Hi Guys

Watched a program the other day they caught "Shad" on the fly !!

To be honest i had heard of them but always thought they were sea fish like mackeral etc

I have to say im intrigued and a little ashamed i did not know they spawn in rivers like salmon etc

I take it they are rare ? or perhaps common in only certain rivers.

Anyone caught one ??

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Hi,

I got this one last summer on the Wye in June it took a GRHE, at the time I had no idea what it was, I had never even heard of a shad. My brother was with me and he knew what it was.

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They are a bit mysterious but there are a few rivers with them. Obviously the Severn/Wye system and I think Jon Beer has written about them. I have seen a pic of one caught on the Tay system and I have heard rumours of them on a small burn running into the Forth.
So there are probably a lot more about than we know. I would imagine that a few are caught and returned without people knowing what they are.

Quite a few different Shad. In North America it's the Shad run at the moment and they get plenty and some quite big fish as well, our run is limited to a few rivers these days sadley.

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I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling,

And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel,

And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Tony http://timebytheriver.blogspot.com/

You used to be able to fish for them but i think i am right in saying that you are no longer able to target them.

They are a protected species.

WCB

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We have two species of shad, the Allis Sad and Twaite Shad. No-one has caught or even seen a definite Allis Shad on the Wye for as long as I can remember but large numbers of Twaite Shad run several rivers on our western coasts. They are most numerous in the Wye and Severn but also occur in the Towy, Usk and maybe one or two other rivers. Also I think in the Barrow and Nore in Ireland.

Most books will suggest that Twaite Shad have black spots and some do, but others do not as confirmed by Mikgee's photo above.

They are called Mayfish on the Wye which tells you when they run. They will be in the rivers now, do not need a flood to run, they ascend many miles (at least 100) to spawn and disappear by the end of June.

They will take flies and small spinners willingly, even bare silver hooks, and are a positive nuisance whilst salmon fishing as they bump the bait without taking them very often. They fight really well and jump, not surprising as they are related to tarpon. They are not huge, the record is just over 3lbs and a 2lber is a good one but also catching one under 1lb is the exception. The record was actually caught in the sea and listed as a salt water record.

wcb is quite correct in saying that they are now protected and you are not allowed to fish deliberately for them despite the very large numbers in some rivers.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Hi,

I was fortunate to catch a Shad on the river Usk two weeks ago; and at first I didn't know what it was; thought it might have been a small Grayling, then I remembered seeing a photo of a similar fish on the FFF, Usk thread, checked it out; and sure enough it was a Shad, first one I'd seen!

I believe it's illegal to target this species; although, if you catch one by accident, as I did! - Just return it to the water, as quickly as possible!

If you've got the opportunity to target shad, do it, they offer an incredible fight with their extraordinnary power.

See how a salmon 2 hands rod could bend with a 70cm shad on the fly :
http://www.michel-flenet.com/divers/..._32_large.html

That's full sport :
http://www.michel-flenet.com/divers/..._30_large.html

What a cracking fish !!
http://www.michel-flenet.com/divers/..._13_large.html

Having recently been looking at the EA website I see that in fact, unless covered by other legislation, I was wrong and it is only currently illegal to fish for Allis Shad which are so rare that it is inconceivable that anyone could actually fish for them.

The EA have recently been out to consultation on fishing for and removing other species and they speculate that this ban might soon be extended to Twaite Shad but it doesn't currently. If fishing for Twaite Shad is already covered by other legislation I wonder why the EA would bother seeking powers to take these measures.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Hi Sewin.
Let me know if you can target TS for sure, as myself and Steve Cullen spent a day doing an article(and I did a load of writing too!) for his magazine. This got shelved because of the percieved law change, it would be nice if it could get used...just for me to see the pics of the day in print and i'd get paid!!!
Great fun fishing for them but you have a small time window and limited rivers to target. Nice to have just done it once or twice if they are now off limits.
I fancy a go at the big ones in France but that is more of a mission than getting to Wales at just the right time.
Cheers.
Dee

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