Conference wahoo::fishing

    I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT SHAD.  THE RUN DOESN'T START AROUND HERE
    TIL LATER PART OF MAY INTO JUNE, BUT THEY REALLY DO PUT UP A FIGHT.
    HAVEN'T FIGURED WHAT TO DO WITH THEM YET, THOUGH.  SOME PEOPLE AROUND
    HERE EAT THEM, BUT I CAN'T QUITE STOMACH THAT.  WE USE THEM FOR
    CRAB BAIT.  BECAUSE OF THEIR STRONG SMELL THEY ARE THE BEST BAIT
    YOU CAN GET.  
    
    KEN
    

    Boy that Shad fishing must be a hell of alot of fun, you guys are
    SHOUTING it to everyone. You know I really like to here good fish
    stories but *please* cool it with the upper case letters it is really
    hard to read a whole reply that way, I might have to buy some sun
    glasses 8*)
    
                                      Jack

    I'm entered in the shad derby on the Connecticut River this weekend.
    I'll post a full report when I get back.
    
    Guy

    I've been shad fishing on the Conn. River for years andd if God
    cut my fishing down to only one day a year, guess what I would save
    it for...., Shad Run Time.... I fish the Holyoke Damn area of Mass.
    and they have started to run but are not up to full force. Where
    are you going to fishing in a Shad Derby this early in the season.
    I suspect it's somewhere in Connecticutt, am I right or wrong? Good
    luck!!!

    I'm just wondering if anyone else has tried this or not. I found
    I had much more action when I trimmed the hair tails off of the
    shad darts. I also fished some crappie jigs and did better when
    I trimmed the feathers off! Anyone else try this?
    
    Lower case better? :-)>

    re .5  Yes, we do it in the northwest.  I don't know why, but it
    seems to make a difference.  I have also tried it with the crappie
    jigs and it appears to work.  It's interesting how the same "tricks"
    appear no matter what the location of the fishing.
    
    ken (does the lower case make it more meaningful???)

    works with rubber skirted bass jigs also, it's a popular trick,
    i saw it on on tv - bassmaster's pro's pointers... don mac
    

    re: .6
    
    It may not make it more meaningful but it sure makes it easier to
    read ! 8*)
    
                                Tight lines and thanks,
    
                                                Jack

    Do any of you ever use tandem rigs?  I've read that many are starting
    to use a 1/4 oz. lead dart attached to a swivel and just below the
    barrel attach 18" of mono with a lighter maybe 1/8 or 1/16 oz. dart
    of a different color.  It seems the majority of the fish caught
    are on the dropper except during unusually high water.  Many use
    in place of the trailing dart a #2 or #4 GOLD hook dressed with
    some colored chenille or even just a plain GOLD hook.  It is believed
    the glint of gold color in the current is what produces the strike
    since shad aren't really feeding at this point.  This would also
    explain why the skirts are cut or removed.  The darts that are used
    must have GOLD hooks also.  It's been a long time since I fished
    for shad and they are a lot of fun to catch.  I'll have to give
    it a try again sometime.
    
    Go for the GOLD,
    
    Steve

    You guys. as usual, were right.  I tried shad fishing for the first
    time saturday.  The action was non-stop, it has to be when thousands
    of fish swim by you in a couple hours time through a river narrow
    enough to cast across to the opposite shore.
    
    I found the ideal spot between the Hadley bridge and the dam. About
    300 yds back from the dam was a rock ledge over an undercut bank
    where the river is deep and the current in strong.  All I had to
    do was peel off about 6-8 feet of line and tie on a dart then jig
    it in the fishes faces.  It is an incredible thrill to feel dozens
    of shad brush by your dart before one takes it. Yes!!!! They run,
    they jump, they fight like hell.  And, there isn't a single fish
    under 4 lbs.
    
    I was using 3/8 oz darts in silver/red and white/red with GOLD hooks.
    I wanted to try yellow/red but they were 1/8 oz and too light for
    the current.  The guys next to me were using bare treble hooks with
    pea-size sinkers and doing fine.  In fact the first fish they caught
    was a good-sized smallmouth!!!  Of course the other fish don't
    disappear when the shad run and the Connecticut is my favorite bassin'
    water but on a bare hook???
    
    I had no problem hooking fish, averaging a stike every 5 minutes
    or so and fought each fish for 4-5 minutes.  I was using my ultralite
    outfit 6' Lightnin Rod/ Ryobi MG01 spooled with 4 lb Trilene.  My
    problem was landing fish as I was 5' up a ledge over the river and
    every time I lifted a fish out of the water, the line broke.  Next
    trip, I'll bring a net. I also lost a few fish before I was ready
    to land them by horsing a little too hard; their mouths are weak
    and a couple times I had a dart slingshot back at my head as the
    fish tore loose from the hook.
    
    Kenny, I don't know about the smell of cooked shad but I can tell
    you a rotting one is not sweet.  The banks unfortunately are lined
    with dead fish.  What a waste!  I will cook the first one I net
    and report here on the taste.  I found a couple shad recipes in
    my wifes cookbooks.  Baking the fish whole seems sensible.
    
    Guy, where's that derby, pal?  I don't think the Holyoke derby is
    open yet.  When it is, my spot will be illegal; the fish stack up
    below the dam when the run peaks at 30,000 fish a day over the lift
    there.  There is a small derby going on now through 6-7 sponsored
    by Franchell Sporting Supplies on route 5 in West Springfield. 
    Both this and the big Holyoke Derby require no entry fee, BTW.
    
    I expect the fishing will get better and the river will be more crowded
    next weekend, but it's worth fighting the crowds.  Still, I'll be
    on vacation tomorrow and wednesday.  If you need further convincing
    that this is the best fishing you've ever seen, read the May issue
    of Mass Fins and Feathers.  It's true.
    
    Steve

    Re .10
    
    
    Steve,
    
    You never said what the taste was like on those shad.  Also I'd
    like to know the recipe - if they tasted good that is.
    
    The shad are just starting around here.  The lower Umpqua has really
    been active, but the Willamette and Columbia runs are still small.
    I'm going chinooking tomorrow in the mouth of the Willamette, but
    I might through in a shad dart to see what will happen.
    
    ken
    

    RE:-.1  You're right, Ken, sorry.  You'll have to wait until monday.
    I rechecked my wife's cookbook before I went fishing and found that
    the recipe called for 1 three pound BONED shad.  Recalling that
    this weekends shad tourney will feature demonstrations on boning
    shad, I elected to return all my fish to the river on tuesday.
    However, I am planning a shad bake sunday and will let you know
    the results and the recipe monday.
    
    Regarding the fishing, it was super.  I was on the riverbank about
    6 hours and caught about fifteen shad between 4 and 6 pounds.  I
    also caught a few of the blueback herring that join the shad on
    their spawning run.
    
    The run is peaking this weekend, but I can't imagine the river holding
    more fish than I saw tuesday.  Although, there were fewer fishermen
    in view than saturday, their presence was evident through the
    multi-colored darts in the mouths and backs of every hundredth fish
    or so.  These boys can fight!!!  I had the same problem with broken
    lines all morning until I changed to eight pound test after noon.
    I had no more problems landing fish until I hooked one lively fellow
    through the tail and he proceeded to swim up and down the river,
    stripping line from the reel with the drag set as tight as I dared.
    I finally got him to within ten feet of shore, gave a mighty heave
    and snapped my rod in half.  
                                                             
    Stay tuned,
    Steve
    
    

    re .4, .10
    
    The derby was held at the Jones Ferry marina (I'm pretty sure its
    in West Springfield). It is not the same one as run by Holyoke Power 
    (that one is two weekends starting Memorial Day weekend?). I believe 
    this one was run by a gentleman named Gaggaladucci (of Gag's Grabbers
    shad dart fame). We fished at the 390 bridge in Holyoke with 1/16 oz 
    darts and willow leaf trailers. I used an ultralight rod with 4 lb
    mono. What a riot! We all had a great time. My biggest was a paltry
    5lb 11oz. You needed a 6lb 2oz just to qualify. I am not sure what
    the winning weight was.
    
    I had the good fortune to grow up in Chicopee near the river and
    have enjoyed the fishing for shad for a while.
    
    BTW we saw a 7lb Atlantic Salmon caught by a guy on shore. He was
    using a chartreuse 1/8 oz dart. That fish must have cleared the
    water 5 or 6 times. Of course he immediately released it. Has anyone
    heard a preliminary salmon count from Holyoke?
    

                                  BROILED SHAD & ROE
           
                 1 3-pound boned shad         2 tablespoons finely cut
                                                pimiento
                 2 shad roes                       
                                              2 tablespoons finely chopped
                 1/4 cup melted butter          green pepper                    
    
                 1 tablespoon lemon juice     1 tablespoon finely chopped  
                                                parsley
                 Sea salt to taste, opt'l   
                                              2/3 cup sour cream, whipped
                 Freshly ground white pepper   
    
                                 
       Preheat broiler to maximum heat.  Arrange shad skin side down
    on foil-covered rack or in foil pan.  Put roes next to it and brush
    both with combined butter, lemon juice and pepper.  Broil shad 2
    inches below the source of heat for about 4 minutes.  Brush again
    with teh butter and broill for about 5 more minutes.  Mix pimiento,
    green pepper and parsely with the sour cream.  Spread it thinly
    over the shad and broil 2 minutes longer.  Serve with steamed potatoes
    and lemon wedges.
    
       -from THE DOWN-TO-EARTH NATURAL FOOD COOKBOOK by
    Lillian Langseth-Christensen                       
    
    Comments:  Delicious, but neither my wife or I could bring ourselves
    to try the roe.  I like fish, but I fail to find the appeal in fish
    eggs (I don't like caviar, either).  Shad is a nice fish to cook;
    firm, not too smelly but very oily (like a bluefish).  I found a
    couple more simple recipes in other cookbooks.  Most say to broil
    it in butter about 12 minutes.  I think I prefer it with the sauce.
    
    I wasn't able to observe the boning process at the derby, so I
    attempted to bone them myself, shoreside.  An oldtimer noticed me
    butchering a shad to shreds and offered to help.  He must have made
    over 20 cuts to remove the bones, but he did a perfect job.  I don't
    think I could repeat the process.  I suppose it would be possible
    to take your fish to the local fish market and ask ?  Boning the
    fish is clearly the hardest part of preparing the dinner.  My
    benefactor told me that down his way (Philly), shad goes for over
    $4/lb and the roe over $5.  I guess it makes sense since you only
    get it maybe one month a year.  Any other (semi)adventerous souls
    out there?
    
    Steve
                                                                

    I went shad'n (like bass'n but more work) last night in Lawrence.
    Caught 3 and missed 4-5 others. If anyone wants to try something
    unique this could be it...The 6lb+ one really was fun on bass'n
    type gear, took about 5 min. to get in and had to switch arms a
    few times because I was running out of steam, not him! It's kinda
    like hooking onto a freight train bound for parts unknown and hoping
    you have enough line to get there.
    
    
    				Jim

    Where were you in Lawrence? Were you in a boat? 

    I was in a canoe fishing between the two bridges below the dam at
    Rt28.
    
    				Jim