If you’re not going to fish in the winter or catch bait when shad are in deeper water then you can get away with a cast net that has a smaller mesh (and is usually much less expensive than nets used in colder water). Fishermen usually begin their shad quest in late April or early May. Glad to have the luck to look up this page." A small lead sinker is placed at the end of the line, and a weighted fly is tied on a 24 inch dropper about 18 inches above the sinker. They fight savagely, so a hook-up doesn’t necessarily result in a fish at hand.One Shad fishing technique which is commonly used, particularly at the mouth of the American River, involves fishing from an anchored boat in a relatively strong current, using a spinning or bait casting rod. By using our site, you agree to our Shad may be caught for food and sport, but they're also used as bait fish for larger catches like blue catfish, bass, or stripers. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/ca\/Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/ca\/Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1357455-v4-728px-Catch-Shad-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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