The Shad Have Arrived at Fletcher’s Cove!

At Fletcher’s Cove in Washington, DC, The first shad of 2023 was caught on March 1, which is early compared to most years. But, a cold snap and some rainy weather stymied the shad run. I gave it a whirl a few days after that first reported catch, but got doddly squat despite fishing four different known shad spots over a half mile stretch.

Come the last week of March, the shad showed up in considerable numbers. On April 4, I finally got out there and was amply rewarded. I got a nice one on my third cast. During my four hours of fishing, I landed between 25 and 30 shad, most were hickories but there were several Americans.

In the next few weeks, the shad run will grow more intense and anglers may find themselves catching fish on cast after csat. (Last year, if memory serves, my record was fish on seven consecutive casts and nine out of ten.)

If you have questions about how to catch shad, check out my instructional posts. Shad fishing is an annual spring rite, and a very fun one.