Shadedelic

by Mark Gustavson

Ilove this fish. Hickory Shad put up a good fight, especially if one uses a 5 through 8 wt. rod. They are strong and hearty for their size and often are over 20 inches. They have a great tolerance for warm summer water and cold spring water. In Moriches Bay they usually show in April just before the stripers and are around into late November. Shad can save a July night or day when ol' pajamas isn't around.

With such appeal what is an effective approach to taking shad? Shad, like stripers, are drawn to rips to feed on discombobulated bait. What does a shad eat? Anything. They eat squid, silversides, peanut bunker, shrimp, krill, isopods, worms and lots of other stuff I'm sure. Also like stripers it can be a guess as to what it prefers at the moment. What bait...what color...what size is something to ponder? However, what remains the same is where to fish for them and how. Bar none, the best method is to cast a floating line up current from where the shad are holding and let the fly dead drift with mends to allow the fly to sink. For example, if the shad are feeding in and around a rip, then take a position to cast up current so when the line swings the fly will go right through the rip. As the line swings, the fly rises and the hits will come. It is the rise that gets them to hit just like a brownie on a wet fly. I rarely impart any action to the fly. Again, as with stripers the hits can be almost imperceptible while other times the fly is ripped from the surface just as it touches down.

The fly I have had the most success with year in and year out is a white hackle fly that is about 2 inches long. If I know there are both stripers and shad around I will put this fly on a dropper. It is quite simple and deadly.

HOOK	Eagle Claw 254 #1-1/0
THREAD	White
TAIL	A very small bunch of white bucktail under 1 narrow white saddle tied in flat
BODY	Silver body braid
HACKLE	White schlappen, palmered

Also tie this fly in yellow.

Another fly that has worked very well is a trout streamer with a marabou wing.

HOOK	Mustad 3407 #2
THREAD	Black
BODY	Red body braid
WING	Red bucktail under a white marabou
TOPPING	Peacock herl

I have also caught shad with a #2 General Practitioner, a 10-inch squid fly and Ray's Fly.

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