There has been a couple of questions regarding the legal status of shad in another thread.

As a person who used to include the arrival and subsequent departure of the shad in welsh rivers as an integral part of the rhythm of the year, I am sadly having to put away my shad flies with the realisation that both Twaite and Allis are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1998 revision). This makes it illegal to intentionally cause damage or harm to them. Countryside Council for Wales and Dyfed-Powys police are running a campaign to raise awareness about this on a one strike and then your out basis. This makes targeting them illegal but provided you handle them with care the inevitable ones that you catch while fishing for salmon and trout gear are not a problem.

Is someone going to tell the Otters, who are currently piling into them and the sea lamprey!

Yep, saw that on the WUF site, tied up some flies specifically too! Ah well.

TF

Welcome to the forum LDO.

Has anyone got any pictures of Shad Flies they could post and perhaps dressing instructions?

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[COLOR="Blue"]"A fish seen is a fish nearly caught"[/COLOR]

The type/tie most commonly seen on the East Coast are very different than what's used on the 'left coast.' Steve's article give you a good 'left - Pacific - coast.

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/...d_columbia.htm

Hello L.D.O; and a tentative welcome to the forum.

http://www.english-nature.org.uk/lif...cies/shad.html

Are you not confusing laws protecting the much larger, and earlier running, Allis shad (Allosa allosa) which is now very rare in Welsh waters, with the more common Twaite shad (Allosa fallax)?

I understood that these can still be caught on a C/R basis when trout fishing.
I haven't heard of this "one strike and you are out" legislation you mention either; where did you hear of it?

You may find this page of the 'River Wye Gillies Association' to be of help.

http://www.rwga.co.uk/index.php?doc=chosennews&id=108






PiB

Interesting link to the RWGA puss. There does seem to be a little confusion over this matter. I too would like to know are they or aint they legal since I'm booked on the Wye this weekend and I don't want to spend it in choky. I have contacted the WUF and EA but have no reponse so far............any further info greatly received...................birdsnest

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Fred

Brittany is the place to go it seems http://www.fishandfunbrittany.com/shad.html also the rivers of northen Spain and Portugal have good runs of shad apparently.

Not sure but I'm sure I read somewhere that you shouldn't handle shad as they suffer easily from infection once handled.

This is where I saw it, second paragraph. Doesn't say if it's Twaite or Allis that they are referring to.

http://www.wyeuskfoundation.org/fishing/reports.php

TF

Weird, in France you can actually take them to eat but here they are protected! They do look a good size in France...can see a trip there next year being a possability.
I went last week to the Usk and had a few whilst "trout" fishing...all returned and I always fish barbless.
Dee