Fishing Log

Dave - Like Joe said. I make simple two color yarn/chenille flys with a tail of hair or flash that look like a dart. I weight them wrapping with lead. Work them like a dart in the seam - let sink, strip, let drop, strip, let drop. Shad grab it when it drops. I find with a flyrod you can stay in the strike zone longer.

I had less than an hour to try my luck at the Trenton bridge yesterday at lunch time. It was slack high tide and nobody was catching anything but bottom. I was slinging my double dart rig in defiance of the common wisdom that only flutter spoons are to be used there. After 20 minutes I had a hit which turned out to be a double header, both smallish bucks. One broke off before I could get to unhook it. I didn't get another touch for the remaining 25 minutes I was there. Nobody else got anything. It was a stellar day and good for my soul just to get outside.

Just 1 shad in Trenton at low tide.. Fish are past Port Jervis already???

NICE FISH, DAVID.

Also, on a related note... Anybody got some shad darts/shad flies they are willing to sell? I think the Skuke has more of my shad flies than I do...

"Got one good hook up at the higher tide on fly"... good going, David! Ya gotta believe!

Fished the Skuke from 5:30 - 7:40 on a full sink fly line with a shad dart. Got one good hook up at the higher tide on fly - barely lost him in the shallow water. Either way, first hook up in my life in the Schuylkill; so exciting!

"That guy Joseph C can fish." Ha!...and once in a while I can catch something. I'm not so eager to write about just exercising my arm in a cloud of skunk gas.

Not like Carl though

I love the fish this time of year. They are so strong and fresh and fight amazingly. On a related note, maybe, I hate it when a fish is hooked and fights for a while, then gets fairly close in and spits the dart. I've had them end up embedded in my shoulder and had to duck more than once. Yesterday one let it go back at me and the double dart rig flew and wrapped so tight around my rod that I had to cut it off.

IF U NEED SHAD FISHING SUPPLIES CALL ME...RUSTY AT RUSTY BALLS TACKLE AT 484-239-4723..SPOONS, DARTS, DIVER PLUGS, DOWNRIGGER BALLS, INLINE WEIGHTS, PINCH ON SINKERS, DOWNRIGEER RELEASES, ETC...CHECK ME OUT ON FACEBOOK

We caught many shad yesterday on crankbait flutterspoons and darts between 5 and 7pm. There was a even mix of bucks and roe.

Hi Dennis, Thanks for responding. I'm Dean and I'm in Morris Cty,NJ. I appreciate your generous offer but it's not necessary. I haven't done much shad fishing and it's been a few years since I last went. Never did catch one, but would like to give it another try. Like you I'm retired now and have the time to do more fishing, thought I would hit the Delaware a few times for Shad, and also try Raritan Bay for Striped Bass. Got a good laugh from your post about the Flexseal. Take care.

Hey Dennis do you sell darts?

Gold paint on my boat? LOL. Why, the fish would literally jump in to be a part of that. Nope, I chose Navy blue so I can turn it into a Penn State boat. Ordering a couple of Nittany Lion logos to make it official. So if you see me anchored at Riegelsville, you'll know who it is. I've had a pesty slight leak for about 6 years and I think I finally took care of it. I painted every seam, rivet, crack, the entire hull with two coats of Flexseal, one white and the second one black so the shad don't see me. My wife thinks I'm nuts. I also Flexsealed other parts of the upper boat, so if there's a leak after all of this, I'll call Flexseal and tell them their product is a fake. Getting anxious for the season, my first since I am 100 percent retired. Just getting out in the peace and quiet will be a huge plus.

That the paint you are gonna use on your boat?

Thanks Riverwolf!!! Great to hear your reports!

In 2012 I caught shad on march 24 at Zane Grey launch in Lackawaxen the water was 52 degrees there that year. Still waiting for the water temp. to go up a little here 22 this morning with snow showers the weekend is supposed to be warmer. Good luck to all stay healthy and catch lots of shad.

Fish are probably much farther north than we think and are waiting for the temp to hit 48/50, then the whole river will light up. Last year my buddy and me hit a bunch on April 6th, 25 miles above Port Jervis. BTW Carl, you have to stop using kernel corn on the bottom and you'll have better luck.

Keep the reports coming Walt, not everyone on here is a spatz like Carl.....

...just because you are not catching them doesnt mean others are not...no bs...LOL

I know of a shore angler who caught 30+ Saturday further up and multiple others with double digits until the cold snap. Less skepticism and more fishing...LOL

Walt, I have never ever heard of a report like the one you made about Lambertville. Thirty fish on March 31? And people dispute global warming? My neighbor's forsythia have been in full bloom for a week; I never saw that before either. I guess I better get my boat's paint job finished or I'll miss the run. You're sure you netted 30 fish? That just seems so out of whack for this time of the season.

Walt, thanks!