# Shad 2008



## bottomrig (Sep 29, 2005)

As I see it shad should start arriving in the James River near Richmond in about 18 days.

Years past not counting for floods or cold snaps the shad slowly begin around St. Patty's day.

I have spoons in the box,
darts in the holder.
extra food
gas in the boat and the glitter of silver scales in front of my eyes.

I will be checking from now until the fish arrive with the dogwood blooms. Any info will be passed on to you good anglers.

Please keep me in mind if you hear any shad news.

I will be on the water in a white 18ft seafox near Ancarrows.

Say Hi...

See ya on the water,

bottomrig


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## obxsharker2 (Aug 2, 2007)

*herring???*

hey bottomrig do you no when the herring will show up in the rappahanock river? jus curious?
also. are the shad gonna be showin up in the rappahanock at the same time as the james??

tight lines!!!

dalton


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## bottomrig (Sep 29, 2005)

I don't have any information on the Rappahanock.

I fish for herring at Walkers on the Chick, and shad and herring on the James near Richmond.

I watch old tales of the shad arriving when the dogwood blooms and look for cobia with the fireflies. These old tales are fairly near to the mark. 

Even the groundhog saying six more weeks of winter comes out to almost St. Patty's day with chronological spring at or near March 20th.

All of that said I would guess the Rapp would be fairly close or maybe a little after the James.

Maybe another angler can add more.
When I start hearing from my contacts or start catching I will let you know.

Mark:fishing:


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## saltandsand (Nov 29, 2007)

Are there any places to fish from shore (catch and take) for shad in Va.?


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## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

Walker's Dam as Mark mentioned. It can get pretty crowded there though.


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## RAYTOG (Feb 2, 2008)

Right Now There Is No Access To The Fishing Area At The Dam,but You Can Fish From A Boat. The Dam Break Really Messed Up The Loch .


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

you can fish from annacrows or from the rocketts landing side. but it gets crowded....


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## Lip Ripper (Dec 8, 2003)

in fredericksburg you can go to the city docks and catch shad/herring all day. as long as you are east of the rt.1 bridge you can keep em.

sabiki for herring
for shad- shad dart with a gold spoon trailing 18in behind. usually when they first show up, you have to barely drag on the bottom, them when they are running hard you can speed the retrieve up. 

then after you catch a herring, go down the river a mile or so, throw a hook in his ass and catch one of those 30+in striper that nobody knows are there.


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

There are NO shad in the Rapp at Fredericksburg!!!









But there will be soon....and I will get the first one.


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## RAYTOG (Feb 2, 2008)

My Boss Lives Across The Street From The Docks, So When They Show Up I'll Be Bringing My Kayaks Up There.anyone Else, I've Got 3?

Darren


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## obxsharker2 (Aug 2, 2007)

*hey lipripper*

me and you need to hook up and get some of those herring...haha and as you said about the striper looks like me an u arew the only two who no about them lol...love doin that...but we should realy hook up during the herring run...

tight lines!!

dalton


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## obxsharker2 (Aug 2, 2007)

*hey raytog*

wish i had a yak..never paddled in one, let alone fish outa one..never even ben on a boat out in the rappahanock...if i find a yak i will deff. take you up on the offer..

tight lines!!

dalton


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Lip Ripper said:


> in fredericksburg you can go to the city docks and catch shad/herring all day. as long as you are east of the rt.1 bridge you can keep em.
> 
> Whoa, whoa, whoa guy. You better be careful about such blanket statements. All shad are not created equal. The white shad (American) is making a comeback in VA waters (including the Rapp) and it is now common to catch them mixed in with the hickories. But because the white populations have not recovered enough, as of yet, it is still illegal to keep them. Most folks cannot tell the difference between a large hickory and a small white, but the man can. If he looks in your cooler and sees a white shad, you will find yourself standing in front of the judge.


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## obxsharker2 (Aug 2, 2007)

*that is very true*

I have seen the man down on the dock on accasion...one time i seen a guy put 2 white shad in his bucket and the "man" came by an told him to empty his bucket..the warden looked right at them an said nice hickories..i was in dibelief that the warden didnt notice the difference...after he left i quikly told the mna fishing they wer white and to throw them back and he did promtly...the warden was probly a newbie though...so if you catch a shad an dont no if its a hickory or a white then ask someone an if they dnt then jus throw it back...it aint worth the ticket jus for a fish fry..

tight lines!!

dalton


tight lines!!


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## Lip Ripper (Dec 8, 2003)

Oyster said:


> Lip Ripper said:
> 
> 
> > in fredericksburg you can go to the city docks and catch shad/herring all day. as long as you are east of the rt.1 bridge you can keep em.
> ...


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

how do you tell the difference other than size?


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Lip Ripper
sorry said:


> Don’t assume anything, even your own regs knowledge, because the statement, “as long as you are east of the rt.1 bridge you can keep em.”, is incorrect as well. You can keep herring and hickories on both sides of the bridge. The Rt. 1 bridge is the dividing ling between the jurisdictions of the VDGIF and VMRC. However, VDGIF does not regulate any saltwater fishes and the VDGIF game wardens apply VMRC regs to herring, shad and rockfish above the bridge. VMRC has no regs for the recreational taking of herring or hickories; therefore, it is legal to keep herring and hickory shad west of the Rt. 1 bridge. You can also keep rockfish west of the line as long as the VMRC regs as to season, size and creel limits are obeyed.


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

bluefish1928 said:


> how do you tell the difference other than size?


http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife/fish/details.asp?fish=010040

http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife/fish/details.asp?fish=010039


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## Lip Ripper (Dec 8, 2003)

Oyster said:


> Lip Ripper
> sorry said:
> 
> 
> ...


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

Ok let me break it down.

You can keep herring up to the site of the old dam. As for the shad the line is the Falmouth bridge and keeping any shad upstream of the bridge is illegal.

As far as the american shad....there still are not a whole lot being caught, but they are starting to make a comeback. They are Illegal (to keep)for all of the bay tributaries. I talked to many fishermen that claimed to catch a bunch of americans and usually it turns out that they are catching gizzard shad

Also the wardens do not know the difference. I fish the run almost every day and have seen the wardens "check" buckets and they don't know herring from shad let alone a hickory from an american.


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

OH....and the herring are here already.
BUT they are the alewife herring not the bluebacks. They are sitting in a few deep holes waiting for some warmer water to move any farther upstream.

It won't be long now...

Mitch


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## obxsharker2 (Aug 2, 2007)

*thanks mitch*

thnks for the tip..ima start getting out the ultra light rods soon...might hit the dock this weekend..LIP RIPPER.. you are right my friend...about the shad, i have had the warden right a friend a ticket for keeping one up past the fall line...

tight lines!!

dalton


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## obxsharker2 (Aug 2, 2007)

*hey mitch*

you say you fish the runn everyday..theres a chance if you fish the city dock that we have probly exchanged words...

im the feller to the right..those cats were caught from the dock as well

http://a929.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/97/l_93d6683887fb11601b970263ec54c488.jpg

tight lines


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Lip Ripper said:


> Oyster said:
> 
> 
> > why dont you come to fredericksburg, and let the "MAN" know that he is wrong, and all those tickets dont count.
> ...


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

Herring.... http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/meetings/minutes/031207_Wildlife_and_Boat_Committee_Meeting_Minutes.pdf

(3) Demarcation line on the Rappahannock River for "No possession (catch and release only)" of anadromous (coastal) alewife and blueback herring.
Staff consideration: Modify the regulation demarcation line for anadromous (coastal) alewife and blueback herring on the Rappahannock River by adding "the remnants of" before "Embrey Dam." By making this read "the remnants of Embrey Dam," it will establish that the north and south shore abutments (historic remnants left after dam removal) now mark the regulation demarcation line.


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

an easy way to tell if you cant just by looking at them.

the hickory(the ones u'll be catching the most of) will have an underbite. his bottom lip will jut out just a tad over his top lip


the american(usually MUCH much larger) will have flush lips.


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## bottomrig (Sep 29, 2005)

I have noticed the American (white) are a whiter color with faint spots along the back and tend to run much larger. 

The hickories have a what I consider a more olive dorsal and silvery sides. And I do agree that the shape of the mouth is the most distinctive way of identifing which fish you have landed.

Question earlier was land access around the Chick and the James. Other than what has been mentioned I can only add the public pier at Osbourne boat landing has some caught there, although I am not sure how many.

If you fish Ancarrows try and wiggle a spot near the city end. The current seems to push closer to shore and there are a couple of obstructions that cause minor swirls. I have had best land locked luck there.

It will be crowded, but almost everyone is pleasant and there to catch fish.

Watch out for the treebass above and along the quay that eat more lures than the tubes at CBBT.

And by the way. I see buds on the dogwood trees,,,

Bottomrig


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

mitchmtm1 said:


> Herring.... http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/meetings/minutes/031207_Wildlife_and_Boat_Committee_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
> 
> (3) Demarcation line on the Rappahannock River for "No possession (catch and release only)" of anadromous (coastal) alewife and blueback herring.
> Staff consideration: Modify the regulation demarcation line for anadromous (coastal) alewife and blueback herring on the Rappahannock River by adding "the remnants of" before "Embrey Dam." By making this read "the remnants of Embrey Dam," it will establish that the north and south shore abutments (historic remnants left after dam removal) now mark the regulation demarcation line.


Mitch,

Unfortunately, the document you linked and quoted is stale by a year (3/07) and no longer applies. Here is something a little fresher for you. Note the third bullet point

http://www.dgif.state.va.us/fishing/regulations/new.asp

What's New
The following fishing regulation changes are new beginning January 1, 2008. More details can be found in sections that follow this summary.
Game/Sport Fish Regulations
·	South Fork Holston and Middle Fork Holston rivers have the same walleye 18-inch minimum length limit as South Holston Reservoir (see table [PDF]). 
·	Demarcation lines for the "No possession (catch and release only)" regulation for American and Hickory Shad have been corrected (see table [PDF]). 
·	The creel and length limits for anadromous (coastal) river herring (alewife and blue back herring) above and below the fall line in all rivers of the Chesapeake Bay are set by VMRC (see table [PDF]). 
·	There is "no possession" of river herring (alewife and blueback herring) for the Meherrin, Nottoway, Blackwater (Chowan Drainage), North Landing, and Northwest rivers (see table [PDF]).


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

Oyster...You may be right about the herring. I took it from my link that they were just changing the wording of the law. I really don't think that it matters anyways since the numbers (above the dam site) haven't built to the point where it is worthwhile to "meat fish" up there yet. I net them (farther downriver) for bait and usually a couple of throws gives me a days fresh bait and a few more throws gives me a bucketful if I want to salt a few.

I noticed that in the states alewife and blueback descriptions that "Because stocks are depressed, VDGIF does not encourage harvest." I hope we are not going the way of the Carolinas and a moratorium on catches....they are my favorite rockfish (that aren't in the Rapp ) bait.


Mitch


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## DavB (Apr 15, 2000)

I threw about 10 times at Annacrows today. Nothing yet...


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

we need another week. after this system moves in and the resulting water clears from it we should be in biz


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

mitchmtm1 said:


> Oyster...You may be right about the herring. I took it from my link that they were just changing the wording of the law. I really don't think that it matters anyways since the numbers (above the dam site) haven't built to the point where it is worthwhile to "meat fish" up there yet. I net them (farther downriver) for bait and usually a couple of throws gives me a days fresh bait and a few more throws gives me a bucketful if I want to salt a few.
> 
> I noticed that in the states alewife and blueback descriptions that "Because stocks are depressed, VDGIF does not encourage harvest." I hope we are not going the way of the Carolinas and a moratorium on catches....they are my favorite rockfish (that aren't in the Rapp ) bait.
> 
> ...


You must have esp. The scuttlebutt is that VMRC is strongly considering a river herring moratorium for 09. I was recently told by one of their officials that I had better catch all the herring I want this year. Growing up, either fried salt herring or herring roe and eggs were on the plate every Sunday morning. I haven’t put any down (salted) in years, but I think I will this year so I can enjoy this great VA tradition one last time.


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## virginia boy 1 (May 8, 2003)

mitchmtm1 said:


> There are NO shad in the Rapp at Fredericksburg!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


and the following wednesday, i'll be making the drive to the burg.......


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

virginia boy 1 said:


> and the following wednesday, i'll be making the drive to the burg.......



Looking forward to it Tory....I'll let you know when it is worthwhile...and when the cats are in town.


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## glantier (Sep 12, 2006)

I try and get out at the Sportsman pool upstream of the Rt1 bridge. Can't and don't keep any but lots of fun on 4lb test ultralight. :fishing:Greg


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Here you go. This is the first report of VA shad I’ve seen this year.

http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=58696


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## mitchmtm1 (Aug 11, 2003)

Oyster said:


> Here you go. This is the first report of VA shad I’ve seen this year.
> 
> http://www.crappie.com/gr8vb3/showthread.php?t=58696


NOPE those don't count....they are from the Nottoway and sneaked in by way of North Carolina.

Soon...very soon.

Mitch


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

Nothing at the 14th st. this afternoon. Or at the locks.


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## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

mitchmtm1 said:


> NOPE those don't count....they are from the Nottoway and sneaked in by way of North Carolina.
> 
> Soon...very soon.
> 
> Mitch


Yep, them Pamlicos are a sneaky lot. But I wouldn’t kick her out just because she came in through the bathroom window.


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## charliechurch (Nov 27, 2007)

any idea when the shad should make there way up into the dc area? Also how would I go about fishing for them in fredericksburg?


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

charliechurch said:


> any idea when the shad should make there way up into the dc area? Also how would I go about fishing for them in fredericksburg?


its been quite a few years, but it should be late aprilish when its in full gear. Ask this question in the md forum, as alot of the guys that fish it are up there. Atlantaking should have some info for you as well


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Oyster said:


> Yep, them Pamlicos are a sneaky lot. But I wouldn’t kick her out just because she came in through the bathroom window.


i spit coffee. yah I try not to discriminate either!


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## bottomrig (Sep 29, 2005)

Nice fish, even if they came in from south.

Richmond area. Dogwood blooms!!! Dogwood blooms!!! Dogwood blooms!!! 

The white dogwoods are blooming as of this morning in beautiful downtown Sandston.

A little warm spell should push some fish up the river. Will let ya know..

To answer an earlier question: you can also fish from the bank and pier at Osbourne landing. Also I see A lot of people trying their luck along the bank at Henricus park near Dutch gap. I have never heard if the shad fishing is hot there. I have had reports of shad at Osbournes.

bottomrig


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

i forgot to mention. you can fish the rocks along the 14th street bridge as well. good luck finding parking!


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

charliechurch, the shad hits the Potomac in the DC area around the end of March/early April, depending on weather. Typically, when the dogwoods start blooming is a good time to start. The run in this part of the Potomac runs nearly 3 weeks. Just be sure to buy a DC non-resident license.


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