Shad fishing on the James River in Richmond Virginia. Tis' the season, so I had to go get in on the action. Took us a little while to dial them in but once we did, the action was pretty steady. Few other species too!
You're in my hometown, so I can only offer advice. Be patient, and let the fish take the bait BEFORE trying to set the hook. You're rushing the hook set!🤣🤣🤣 That's why you're feeling bites & missing. Be easy. Shad are super easy to catch, if you're relaxed and patient with your process. You're setting quickly like you're out in the bay. Shad will nip all day, but the first nip or two are simply test nibbles. Give'em a reason to take it by NOT trying the hair on fire hook set.😂 We've fished this river for thousands of years, and patience is as important as control. It's almost like catching sheepshead. You have to let them take it to secure a good hook set. In many cases, you can adjust your drag and let the fish hook themselves with only your drag setting or 1 full crank. There's plenty to eat, so the fish aren't really competing for food in our river. The bay is a little different due to the 50 or so species of sharks, and many other toothy deep sea fish hunting and/or spawning in our Bay. The James fishes a little differently than the Susq, Rap, or other rivers. All have many of the same fish, but they don't all behave the same.
You need a pink head and chartreuse body 2" or 3" curly tail on the same tandem rig. We catch a lot of them in the cape fear river at the lock and dam 1 and 2.
I don’t catch them to eat, but I do use them for bait. I catch them in the Ohio river with Bobby G crappie jigs and 1/32 oz jig heads and work the just like you were but even faster in the current. You got a great channel thanks for sharing.
Wow, did I learn something today? I didn’t know that she could catch shad with a fishing rod. I’ve always use a castnet, but I never liked having to catch the little ones only for them to get stuck in your net and then die but now there’s a techniques that I can learn where I can catch just the right size bait to go after them big boys, and I’m originally from Oklahoma
I live up in Easton, PA and the Shad Festival on the Delaware river is a huge deal. They have a shad tournament and the whole thing seems to be a real big deal. I have lived here for 30 years and never caught one. Never really tried but I figured to try this year.
