The Seasons for Shad

The Lower Sacramento River is open to fishing year round, but Shad are only available in the river at certain times of the year. We’ve discovered that June and July are the best times of year to target Shad on the fly rod.

June and July

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 the end of May or early June, staying in the river throughout the months of June and the first half of July.

Midsummer in the Central Valley can be hot, with daytime highs often breaking 100 degrees. Our guides beat the heat by either starting early in the morning and getting off the water before it gets too hot, or by starting late and fishing into the cooler evening hours. In addition, the jet boats serve a double function as speedy transportation from one fishing spot to the next and as a giant air conditioner, sending refreshing cool air whisking past angler’s sweat-lined brows during the hotter parts of the afternoon.