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The arrival of spring sparks anticipation within the winter weary
anglers of Southern New England. Many have taken to the hard water during
the cold months in an effort to escape the cabin fever that accompanies the
long winter fishing sabbatical. Freshwater enthusiasts here in Rhode Island
anxiously await the Opening Day Ritual and the terrific early season trout
fishing that follows. Largemouth bass chasers get ready for the pre-spawn
activity just over the horizon. The expectancy of the first schoolie of the
season is the motivation that stimulates the spirits of those who take it
to the salt.
For the last several seasons there has been another angler friendly
visitor to our shores that joins the
striper, usually sometime in May, in providing an additional early season
adversary. The Hickory Shad, an acrobatic mini tarpon clone, has invaded our
tidal ponds and other bait holding stretches along the beachfront. They share
several characteristics with their look alike distant cousins including large
scales, a bright silver color and an uncanny leaping ability. These cartwheeling
battlers have convened on this area in ascending numbers for pretty much
the last decade. This infusion has furnished us with a consistent light tackle
fishery to complement the glut of schoolies we have enjoyed for the last
few years.
Both of these species can be found in virtually the same places
at the same time and usually chasing the same bait. Most of the time they
are easily identified when they take your offering as the bass will normally
bulldog down deep while the Hickory literally flings himself into the air
once he feels the steel. These wild antics combine with a soft mouth to severely
limit your hook-up to actual hand release ratio. These guy are much more prone
to the "long range release system". If you can boat or land one out of three,
you're doing all right.
TOOLS
In order to optimize the sporting characteristics of these
battlers, a light-spinning outfit is ideal. Downsized versions of baitcasting
ris also nicely fill the bill. Four to six pound test is about right although
many anglers opt for 8 to 10. The rationale being that Striped Bass, and recently,
Squeategue, often
As for lures, traditional shad darts are a good place to start. Small bucktails
of 1/8 to 3/16, and in stronger currents 1/4 ounce are also very effective.
When speaking of colors, yellow and white are productive, as are most of the
gourdy colors. Chartreuse is my favorite for these fish as well as most any
gamefish I pursue. Many fishermen add a curlytail grub to enhance the action
on jigs, as do I in most cases, but with the Hickories I find the added bulk
impedes a good hookset.
Metals will also take Shad. Just about any of the Acme Lures (Kastmaster,
Little Cleo, etc.) in sizes fitting for trout, along with small Swedish Pimples,
work fine. Again, loud colors and shiny metallics will draw the most attention.
TIMES
The most productive times to catch Shad are from just before
dawn until sunrise and again from dusk until dark. At these times the fish
are frequently visible on the surface. Cloudy, overcast conditions will generally
keep them active later into the morning and often throughout the day. There
is no hard and fast rule intimating that they won't hit in bright daylight,
and though I've taken more than a few under those circumstances low light
conditions are far more suited to success.
TIDES
Moving water is another key to the activity of Hickory Shad.
For this reason you'll most often find them where tidal flows get funneled
within salt ponds or where two flows merge together. Areas along the shore
where various structures and bottom configurations cause a stronger flow will
also draw these fish.
WHERE
There are a number of spots that are reliable Shad haunts
scattered along the South Shore. I'll start with the one closest to my slip
in East Matunuck. The confluence at which Potter's Pond meets Great Salt Pond
right in front of the docks at Snug Harbor holds fish pretty much throughout
the season. The channel markers in front of Southern View Marina and Pt.
Judith Marina are also active in late summer and fall.
The sand bar that separates the Jerusalem channel from the Galilee
channel often accommodates a few boats anchored or drifting and casting lures
and flies. Fly fishing, incidentally, is a very effectual method of pursuing
these Hickories although not one I'm familiar with. The rocky areas adjacent
to the Great Island Bridge offer a good place to fish from shore.
Moving down the pond, the area from the end of the Short Wall at
George's and the opposing bend in the West Wall right on out to the first
red can in the Harbor of Refuge will hold fish on a daily basis as faithfully
as anywhere in the region. From late summer right until the season's end,
the southern most tip of the West Wall is a magnate to migrating fish.
As we move down the shore, the rocky terrain at Deep Hole held
massive schools of Hickory Shad and School Bass last October and early November
to the extent that they'd wear you out catching them before the sun had fully
risen.
Further west, the beaches and boulders at Green Hill hosted fish
all season. Ninegret Pond and the Charlestown Breachway also held large schools
of Shad from May till closing time around Thanksgiving. Most of these fish
by the end of the season ranged from 18 to 22 inches and could put on quite
a show.
Hickory Shad could be classified as simply an oversized forage
fish and they are actually quite productive as chunk bait for Bass and Blues.
The truth is they're much more than that. Anyone who has hooked one on proportionate
tackle will verify these mini-tarpon always give you your money's worth and
are a welcomed addition to the light tackle opportunities available along
R. I.'s South Shore.
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