Fly Fishing for American Shad 101 (Single handed and Spey)

It’s about that time of year. Spring is around the corner and the annual run of American Shad is expected in the coming weeks. This is something many look forward to, including myself. I have written an ebook on how to chase American Shad with a fly rod to share this tradition. For those that does not have my book, I want to summarize some of the key elements for you to get started; fly rod setups, fly/lure, where and how to fish for them. These are my recommendations, as you spend more time on the water, you will fine tune things that will work best for you.

The thing to remember is that the fish are not feeding but heading to their spawning grounds. You want to get the fly/lure in their face to aggravate them for the take.  

Fly Rod Setups

                Single Hander: 9’ 5wt to 8wt. (Will vary dependent on fish size, situation and skills)

                        Reel: click pawl or drag disc with 100yd of 20lb backing.

Line: floating WF line will be fine while wading, if you are fishing from a boat, you will want to use full sinking line.

                        Leader/tippet: 7-9’ of tapered leader down to 8-12lb tippet.

                Switch Rod: 5wt to 7wt. (Vary dependent on fish size, situation and skills)

                        Reel: click pawl or drag disc with 100yd of 20lb backing.

                        

                        Line: I prefer to use a Skagit shooting with mono running line and a sink tip.

                        Leader/tippet: 5-7’ of straight 8-12lb.

Fly/Lure

     Shad fly: Fly with colors, flash with weight. An assortment in different  sizes, colors, and sink rate will cover different water conditions.

Available for purchase here.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/687795550/shad-flies-fly-fishing-american-shad?ref=listings_manager_grid

Where

                Your local rivers and tributaries. Shad can be caught all across the US (MA, Carolinas, Florida, CA, CT, etc etc) and other country such as Canada.

How

    Figure out their mood by using a variety of retrieves.

Ebook purchase link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/702782659/fly-fishing-for-american-shad-ebook?ref=listings_manager_grid

Tight lines,

Sonny

www.FishingwithSonny.com