Shad fishing

The male shad is an excellent game fish, showing multiple jumps and an occasional end-over-end; it has been called a "freshwater tarpon".

The current world record is listed by the IGFA as 11 pounds 4 ounces (5.1 kg), set at Holyoke Dam, Massachusetts, on 19 May 1986 by Robert A.

Much of the shad's migration places them in the lower portion of the water column which makes this the typical depth of choice for fishing.

[citation needed] Except in unusual conditions, shad stay fairly deep, requiring weight on the line or fly.

Most fishermen use a Y-shaped "shad rig", consisting of two lures spaced one to two feet apart, with a weight on a swiveled line between them or in front of them.

The shad stay near the bottom unless the water is unusually high, so the rig is designed to keep the lure a foot off the bed.

Watercolor of an American shad by Sherman F. Denton, 1904. The swelling between the anal fin and ventral fin identifies this as a pregnant female.
Early 19th-century shad fishing on the Peedee (Greater Pee Dee) River, South Carolina. [ 2 ]
Old map of the east coast spawning grounds