March Shadness 2024

I just got back from the Roanoke River targeting Hickory Shad during their annual spring migration.  Except for one day of wind and storms, we had a very successful week on the river.  We ran a few more trips this year than we did the previous year, and I look forward to continuing to build up this fishery as an opportunity for my anglers to enjoy.

Forget about the fish for a minute.  This river.  It's beautiful.  I never get tired of floating down it and watching the shoreline change from steep drop offs, to winding guts (feeder creeks), to low lying forests.  During the March migration of shad, the trees are just beginning to produce buds and leaves.  Quite different from the lush green foliage that dominates the riverbanks during the May Striped Bass run.  At this point you can still peer back into the forest and catch glimpses of Whitetail Deer and Turkeys.  Otters and Nutria swim down the shoreline.  Bald Eagles, Ospreys and Vultures ride the thermal above us as we drift down river.  This place is a sight to behold.

But yes, there are fish, and plenty of them.  Hickory Shad dominate the scene, although there are the less common catches of American Shad, Largemouth Bass, White Perch and Striped Bass during the late March peak of shad season. 

​I think I'm officially done talking in "numbers" when it comes to the Roanoke, it feeds expectations and can cause anglers to focus on "hitting the mark"...losing sight of all the other awesome experiences to be had on the Roanoke.  If I need to advertise big numbers to get people to come fish the Roanoke, then I am not doing a good enough job giving them a great all-around experience.

​Without talking numbers, I'll just say that the shad fishing on the Roanoke in March is as good as it gets anywhere on the East Coast from New England to Florida.  Quite possibly the biggest concentration of Hickory Shad on the planet.  I'll leave it at that.

I spend the winter months leading up to the shad run, chasing after Redfish.  I love my Reds, but we do a lot of chasing... and stalking, and searching, and getting our egos crushed in between finding Redfish that are willing to eat a fly.  Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it does require patience and a pretty decent skill set to catch winter Redfish on fly.  That's part of the charm of it, it is challenging.  Then comes March Shadness and everything changes.  We go from fishing, to catching, literally.  It's great for kids, for new fly anglers, and for pro's that just want to have a day of cast, hook, fight, release, repeat, repeat, repeat...  It's great training for someone who needs practice with a sinking line, or is working on their double haul, or wants some reps on their strip strikes.  It's also the perfect place for dad, or a grandpa, or a mom, or an uncle to get a kid absolutely hooked on the sport of fishing.  

Shad are downright willing to eat, and that's what I love about them.  Muddy water, clean water, high water, low water, fast water, slow water... they're not picky and that's their enduring quality.  They are also beautiful, energetic, and acrobatic.  They are the more user friendly, mini version of one of my favorite fish, the Silver King.

The rare Alosa sapidissima for the win!

Stretching some string.

Tiny dancer.  I don't know why someone wouldn't want to fish for shad.  Just downsize your gear and have a blast.  It ranks up there with chasing trout in a mountain stream or big bluegill on a river bank.

"Gaudy" is a shad's favorite color.

Doubles and even triples can be the norm on a good day.

I added a few TFO Panfish ultra-light rods and 1000 series reels to the stable this year.  They were perfect for slinging little jigs to the bank and were a blast to fight the shad with.

No need to get fancy, a pack of 1/16 oz crappie jigs in pink, chartreuse and white will get them fired up.  Bring plenty, because the bottom of the Roanoke is littered with rocks, logs and branches.

I brought a couple Mauser Arete 4wts rigged with Hatch 3 plus reels and SA 150gr sinking lines, which seemed about perfect for getting the flies in front of the fish.  The river was flowing at about 6500 CFS and the 150 grain lines got down into the zone with ease.

Will Paul, doing what he does best... putting his anglers in front of hungry fish.

Jump!

That's a solid Hickory Shad.  He might be trying to hold back that smile, but no doubt, fun was being had by all.

Ready for the bite.

Such an awesomely designed fish.  Did you know these fish travel from the ocean all the way up the Roanoke to spawn?  From their spawning grounds near Weldon, NC, it's a 180-mile swim to Oregon Inlet.  The crazy thing is, we don't know how many miles these fish travel beyond Oregon Inlet.  These fish probably travel several hundred miles at least, to reach their spawning grounds, and then make that journey again to get back into the depths of the ocean.  Year after year, returning to the same spawning grounds where their parents produced them.  It's just amazing!

One of my anglers brought his Mauser Waterman and Hatch Iconic Nevermore custom to try out.  I was stoked to get some shots of it in action.

I've been fishing for these Hickory Shad on the Roanoke River for 18 or 19 years now.  I haven't gotten tired of seeing them yet, and I doubt I ever will.  The run is about over for 2024, but if it's something you are interested in doing, I wouldn't let another year pass by.  I'd love to show you what the fuss is all about in the spring of 2025.

The ol' red and yellow marabou dart for the win!

Slinging some major string!

Yes please!  May I have another?  Yes you may, just make another cast.

Our little Arete 486 on the hunt.

Acrobatic show is covered under the price of admission.

You willing to bet that there might be a few shad in this bend of the river?

Brian putting another cast out there and hoping to win another prize.

Have you noticed how muddy the water is in all of these pics?  Although the water flow was pretty normal for a shad run, the water was extremely dirty this year.  Not sure what the COE was doing to cause that, but surprisingly, it seemed to have no ill effect on the bite.  I bet the shad had to be within 6" of your lure or fly to see it, but there were so many fish around, you still got bite after bite.

Paying homage to the shad before sending him back home.  

I spend a lot of my year chasing fish that can be challenging and picky.  I'm thankful for the times that I get to chase fish that are the polar opposite of "picky".

I love trying to capture the action with my camera, as much as my anglers love trying to capture the fish itself.

Fact:  It's nearly impossible to not smile while catching shad.

That moment of coming tight, that we all daydream about.

Most of my year, we rely on 8 to 10wt rods and heavy-duty reels to get the job done, so I really love the times that we get to strip it back to light-duty gear like these 4wt setups.  So much fun!

Judges give this jump a score of 9.2!  

Some days it's so good that you can catch your fill within sight of the boat ramp, other days you are thankful to have a boat and be able to move downriver to find a steady bite.

Fishing just upstream of "the big rock", can be pretty fruitful some days.  Speaking of rocks, when the water flow is low, especially during shad season, there are several rocks across from, and just downstream of the boat ramp that are within inches of the surface.  You really need to be aware of where they are, or you are at risk of hitting them with your hull or motor.  Not trying to scare you away from DIY, but it's really worth it to have someone with experience show you around.

Hot pink did the trick for this Hickory.  By the way, let's talk about releasing these fish.  Although you can keep and eat Hickory Shad, we choose to release all of ours so that they can complete their mission of spawning and producing the next generation of Shad.  Since we are not harvesting any of these fish, we want to give them the best chance of survival we can.  We only photograph about 5% of the fish we catch, and we keep them in a net in the water until we are ready to take a quick photo.  We then quickly get them back into the water and swimming away.  All of the fish are dehooked over the water without bringing them in the boat and handling them any more than needed.  A de-hooker is an amazing tool that greatly reduces the physical stress on any fish that you don't plan to harvest.

That's a big Hickory!

The smiles alone are worth the trip!

Capt Richard Andrews putting his anglers on the fish.

Trust me, I keep a bunch of this particular fly in my box for a good reason.

Triples with grandkids and grandad.  That's something to remember!

Shad trips are great family trips.  

I really appreciate everyone who came out to chase Shad with me in March.  I am so thankful to have this amazing and healthy fishery in my home state.  It's so good, that I want to spread the word, and build it into an integral part of my guiding business.  We did a week of fishing this year, and I'd love to extend that for next year.  If you'd like to go, it's never too early to start talking with me about it.  I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, and I'd love to have you join me in the Spring of 2025.