Fishing Log

Depending on their geographical location, American shad may spawn once and die, or they may survive to make several spawning runs per lifetime. This "repeat" spawning in American shad differs according to latitude. Shad that spawn in more northerly rivers may survive to spawn several times; however, most American shad native to rivers south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, die after spawning. In Maryland, repeat spawning adult American shad account for 22-45% of the migrating adults. Spawning American shad females (ages 5 and 6) broadcast a large quantity of eggs (30,000 - 600,000) into the water column over several days; these eggs are fertilized by males (ages 4 and 5). Spawning usually occurs over gently sloping areas with fine gravel or sandy bottoms. After spawning, adult American shad return to the sea and migrate northward to their summer feeding grounds near the Gulf of Maine. Fertilized eggs are carried by river currents and hatch within 7-10 days. Larvae drift with the current until they mature into juveniles which remain in nursery areas, feeding on zooplankton and terrestrial insects. By late fall, most juvenile shad migrate to near-shore coastal wintering areas. Some juvenile American shad will remain in rivers and estuaries up to a year before entering the ocean. Immature American shad will remain in the ocean for three to six years before returning to spawn. Adult and immature American shad overwinter along the mid-Atlantic coast, particularly from Maryland to North Carolina.

Randy the easton dam channelizes the Delaware river when it is high. there r pictures of the delaware pushing up against it. This channelization forces the d river to rise which creates flooding in the upper part of the city. removing the easton dam would be like pulling the plug on any high water event. The flood relief for the Delaware river in easton is the lehigh valley and the flood relief for the lehigh is the Delaware valley. Probably no study needed for something this obvious. Forcing either river up and over the dam brings water closer to the city anyway you look at it. additionally the channelization accelerates the speed n height of the D river which further damages downstream structures like the canal just south of the city by the sewer plant. The easton dam and the canal is a financial and environmental disaster that is left to perpetuate yr after yr. and should be managed as a remnant. The areas of the canal prone to flood damage should be filled in and the dames removed except of a couple of feet on either side with maybe a plaque describing what was once there. Most of the issues concerning fish populations, studies etc can fixed by adding more fish to the equation and to do that you need more habitat. Otherwise the fish are gonna go the way of fishing lic sales..straight down sorry for the typo,s

WG - I can't disagree with you about the efficiency of the ladders. It was early 1990's technology and the PFBC felt they were of the best design for the conditions. But . . . they are there and their potential may as well be maximized by annual or semi-annual maintenance. It's a shame no one pays attention. Anyway, you apparently have one hell of a lot of experience catching shad, and your report from this morning about your tidal catch enthuses me to keep fishing at Riegelsville, which is a hop, skip and a jump from Hellertown. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone is going to be fishing for a week or so after the Thursday/Friday deluge. Bummer. These fish you're catching in tidal waters: I assume they have committed to coming up the Delaware, or are these fish that may head left into the Schuylkill? As for repeat spawners, that's a questions (among others) I intend to bring up with my neighbor, the PFBC regional fisheries manager. He's a good, straightforward guy and I know I'll get honest answers from him. In the meantime, I hope you catch 1,000 more before the season is out.

@Dennis Scholl, I’ve been a member of DRSFA since the 80s and participated in those surveys. I think the job that was done by you and all the members was admirable! My problem is with the DESIGN of the ladders! I know the fans are never going away unfortunately, however they can be modified to work better!! The numbers speak for them selves , and honestly the best that the ladder can do (in its present form ) is not good enough and that’s a shame..... I want nothing more than the shad to return to all rivers where they are blocked! I agree with you that the size of the run this year is fantastic up and down the entire east coast! I passed the 1000 shad labdexmark 2 weeks ago (lots were hickory shad because I fish a lot in Maryland and North Carolina), and I fish every day in March April and May (with a few exceptions) for shad.... so we have the same goals in mind trust me! I landed 27 Americans and 2 hickories this morning on shore casting in the tidal Delaware.... on 2.5 hours, and that’s been the norm at some locations this season......I also think the agencies should be researching WHY there are no big repeat spawning shad in the Delaware (and it appears the Connecticut) River.... more later

To WG - Your remarks regarding the fish ladders on the Lehigh, particularly the ladder at Easton, are not accurate. I've attached a 2012 report from the Fish Commission (in the form of a URL link) that provides the exact information. I don't think anyone believes the two ladders are nearly as successful as planned when they were built. But the Easton dam does pass shad, and whether you approve or disapprove of the ladder(s), they aren't going anywhere. As I posted previously, the City of Easton and at least two high-profile non-profit organizations are not interested in seeing the dame come down, for recreation and tourism purposes. Would more shad enter the Lehigh if the dams were destroyed? Of course; that's a no-brainer. But what I'm trying to tell you is it isn't going to happen, at least not in our lifetimes. What's more troubling to me is the overall demise by the fishery agencies of all the Delaware's bordering states regarding the biological reasons behind the size of the fish, not the number entering the river. There are plenty of fish in that river, and if you can't ascertain that by reading some of the angling reports on this website, then I'd have to say you're not considering what is, at this point, the best source of information on the size of the river's population. Some of the catches I've read about on this site are phenomenal, especially considering when the majority of these catches have been made when river temps are between 45 and 52F. I fished at Riegelsville last Saturday, the 24th of April, and had a great afternoon. The water temp. was 46F. I can't wait to see some of the catch reports when the river subsides after Thursday's oncoming rain and the temps finally begin an upward trend. As you all know, shad are cold-blooded organisms whose metabolism increases as the water warms. That means they become more aggressive and will strike lures with more frequency. What should be happening is for the DRSFA to begin dialogue with the various fishery agencies, not just PA, to institute some type of population study to get a handle on the hralth of the fishery overall. That study should include a best effort to obtain data from commercial fishermen. Frankly, I'm not up-to-date on the regulations for commercial catches of shad. This has been an ongoing source of consternation for decades. Believe me, if the fish had more appeal as table fare, the fishery agencies would be more involved in protecting them, because fish that are great eating (e.g., salmon) sell more licenses, and when you come down to it, that's the bottom line for government groups to get involved. This is not an easy matter to pursue. Those two ladders on the Lehigh are the result of EIGHT years of hard work by many, many DRSFA members, who proved the Lehigh was a viable environment for shad by successfully hatching fry in the river and catching a small number with haul seines. Yes, the DRSFA did that kind of work in the 1980's. So, I'm not just pulling this information from thin air. No fishery agency is suddenly going to become an active proponent of shad in the Delaware River - and by that I mean by investing money in population studies - unless there is an economic reason, and that boils down to selling a lot more licenses to catch fish. History does provide good case studies for future actions. The DRSFA did an extensive population study of the shad in the 1980's as part of its effort to restore fish to the Lehigh. I have copies of the study's results. We put creel census booklets in the hands of hundreds of fishermen (they were of a size that easily fit into a tackle box). We had DRSFA volunteers stationed at public fishing access sites from Trenton to Hancock, throughout the course of the run. There gentlemen and ladies interviewed fishermen coming off the river and acquired information regarding the number of fish caught (kept or released), hours spent fishing, type of lures, and economic data (miles traveled to fish, whether the trip required overnight stays in local motels, gallons of gasoline purchased to go fishing, and money spent on food, fishing tackle, etc.) The DRSFA funded the entire study, which included aerial flights over the Delaware beginning at Trenton and going all the way to Hancock. People in the planes (I was one) counted the number of boats and shore fishermen on the river, to augment the number of fishermen interviewed at launch sites. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New jersey Dept. of Fish, Game and Shellfisheries (its name at the time) provided the fishery biologists who designed the program and compiled and analyzed the data. The purpose of that population study was to put an economic value on the shad run, a major, if not THE major, component of the effort to restore shad to the Lehigh. Remember, money talks. I don't have the study report in front of me, but I recall the number was somewhere in the range of $2.5 million. That was in the mid-'80's, so the figure would be higher now, although I'm pretty sure there were A LOT more fishermen out for shad those days than there are now. Do I believe a population study would help again? Yes, I do, if only to get the agencies off their butts and get involved with a fishery that has been a valuable part of human life in the Delaware Valley since Native Americans caught shad. And from what I gather, the DRSFA has the funds to pull it off. The PFBC's regional fisheries manager lives five houses away from me. The next time I see him, I'll bring up the subject. he's only home on weekends. In the meantime, here's the URL for the shad ladder at Easton. https://pfbc.pa.gov/images/reports/2013bio/lehigh_shad.pdf Just copy and paste in your browser. It's interesting reading. The stats aren't going to knock your socks off, but the numbers are not in the dozens. By the way, l worked for 14 years in Hugh Moore Park. The Glendon Dam is at the top of the park. There is an island below the dam where I have observed shad spawning in early June. So, please, don't anyone tell me that there aren't any shad in the Lehigh River. Thanks for your time in reading this. Sorry for any typos.

Thank you April!!! Nice going away present you are leaving us!

Re: shad ladder in Easton....the ladder may work better when it’s cleaned, BUTit always has been a failure and always WILL be! The pa fish and boat Commision would NOT listen to reason when they were designing that ladder, they used the exact same design that’s on all of the shad ladders on the East Coast. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result... well they are insane and the ladder did not work .... sure it passed a few dozen shad here and there, but if you looked carefully at the early results, most shad passed in late May and early June when they were done or almost done spawning! Who cares at that point?? And the reality is that the of few that passed Easton almost none passed the next dam... total futility and a waste of millions of dollars of taxpayers money! The only time fish find the entrance is when water is dead low and that’s the only flow.... the design is wrong and the opening needs to be much much larger and more flow! I suggested to the fish Commision that they use the same ladders they have on the Columbia River which passes 3-5 MILLION shad a year(and they try to stop shad from clogging the ladders with bubbles and strobe lights!!) but they said “those ladders were designed for salmon”.... my answer “if they were designed to pass pink elephants and shad utilize them, them make a pink elephant ladder!!” They didn’t appreciate my humor.....and now we are stuck with a ladder that will never make a difference.... the good part is that the co fluency of the Lehigh and Delaware will always be a magnet for shad and a good place to catch them, however the Lehigh will never get a good run of shad unless the current ladder is greatly altered

Snagging Sturgeon is not uncommon when fishing Shad in the big D around Trenton

I just got home from work with a couple hours fishing in the Schuylkill thrown in on the way. What a glorious afternoon! And the fish were happy to come play, too! I landed 12 or 15 Americans, on double darts. The fish all seemed to have extra energy today for some reason, and fought amazingly hard. I was on my last cast and hooked into something odd. The bottom? Then it started to come in as I pulled for about 20 feet. A soggy snag? Then I felt some motion. Whatever it was than decided that it had had enough and took off like a speed boat. I broke it off after maybe 50 yards, not wanting to loose my new braid line. It took my 1/16 ounce trailer dart with it. I dunno what I snagged…big striper? Monster carp or cat? Cormorant? Sturgeon?

As far as Conowingo, Fishermans Park is closed until further notice. All other areas are open to fishing. Warm weather is needed and less rain.

Just a question for those of you who spend more time on the river than I do. What is your best guess for conditions tomorrow? I would love to get out before the monsoon rain comes on Thursday. I would be fishing Martin's Creek area. Thanks Bob

Keith - I'm somewhat familiar with that spot. It looks good now because the river is running high. But I think it is pretty shallow behind that point due to the outflow of the creek above. The channel swings to the other side at that spot. Unfortunately the NJ side access is closed and the PA side is mostly private property.

Kieth K— Never heard of that spot but that looks like a perfect location with the current break created by that point. However, catches have been very spotty since the water temp is still not at 50°. Temperatures are a little warmer in the Schuylkill, and if you live in Narberth you are pretty close to the Fairmont dam. They should be stacked up there. Not sure how the access is with all the craziness going on, and it can be a little hairy to access even in good times (there is a tiny area to park on West River Drive), and don’t go alone at night. But I’d go there at high tide if I were trying to break the skunk.

Thanks to Rcrusty and Joseph C. for the double rig tips. And in my previous post I called a non-profit the Friends of the Delaware. I left out the word Canal, as in Friends of the Delaware Canal.

Keith K - Somebody who knows this section of river would be your best bet but if you never had a hook-up you probably aren't reaching the shad. Either they aren't there are you aren't reaching them in depth. If you never get snagged or bump bottom then you're too shallow if the shad are present. Try as far out as you can cast and all repeat cast shorter then the last while trying different depths. Try as light as possible on trailer darts or spoons with 1/8 or 1/4 dart or sinker on the lead. So the trailer appears to float behind. You can try shorter leaders also, and longer. I've caught shad with only a 16" trailer. Good luck and I admire your persistence.

What's wrong with this picture. Fished from shore at Prallsville Mills (NJ side) yesterday (Saturday, 4/25). Three of us threw double dart rigs and dart / flutter spoon rigs for 3 hours into a nice current where some deep water it met an eddy. Even a nice slow spot behind a large rock. Water temp was 52 degrees. Not a single hit. We've been trying for 3 years and haven't hooked a single shad yet. What am I doing wrong?

Question, and please excuse my ignorance. I have always used a single dart but would like to try a double rig. How do you guys attach the second dart? Yes, you'd think I would know this by now but I was never interested in having a "trailer." A photo or a URL link to a site with photos would be helpful. I am glad to be retired and have more time to spend "chatting" with you guys on here. By the way, I worked 14 years for the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor in Easton. Offices are next to the Lehigh Canal, where the mule boat canal ride is located. There is no way the dams are coming down. I have said time and again that those ladders at Easton and Glendon would work a lot better if they were cleaned out prior to the start of the shad season. When the ladders first operated, the Easton ladder passed up tp 7,000 shad. They do work, and they are working now. Are they perfect? No, but like every other mechanical device on Earth, the ladders require annual or semi-annual maintenance. Of course there would be more shad in the Lehigh without dams, but that's not going to happen. The City of Easton and the D&L have a vested interest in keeping the Lehigh Canal watered for tourism. Taking down the Glendon dam would eliminate ater in 2.5 miles of canal from below the Glendon dam downstream. Eliminated the Easton dam would eliminate water in the Delaware Canal, and although it is waterless right now, a pretty powerful group of people in the Friends of the Delaware non-profit want the water back. They have connections in high places in PA. So, my recommendation is to get DRFSA volunteers and DCNR staff from Delaware Canal State Park to coordinate efforts and clean out the two ladders every February or early March. Just shut the water off and clean out the chambers, and then have DCNR clear out some of the debris and sediment that collects at the top of the ladder where the water enters and fish exit into the Lehigh. Everything with those ladders is based on making the flow at the bottom fast enough to attract the shad. The flow can't be at its fastest if the chambers aren't able to hold enough water because they're semi-clogged with muck. You'll never get those dams to come down.

Source Paflyfish http://www.paflyfish.com/forums/Open-Forums/Conservation/Lehigh-River-Dam-Study/6,17347.html

To Al Flannery re: "catfish". I have caught them from shore and from boat. When I do from shore, a metal sand spike is required and I if I can find a secure place to drive it in, downstream of where I am shad fishing, I will seek a spot where water is at least 8' deep and use a 2 ounce bank sinker to hold bottom. Catch a fresh shad for bait. Scale and cut good size bait strip. Make a loop with 8# mono and thread it through a 3 way swivel to use to hold the sinker. 30" of 20# leader and a 4/0 circle hook. 15 to 20" braid line. If the sinker gets stuck to bottom, the hope is the mono securing it to the 3 way swivel will break first. Set drag loose enough so that a big cat won't pull the sandspike out of ground and just tight enough to hook the fish. Circle hooks are great for this and usually avoid gut-hooking the fish for catch and release. Many a time I have caught a channel cat over 9# while shad fishing. Sometimes it takes a while for me to get out of the water and tend to the rod but it works. From boat - same principal. Morning trips I will often work a fresh strip of shad into the shad array of rods and have been rewarded with a big cat. Evening boat trips, will save a shad for bait, quit shad around 5PM and then go find the deepest holes in the area I am fishing and put multiple rods out for cats... Haven't gotten anything beyond the teens yet - goal is to get a 20# channel cat. My buddy got one over 30# several years back from his kayak.

Rob - my historical favorite spots N of Bushkill, have had tremendous success on small darts for 40 years. I can catch spoons with regularity in Lambertville the few times I have gone there and totally agree it keeps the lines in longer than flatlining darts with inline sinkers. I put a small split shot ahead of divers and when river is stained and has debris, it keeps you in the zone longer. But still way north where I prefer, I have yet to see spoons and divers outfish my dart methods from boat. From shore, I am seeing them as equal. I have a rod rigged for each - and of late see that they seem to catch equally. Last year, with more turbid stained water, many days the spoons did better than darts. In clear water over 50 degrees I love a 6 rod dart spread though. I am a creature of habit, hard for me to convert totally over to spoons but I now have a large collection of spoons and divers so it is fun to be an old dog learning new tricks. Seems I should be fishing my more northern spots and get away from the Gap area. Buddy of mine fished under Lambertville bridge with his kayak last two days and it sucked there too. (he is good diver/spoon fisherman there). Only difference was in kayak he could fish 2 rods instead of 3 from his boat. He got 3 Friday and 2 Saturday in several hours of fishing so not like there is a big run still sitting way down south to come up.

Wading & caught 5 above the gap Sat. missed a few. Couple of the row fought pretty good. Nothing real big again. Lots and lots of boat & foot traffic which is understandable everyone wants out of the house.

Shad Harris do you find the cats in the main current of the river or in deeper slower holes??? Last year I had a catfish rod out in a slower deep eddy (from shore) and didn’t get a tap. But at least the Shad were biting 25 yards up the river this time last year. Not so much this year...

Weather man says the heaviest rain will be Easton and north .65 inch and we'll see 30s at night again - Aaaaaahhh.

Hi. Fished from10:30 to 4:30 today at Riegelsville. Water temp 46 degrees. Hooked 11, got 8 in the net. Fishing was good between 2 and 4:15. Kept my limit for the smoker (can't wait). I had a small buck shad that was about 12 inches; never saw one that small, and yes, it was a shad. Also had some nice roe but as everyone is saying, they are smaller than in the "old days." The old days . . . ha ha. I'm sure many of you remember when the average roe was about 23". Heck, I once had a buck that was 23". Five-pound roes were "meh." Six-pounders were common and the tournament in Easton usually had a winner that was 7 pounds or more. That did go down over time but I'm just surprised that the roe I caught and kept today were 21-22" Oh, well. I'm not complaining; I had a heck of a good time on the river. By the way, 1/6 oz. darts and two #3 shot did the trick today.