American Shad on the St. John’s River

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Today I am going to give a report on a really awesome fishing trip I went on last week, with local angling legend, and outdoor writer extraordinaire, Paul MacInnis. For me, on a personal level, this fishing trip was pretty special. Here are 3 reasons.

#1 – I got a chance to tag along with Paul, who is someone I admire and look up to, not just for being a fantastic angler, but a great writer. I have been reading Paul’s work since I moved here 5 years ago. Google him, and you will know what I mean. He has some awesome content not just on Spacefish, but on other platforms as well.

#2 – My toxic trait is that I have an unhealthy obsession with the life, and Travels of William Bartram. If you’ve never heard of Bartram, you are really missing out on a cool piece of American & Florida History. When the British gained control of Florida from the British, William Bartram was commissioned to go on a journey through the new Florida territory, he traveled down the St. John’s River, drawing and journaling along the way. Many believe Bartram was the first to write about catching Largemouth Bass in the St. John’s. His encounters with Alligators, Native Americans, and his journey through a wild & untamed Florida makes for a truly epic read. It is both entertaining, and educational.

#3 – I got a chance to scratch a new species off the bucket list, and got a chance to learn some new tricks & techniques in the process! Not only that, but I got a chance to do it in one of the most beautiful fisheries imaginable. The St. John’s River from Lake Poinsett in Cocoa up to Lake Harney truly is a wild and scenic river. As I experienced on this trip, it can be an area that provides exciting fishing action to go along with the natural beauty and aesthetic

Shad Techniques

Out of respect to Paul, who graciously took me to his spots and helped me to get on a lot of fish, I am not going to share a launch spot, or go into particular detail on spots today. But I am going to talk a little bit about the techniques used. Following his recent written piece for Spacefish, we used tandem rigs, each one with 2 different baits. I used a tandem rig with a white & chartreuse jig; and another rig with an orange/pink jig and a small silver spoon.

We trolled in our pedal kayaks up and down a particular stretch of the river, once we got a hit or two, we would stop and fish that area. Even getting out at certain spots and fishing from the bank. Which offered a nice changeup from the pedal driven kayaks.

Pictured below is me with one of the bigger Shad caught that day, this one came off the orange/white curly tail jig. However most of the fish were caught on the silver spoon on this trip.

Fishing the “Flush”

As Paul wrote on Spacefish a few weeks ago, there is a phenomenon currently happening called the “big flush.” To summarize…the minnow population explodes with the excess of water at the end of the rainy season. When the water recedes in the winter, the minnows are pushed back into the main channel of the river, which ignites a feeding frenzy.

The cool thing about that is when you are using the smaller baits, and covering a lot of water, you will come across some interesting species via by-catch. Paul, and I both caught Crappie/Specks, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redbreast, and Catfish.

Another thing you can do, if you bring along the necessary tools, & equipment is to sacrifice one of your panfish, and put out chunks of natural cut bait, and you have a great chance of catching some large & prehistoric species of River Monster. Here is one of the first written reports I remember reading from Paul – https://spacefish.com/st-johns-river-monsters/

American Shad

Ok, so I will be honest. I never really allowed myself to buy into the hype that these fish were like smaller, freshwater Tarpon. I mean nothing can be like a Tarpon right? Well, I will say, the hype is deserved. They do not have the stamina of a Tarpon, but they have the Tarpon colors, aerial ability, and even have shocking resemblance in the face/mouth to a Tarpon. They are much easier to subdue, but they have all of the cool fighting ability and are a beautiful fish to catch and see how the sunlight can reflect a plethora of colors across their scales.

They also have their place in American History! According to the Outdoor Writer Alice Jones Webb, “there is no fish more American than the humble shad.” While Shad may not be our first choice of fish to eat today, this species was a crucial part of the early North American culinary traditions. The late winter/early spring migration of millions of spawning fish into coastal Atlantic rivers made the shad a staple food for North America’s inhabitants long before Europeans arrived in North America.

Once the Europeans arrived, they began to harvest these fish, and would preserve them by salting/brining them in barrels. George Washington was regarded as one of America’s first Shad fisherman, and there is even a famous book called The Founding Fish, written by John McPhee where he goes into the history of Shad fishing in America. The Black Rifle Coffee Company even has a “Beware The Delaware” coffee flavor featuring an iconic image of George Washington riding an American Shad across the Delaware River. Historians will say it’s fabricated, but we can all agree that none of us were there for that monumental moment in history, I can neither confirm nor deny whether he crossed by boat, or by Shad.

The Clock is Ticking

If American Shad fishing is something you have an interest in, now is the time to do it. With the springtime rapidly approaching, these fish will leave the area once they are done spawning, so get in, while the getting is good! I promise you will not want to miss out on an exciting fish, in a really beautiful fishery!

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read the report today! If you are in the market for a kayak that would allow you to do some effective trolling for Shad, and Specks on the St. John’s River make sure to stop in at Kayaks By Bo in Cocoa and look at their full line up of top-notch fishing kayaks!

Stay safe, be happy, and go catch some fish! Until next time!