American Shad Invasion: Cash in On the Migration

Some of Capt. Mark Benson’s clients travel the world chasing top-tier targets like marlin, Atlantic salmon and roosterfish. But when a bunch of beautiful little distance swimmers that weigh just 2 to 5 pounds pile into Florida’s St. Johns River, many of those same globe-trotting anglers make a bee line to the Sunshine State. Given the sporting nature of the relatively modest fish, that’s not surprising.

We’re talking about American shad, an anadromous species that leaves its Atlantic Ocean home in droves and travels thousands of miles to swim up Southern rivers and spawn in the waters of their birth. Also known as Atlantic, common and white shad, American shad are aggressive and well tooled to thrill fly-fishermen and light-tackle anglers alike.

“I call them Southern steelhead. In Florida, they’re as close as you can get to trout or salmon,” says Benson, a former marine biologist for Sea World who now serves as director of fly fishing for the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, leading guests to a variety of Florida species.

A SOUTHEASTERN EXPERIENCE

Benson mostly fishes the St. Johns River between Lake Harney and the Cocoa area, focusing on hard-bottom, braided channels and the steady current that serves the shad’s reproductive plans. He says that spawning runs start as early as November in Florida, with the action sometimes lasting until early May.

“The timing of the run gets progressively later as you go north, with March through May generally producing most consistently throughout the fish’s range,” Benson explains.

For South Carolina’s Patrick Walters, shad fishing not only offers the occasional break from his more demanding Bassmaster Elite Series pursuits, it also brings back fond childhood memories. He warmly recalls running up the rivers on chilly mornings in a 15-foot aluminum boat with a 25-horsepower outboard.

“You had to get out before the sun came up, because you were racing other people to the [shad] hole. So we’d be all bundled up,” Walters says. “In the Cooper River, everybody runs to the tailrace. There’s a big eddy there, so the first three boats got the best spots in the entire run. Sometimes there would be 30 boats, and we’d all get in a line and tie up on the bank.”

Capt. Mitchell Blake, based in Washington, N.C., targets shad in the Roanoke, Pamlico/Tar and Neuse rivers. Typically starting in February, he guides anglers to what he describes as an instant addiction.

“Shad fishing can be the most fun you’ll ever experience,” he says. “It’s great for kids and beginners, and it’s fail-proof.”

THE SHAD SPAWN

Data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service shows that peak spawning temperature for American shad is 65.3 degrees, and the fish spawn multiple times when they enter the rivers.

“Shad broadcast-spawn from dusk till about midnight, and you’ll have as many as four or five males trying to deposit sperm in the area where a female releases her eggs,” says Benson. “Current is really important because it helps keep the eggs and sperm suspended [for fertilization]. Once fertilized, the eggs sink to the bottom, so shad want a clean, sandy area, shaped kind of like a washboard, where the eggs will accumulate in the little valleys between the high points. The current keeps detritus from settling on top of them, so you gotta look for the fastest water and then start prospecting.”

In dammed rivers, the tailrace will be your most reliable spot, but dodging the crowds and snooping around other swift-water areas can deliver the goods. While the experience and local insight of a guide are hard to beat, DIY anglers focusing on the water flow can certainly locate fish. The key is to figure out what sections of the river have the fastest flow, based on the water-level height.

“It’s a bit complicated if you don’t have a season or two under your belt,” says Benson, though word-of-mouth can be a big help in pinpointing top areas. “Otherwise, run upriver until you find the fastest water, then work your way back.”

LOCATE THE ACTION

While some biologists believe that shad stop feeding during spawning runs, Benson has often seen them gobbling eastern mosquitofish at the surface. Blake thinks their metabolism or mood changes as the fish near their spawning areas. And, in Blake’s experience, shad will reach certain zones where they become fishable.

“We usually don’t start fishing them until they hit a particular spot in the river system and start biting,” the guide explains. “There are spots where you can catch them like crazy. But is it that their food source changes, or that the fish become aggressive when they get close to their spawning grounds?”

As an example, Blake points to Pitch Kettle, a bend in the Neuse River about 20 miles from Pamlico Sound, where he finds dependable action. Closer to the sound, a spot called Cow Pen Landing fires up earlier but with less consistency. “Cow Pen Landing is where shad start becoming catchable,” Blake says. “But once they hit Pitch Kettle, [the bite] gets really good.”

After years of keeping tabs on the shad patterns, Benson has narrowed down his starting points on the St. Johns River to three main areas. The first is the stretch from Cameron Wight Boat Ramp upstream to Lemon Bluff. The next is from C.S. Lee Boat Ramp to Puzzle Lake, including the Econ River mouth, which Benson calls the most recognized “X” spot for shad. The third is from the Highway 50 Boat Ramp to Tosohatchee Powerline Road, 5 miles upstream.

Alert anglers often pick up on visual clues like feeding fish showing, terns diving to pick up small baitfish or other folks casting and hooking up. Blake says local fishing reports can provide key pointers for locations and conditions. Once on site, a courteous greeting and polite inquiries often bear advice from the more experienced.

BASIC GAME PLAN

Although anglers fishing from the bank do catch fish, the mobility, efficiency and safety a boat or paddlecraft provides (especially in Florida, where alligators make bank fishing dicey in some areas) tend to make shad fishing more productive. A boat, kayak or canoe also enables trolling, but casting while anchored or staked out will earn plenty of bites.

Blake says online chatter is a beginner’s best resource, so check fishing forums and local guides’ social media posts. To shorten the learning curve, he also suggests keeping an eye out for seminars by shad gurus often scheduled by fly shops and tackle stores.

“Anglers who are really good at it can catch 20, 50 or more fish by paying really close attention to eddies and current seams and working them from different angles,” says Blake. “Sometimes the shad want to be on the inside of the seam. Other times they want to be on the outside.”

It’s not unusual for one angler to catch fish after fish while others around him get few bites. Walters says it’s crucial to find the right retrieve cadence and depth for your bait. On certain occasions, the sweet spot will be close to the bottom. On others, it’ll be closer to the top.

“Overcast conditions are OK, but I really like sunny days so the fish will see lures and flies better,” says Benson. “If I’m prospecting, I use spinning gear to cover water, then switch to the fly rod once I find the shad. You don’t have to impart any action. Simply keep the jig or fly somewhere between mid-water and just off the bottom.”

No matter the gear, the bite is light. Shad have very tender mouths, so you don’t have to pull hard to get a solid hookup and enjoy the ensuing acrobatics.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Benson recommends light to medium spinning gear and 1/16- to 1/8-ounce jig heads rigged with 2-inch curly tails or small, pre-rigged swimbaits like the D.O.A. Tiny TerrorEyz.

“Cast quartering upstream and base your retrieve rate on the speed of the current,” Benson says.

Walters likes Aerojig’s Shad Darts, with their broad, angled heads, tapering bodies and bucktails at the end, but standard crappie jigs also work well. In both cases, chartreuse is considered the top color.

For fly enthusiasts, a 5-weight trout outfit with floating line and a leader ending with an 8-pound tippet is all that’s required. Though some shad chasers swear by specific fly patterns, Benson says anything that mimics a small minnow will do the trick.

Blake does a lot of his shad work with a “double rig,” comprising a pair of small jigs with plastic grubs or a jig-and-grub up front and a small, silver, gold or pink spoon on the rear. Both setups cluster the offerings and occasionally yield doubleheaders. When both options fail, downsizing further is the way to go.

For fly-fishing, Blake ties small Clouser Minnow flies with Iceland horse hair, a material that has fine movement and tends to interest more fish.

SHAD-RUN RIVERS

As American shad make their annual spawning run, they’ll be heading to these coastal rivers along the Eastern Seaboard.

• North Carolina: Most of the shad fishing in the state occurs in the Neuse, Chowan, Roanoke, Cape Fear and Tar rivers, with the latter two typically leading the charge. The Cape Fear River’s locks and dams near Tarheel, Elizabethtown and Riegelwood offer dependable action. Bank and boat anglers often do well fishing the Tar River near Battle Park in Rocky Mount and Bell’s Bridge north of Tarboro. You’ll find additional info at ncwildlife.org.
• South Carolina: The majority of the Palmetto State’s American shad effort is concentrated in the Santee and Cooper rivers. The state has taken significant steps to facilitate the fish’s natural travel routes, constructing fish locks at the Pinopolis (Cooper River) and St. Stephens (Cooper River Rediversion Project) dams. Visit dnr.sc.gov for more details.
• Georgia: Several rivers, including the Satilla and St. Mary’s, host annual shad runs, but the Altamaha and Savannah see the majority of the fish and fishermen. Formed by the confluence of the Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers, the Altamaha is the third largest source of freshwater to the Atlantic Ocean on North America’s eastern shores. Draining approximately a quarter of the state, the Altamaha flows unimpeded for 137 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. The Savannah River, which begins where the Tugaloo and Seneca rivers merge, sees a recreational shad focus around the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam (NSBLD). Halting the shad migration, this barrier congregates fish and fishermen. In 2014, safety concerns prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to close bank access to the lock wall. You’ll find more info at georgiawildlife.com.
• Florida: Dominating the Sunshine State’s shad activity, the St. Johns River stretches 310 miles from its marshy headwaters in Lower Indian River County to its Atlantic Ocean exit through Jacksonville’s Mayport Inlet. Florida’s longest and only north-flowing river, the St. Johns is fed mostly by stormwater and natural springs. Its low flow rate of 0.3 mph classifies it as a “lazy” river. Visit myfwc.com for full details.

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This article was featured in the March 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe

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