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Jesse's Hunting > Fishing Articles > Articles > Chasing Shad and Stripers on the American River
Chasing Shad and Stripers on the American River
Kirk Edgerton - JHO ProStaff
- Sacramento, CA
May 30, 2006
The right stuff
Load up with the right tackle to land these hard-fighting fish. |
We were on the upper stretch of the American River, on a section that is commonly referred to as ‘lower Watt’. The American flows for roughly 30 miles and is typically a placid, slower moving river that rafters and pleasure seekers revere for its gentle current, but with heavy snow fall and late season rain, the river took on the look of a classic western big river, flowing at 11,000cfs.
The rapidly moving water had the shad holding in narrow pockets or seams between the gentle eddies and faster water. As the shad fed, preparing to spawn, we eagerly cast small Shad Darts, hoping the small, imitation minnows would draw a strike.
Stripping the line in short pulls, it suddenly became taught and the rod bent in a classic “U” shape. It seemed to be a quality fish, but it was my first fish of the day and the size really didn’t matter. As I cautiously gained more line, it became apparent that the fish was on the small side, maybe two pounds, but for a small fish, they pull with the best of them. The fish made its last surge, and my leader finally entered thru the top eye as I reached down, cupping the fish with my hand, and brought it on board. In the direct sunlight, the shad’s body almost glowed with brilliant hues of purples and blues, which, combined with its powerful sickle-like tail, makes it resemble (on a much smaller scale) the mighty tarpon.
With the possibility of hooking a shad in the six to seven pound range, heavy tackle is highly recommended. I used an Okuma Guide Select eight-weight IM8 fly rod, coupled with an Okuma SLV large arbor reel. For line I chose Scientific Anglers Custom Tip Express. This line allows the angler a cut-to-fit sinking tip line for 7-12 weight rods. This combined with a short six-foot, 10lb leader made landing even the largest fish a challenge, but very manageable. The key is to get down to were the fish are. Line mending and a sinking tip or full sink line in the 7-8ips range are mandatory.
For flies we chose various sizes of Shad Darts in greens, pinks, reds, and variations of white. Green and pinks seemed to work best with a marabou tail and a little flash in either the body or tail only seemed to help.
As the sun slowly sank and the air chilled, we hurriedly exchanged our Shad Darts for large Clousers and shad imitations as the stripers squirreled at the surface behind us. Casting vigorously, Mark & Jeff both hooked up, but their battles ended in short fights and pulled hooks.
Hard fighters
The author with the first fish of the day. Shad are strong fighters, and can make for a great day on the water. |
If you get a chance, the shad and striper fishing is hot this time of year on the American River. The run usually lasts for a couple more weeks into the middle of June. Once the shad begin to taper off, the striper fishing will only get better as the bait fish become less abundant and the stripers become more opportunistic.
I picked up most of my gear for this trip from the American Fly in Sacramento. The shop provides plenty of gear, a full guiding staff, as well as great tips and suggestions on how to land the “poor man’s tarpon”.
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