The Bonefish Flat: Shad Run, Take Two

Welcome to The Bonefish Flat

There's a stiff wind in your face as you squint in the sun trying to see what the guide sees. "Bonefish at 12 o'clock about 90 feet, do you see it, mon?" You don't and keep squinting, your hat pulled low to keep the sun out of your eyes. "Bonefish at 11 o'clock 70 feet out. Come on man, do you see it?" As the guide is calmly shifting the skiff into position, this time you spot the fish, "I got, it," you reply.

"OK, Mon, Bonefish 50 feet at 10 o'clock. Cast when you're ready."

Cast when you're ready. And with that you drop your fly, roll out a cast, false cast once, and then...

Welcome to the bonefish flat.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Shad Run, Take Two

Smell that? That's what shad smells like. I had a chance to go out for a few hours with a friend of mine to the fabled Fletcher's Boat House in pursuit of shad during their annual spawning migration. I wrote last week how I haven't had much luck with this fish in the past. Last week you'll recall that we did pretty well.

Today was nothing short of epic. Armed with sink tip fly lines and a row boat from the boat house, John and I set out. Within two casts we started hooking up and it didn't let up for a few hours.

Me and a shad.

The Alosa mediocris spends its adult life in the ocean and returns to spawn in rivers along the coast. The shad aren't feeding when they take a fly, but are more likely just aggravated by your fly being there. Whatever their deal is, they are a blast on the fly.

John with a nice American Shad

For the most part we caught Hickory shad, but John managed the catch of the day when he landed this big American Shad. The Alosa sapidissima is a bigger shad and put up a great fight. This one DID NOT want to come to the boat.

Another shad coming to the boat.

The action today was fantastic. We caught over 40 between the two of us and that is probably on the low end. Fishing with John was a blast. He knew the spots to hit and I learned a lot.

If you haven't been out for shad, be sure to give them a try. I hope I can get back out one more time to catch these great fish before they head back to the ocean.