beauty pageant, live music and a lot more. Several fishing competitions, including a shad fishing tournament, are part of the event. Trophies and gift certificates will be awarded for the first and biggest shad caught in several different categories. Any fish that has all that going on in its honor must be pretty special.
Ed Wall can be reached at edwall@cconnect.net.
