Lower sacramento river shad fishing
American shad, also referred to as the ‘poor man’s tarpon’ average 1-3lbs and are often caught as large as 6lbs. These fish are aggressive, strike hard, and fight hard. All the qualities you want in a sport fish when you have a fly rod in hand! Did we mention its common to hook 30, 40, 50 a day?! We’ve had 100 fish days during the peak of the run!
The Lower Sacramento River shad fishery is seasonal and greatly dependent on water conditions. Essentially, big water flows equal big returns. These trips are offered primarily throughout the month of June in the Red Bluff area. Not every year offers the prime conditions that bring the huge spawning runs to our area (sign up for our email reports to get updated info before the season and in-season).
We target these fish with sinking lines where you can enjoy the aggressive tight-line grabs. Another fun technique is using floating line with a strike indicator. If you spey cast, this might be the PERFECT fishery…
Many seasons we can incorporate a shad fishing trip with trout/steelhead fishing on the same float. Challenge yourself and see if you can land all 3 in one day!
We’re here to help if you still have questions! Give us a call or send a message through the form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
