Fly Fishing for Shad on the Lower Sacramento River

Fly fishing for Shad, commonly referred to as "poor-man's Tarpon," is one of the most exciting angling opportunities in the Central Valley. Shad are known for their acrobatic battles and unwillingness to ever quit fighting once hooked. These silver-sided fish average 2-3 pounds, but are so strong they often feel more like three or four times their size, as they run, jump, run, jump, run, jump, thrash, thrash, thrash. Even better, once you’ve found a school of shad, it’s not uncommon to hook dozens of fish in a short period of time, or until your arm gets tired.

Seasons

Shad migrate upriver to spawn, much like their anadromous cousins the salmon and steelhead of the Central Valley. They typically begin to show in the lower sections of the Sacramento River system in late spring, and begin to amass in the river near Corning each summer by early June, staying in the river throughout the months of June and the first half of July. The best times of year to target Shad is from June to July.

Click here for more detailed information on the seasons for Shad Fishing

Fly Fishing for Shad

We target Shad using jet boats to access various riffles in the Lower Sacramento River, south of Red Bluff. Our guides will generally either pull up to productive riffles and runs, where anglers wade the flat, easily-waded gravel, or anchor the boats above deeper runs that cannot be accessed from shore. Casting shooting-head and sink-tip setups with single or double-handed rods is the most effective technique, and once a school of fish is found, the action is often hot and heavy until your arms are sore.

Shad fishing is done primarily by swinging flies on sink-tip or full-sinking lines, similar to traditional steelhead style fishing. In fact steelheaders have come to love shad fishing because it’s the same style of fishing with a lot more action. And it’s a great way to fish the popular two-handed spey rods, which enable anglers to cover more water and hook more shad on the broad Lower Sacramento River.

As if a day full of catching exciting Shad one after another isn't enough, there are often bigger, even more powerful Stripers chasing them around. Shad anglers occasionally hook into Stripers, and sometimes Shad and Striper trips can even be combined.