Fly Fishing For Shad

He s not a stickler for tradition or what other fly fishers refer to as the proper way things should be done.

Fly fishing for shad.

Shad on the fly is a site dedicated to fly fishing for shad and i am passionate about sharing everything that i learn with anyone that visits. Imparting motion can help when nothing is working. I have heard of a large eastern canadian river system where the shad are surface oriented but this is definitely not the norm so it behooves us who seek to connect with one of these excellent food and game fish to get our offering down as close to bottom as possible. Plus since they were born in fresh waters sources of food there are not going to be totally foreign.

When performing this technique you just need to cast your sink tip straight to the middle of the river or at 45 degree angles. The wet fly swing is the most effective technique when fly fishing for shad. Fly fishing for both species of shad. Once the fly is below you wait 20 30 seconds before recasting as shad will often take the fly on the dangle.

They also tend to move upstream along the river s bottom. Nevertheless most fly fishing for shad is done with brightly colored patterns offering lots of movement. Here in the james i like to use either a full fast sinking line 7 9 inches per second or a 20 foot streamer tip fly line matching the grain weight of the tip to the rod size you re throwing. There are a couple of options out there for fly lines that will work for shad and it all depends on where you are fishing.

Lee near the econ etc. Jul 4 2020 explore maddoc lives2flyfish s board shad flies on pinterest. Wet fly swing is probably the most effective technique for shad. When in the river shad tend to gather below wherever there is an obstruction to the flow either natural or man made.

Throw your heavy sink tip upstream at about a 45 degree angle and let the fly continue to sink without drag until it is hanging down below you. Due to the ferocity of the. Then mend so you can sink the tip swinging it across currents. See more ideas about flying fly fishing fish.

This site is full of resources shad fly patterns fishing reports and more but if you are just looking to get your feet wet then let s start with the basics. Woolly buggers clousers and crazy charlies are all common offerings for shad. Downstream of mullet lake upstream of lake harney c s. While there is some emphasis on my home waters the st.

Fly fishing is a passion for him and between fishing for shad and later in the season for trout he wedges in his job and other domestic responsibilities so he can clear as much time as possible to fish. Also allow your fly to hang down for a good fifteen seconds at the end of each cast. The wet fly swing is the most effective way to fish for shad. Catch a shad using a fly rod and fly be the first person to upload a picture of the fish fly reel and fly with the official token clearly visible in the image to the shad on the fly facebook group must share the general location you caught the fish e g.

For example a 200 grain sink tip can be thrown on a 6 weight a 250 grain tip for an 8 weight and 300 is usually reserved for 9 weights and up but i have thrown them on my 8. This is the classic technique fly fishers use for steelhead.