shad

Hey Norm--That's great news! Can I have your suggestions on shad flies? (Pattern, color, size). I caught some last year while trying for stripers and they were taking flashy sand eels, which I don't believe are in the river yet.

Small clousers worked well last summer in clear water. With the dirty brown runoff I'm using chartreuse darts. 1/32 on fly and 3/8+ on a noodle rod. I realize this is a FF site but some of the best locations on the Merr. are very tough to throw a fly without a boat/canoe so if you do spin fish also, bring it. Darts are available at most B&T's along the river. Locally for us, Crossroads B&T in Salisbury has a pretty good selection.

Norm

Eroach (04-27-2001 02:48 p.m.):
Hey Norm--That's great news! Can I have your suggestions on shad flies? (Pattern, color, size). I caught some last year while trying for stripers and they were taking flashy sand eels, which I don't believe are in the river yet.

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Eroach
I used a modified crazy charlie for shad fishing in the Conn. River. I used depth ray wool for the body and crystal flash or flashabou for the tail, no wing. I have found that egg hooks in sizes 6, 4, and two work the best. The egg hooks have a wider gap then most fly hooks and seem to have a higher hooking percentage. Shad darts in sizes 1/32 and 1/64 are also very fishable with an 8wt.
shadfreak

That sounds like a winner Shadfreak! I would imagine there are plenty of shad in the CT river right now, is that true? The population of giant cow stripers in the Hudson are known to be shad-eaters, we need a shad fly swap ;D

juro
I live near the Vt-Nh boarder and fish for shad around Turners Falls. I won't see fish shad here intil late May early June. I can't wait! I start fishing up here when Holyoke has passed 30,000 fish. Before that it's not worth the effort. Shad fly swap would be great.
Larry

How about a Shad Clave?

Fished the Merrimack for an hour with nothing doing this AM. A few shooting around on the surface and quite a few bone carcasses around from the weekend. Nobody else fishing.

Norm

Eroach (04-27-2001 02:48 p.m.):
Hey Norm--That's great news! Can I have your suggestions on shad flies? (Pattern, color, size). I caught some last year while trying for stripers and they were taking flashy sand eels, which I don't believe are in the river yet.

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Eric - do you recall my showing you that rattail stuff I bought, and mentioning it ravels if you pick it out??? - I planned to fray some after it was tied on and allow it to act as tail material, as well as tying in a flash tail and then fraying the rattail. Bead chain eyes will work, as well as radically contrasting fluorescent thread, just like Crazy Charlies. You might want to get really funky and try and palmer a little hackle behind the eyes. I hadn't planned to tie any of my shad tricksters in anything larger than a size two, but...

I enjoyed you guys. Thanks for paying attention to a older fella

shad clave

Nathan, great idea! Not that I need much of an excuse to get up that way but I've never fished for these guys and they sound like a lota fun!

Thanks Dave!

That rattail stuff sounds like a good idea, I think i'm going to try it.

I suppose I could get too involved with designing shad flies. It sounds like all you need is a reasonably small, weighted creation that's flourescent and/or shiny -- something that looks aggrevating to the fish...I'm thinking of epoxy-ing over a miniature photo of my boss on a #6 hook, that ought to aggrevate any lifeform into striking out of annoyance!

LOL! There is a very effective fly called the "boss" that actually might make a great shad fly. It was particularly popular around the Klamath and other California steelhead streams.