The first fish were caught on march 7 according to the Shad Report. I caught my first seven shad —all hickories— on March 17, 2024.
The fish were hammering silver spoons, although some were caught on darts. To catch them, you had to get your baits down in thw swift current. For me, that meant using a dart-spoon combo rig and adding two splitshot high up the leader. Below is a quickie video showing how to tie this rig.
For more tips on catching shad, surf the posts at https://kosarfishing.wordpress.com/?s=shad.
Have fun—and remember: treat the fish gently and put them back in the water. It is against the law to keep shad in Washington, DC.
Kosar's Fishing Notes 