Oops! Been so busy with work and shad season on the American. That brings me the weirdest and greatest shad season of all times. Started off in April on the main Sacramento River tossing a red/white shad dart with a 1/2 oz egg sinker and leader. Most of the action came off the banks at Miller Park and Discovery. But the crowds were just as thick as the fish.
Beginning of May we ventured to the American and started our own slaughter fest of shad in solitude. On the American the gear is simple. A light weight trout rod, 2-4 lb test, and a 1/16 oz jighead tipped off with a 1" pink champagne grub. It was an awesome season. The shad were much BIGGER this year with the average being 3 pounders. Lots of 4 pounders were caught up to 6 pounds. The weather was going nuts in northern California this year. We fished from nice sunny 80 degrees days to windy rainy blistery winds the following day. The weather pattern was pretty much like that all through May and early part of June.
One thing I found out this year, when it was cloudy and miserable, the shad bite could and would happen at all hour of the day. Made for some great catching days. You didn't have to be there at first light or last light. Now that we're hitting the end of shad here in July. It's all a late night affair right before sunset. A tiny trickle of fish are still milling around for the spawn, but it's definitely not great catching right now.
Ok, had to put the picture of the incidental catch from my son on his shad gear. The striper hit his shad as he was reeling the shad in. He was using 2lb maxx mono line. Ultralight Shakespeare rod. Ultra light Okuma Aveneger reel. Striper weighed in at 9.65. What a feat. You just never know might happen in this crazy world of fishing.
