Anybody eat shad here?

[Blackwater]

I'm talking about the big American shad species that makes its annual run up fresh water streams to spawn and die, much like some salmon do. Their taste is a little strong, and much like some salt water species. They're also full of thin, Y-shaped bones all along their flanks. I just fry them up and break them open lengthwise, and pull out the bones, then eat. Works for me. You DO have to pay attention when eating them, though.

I was looking forward to the season and talking it over with a friend, and he told me about a fellow he knows who makes patties with them. Seems he boils the met off the bones, and the little Y-bones seem to dissolve, and he then just makes patties with them. Then he dips them in cane syrup sort'a like big, thick potato chips. He loves these, and he's a highly noted shad fisherman locally, too. I see now why he's such an avid fisherman!

I've also heard that it's really great smoked, and have an assurance from a friend who's really good at that that he'll prepare us some good stuff in his smoker if I'll put him on a bunch of them. Make me an offer I can't refuse!

My favorite, and that of many is the eggs, though. We usually fix them scrambled with some chicken eggs, and it has become a ritual of spring for me, and a real delight, too. Same for many folks here.

With all the great cooks and chefs we have here, I couldn't help but wonder how you guys have done them up. Anybody here eat shad? Caution: If you don't like it, you probably won't like it at all, and those who don't seem to be revulsed by it, so approach with caution. But for those of you who like it, I'd really appreciate your recipes, unless you have to kill me after telling me to keep it secret. Other than that, do you have any of these recipes, or any similar, rather strong tasting fish?

[5Shot]

I know the Sturgeon like them, but I have never eaten one, due to all those bones.

[nagantguy]

Are shad and smelt the same thing? If so than yes here in MI it's a tradition, right of passage and a damn good time to go smelt dipping. If they are the same thing let me know and I'll dig out some recipes for ya.

[shoot-n-lead]

Blackwater...used to have a friend that loved to go over to Rocky Ford and catch them, just up the river from town. And, he LOVED to eat them.

[DougGuy]

I do like shad roe with grits and eggs now and then for breakfast. I use the roe whole, sauteed in butter over medium low heat until done.

In Virginia there is a yearly "shad planking" where shad are nailed onto wooden planks stuck vertically in the ground around a rather large fire. It's a political gathering that the wealthy and influential cork sniffing politicians and lawyers and other bottom feeders frequent with a fervor not unlike that which a hanging 150 years ago would have drawn. Sorta.

[dkf]

I haven't been down fishing for shad in several years because of Maryland stupidity but before that I went every year. You couldn't keep hickory nor american shad though, has been that way for a lot of years. If we wanted to keep shad we had to go over to the Delaware.

I don't eat shad (meat or roe) myself, entirely too fishy for my tastes. My grandmother enjoys the roe however. My great grandparents ate a lot of it when the shad ran. I wish I could have seen shad the shad runs they had a lot of years ago. They used to come up all the small rivers/creeks in my area. it was not uncommon for people to stab them with pitch forks and pull them out of the river.

[Goatwhiskers]

Doug, when cooked do they throw the shad away and eat the planks? GW

[Artful]

Smoked and canned, Shad is good but boney - used to treble hook 'em on the Umpqua in Oregon.

[Hogtamer]

We call 'em cut bait.

[5Shot]

Are shad and smelt the same thing? If so than yes here in MI it's a tradition, right of passage and a damn good time to go smelt dipping. If they are the same thing let me know and I'll dig out some recipes for ya.


No...Shad can run up to a couple pounds.

[jsizemore]

I eat 'em "crispy" at the Cypress Grill in Jamesville on the Roanoke.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cypress+Grill/@35.8120604,-76.8938229,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1shttp:%2F%2Fwww.roadfood.com%2F photos%2F20047.jpg!2e7!3e27!6s%2F%2Flh3.googleuser content.com%2Fproxy%2FB9cZcw5DQV2N8ZA7XGNiJgEnmp7l BZCm17i-z2fiw4_aQbk7EoxZEvhbe8NAknGPyZWrKeErUvsFZ9eMZNhOIu r3Jqlk1WIenwmnm5t2_p7cS4n8lcKGVz7-5tNR8sMag6141ZukLhacXFIM1Dxebc28cTV6y7g%3Dw203-h152!7i2272!8i1704!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x 3d3582c906a09827!6m1!1e1

Scroll through the pics at the bottom and you'll see a plate. The grill has upgraded since they poured part of the floor with concrete.

[nagantguy]

No...Shad can run up to a couple pounds.

THank you for that, I did a search after my post, I hate being ignorant and knowledge is the cure for ignorance. We do not have shad in my native waters, so I have nothing to add but will stick around to learn some new things.

[tommag]

We call 'em cut bait.

In the Columbia, we used to use them whole to keep the under 10 ft sturgeon from biting.

[tomme boy]

Use them for catfish.

[Plate plinker]

Are shad and smelt the same thing? If so than yes here in MI it's a tradition, right of passage and a damn good time to go smelt dipping. If they are the same thing let me know and I'll dig out some recipes for ya.
Surely not as good as smelt. Remember dad and his friends bringing home trash cans full of smelt.

[country gent]

We used to fillet suckers and Shad as best we could removing big bones and run thru blender. Made into fish patties with egg and crakers. I smoked some with apple wood chips and was good but bones need to be watched for.

[Vopie]

Use to chase 'em up the creeks with sticks, paddles, anything we could find, once in the shallows we'd beat 'em. Later we got more refined and used nets. My mother loved 'em, would send us kids back everyday until the run was over. Years later in Alaska we used 'em for halibut bait. We had a good laugh about how we use to "eat the bait"....

[retread]

Pressure canning will dissolve the bones. You can smoke prior to canning if you desire.

[starmac]

In Texas we used them for bait, I never heard of anyone eating them at all. I knew they were eaten back east, and always thought they must have been a different species.

[w5pv]

We use to take a throw net or sein to catch them with and dry them for bait.It is usually pretty hot when they run and you can dry them,put them in a plastic container and freeze them that way they will last until you need them.If your freezer goes out get yourself a canister mask to clean the mess up.

[Blackwater]

Yep. Being oily, they rot with a smell that will gag a maggot! And you guys who don't like them are not in a very small minority at all! Many would starve before eating one, but those of us who love it surely do love it a lot!

Back when I was in high school, I read an article by Larry Green, a CA fisherman who loved to fish for shad and steelhead and most anything else that swam. Can't recall, but believe he wrote mostly for Field & Stream. He showed some steelhead flies, and the old Comet pattern seemed like it should roughly approximate the old Crippled Shrimp lure, which was a nickel metal bead head, an oval body, and yellow feather or hair tal, and rode (#1 tinned O'Shaunessey) hook up. It was the absolute best shad bait out there, but the disabled vet who made them died, and they weren't available any more. Any little nickel spoon would make them bite when they were biting, but most had thin and too small hooks, and you couldn't land many with them due to hooks bending or pulling out or through those soft mouths.

I used some of Mom's red sewing thread, and got some mylar piping (usually used on band uniforms for decoration and glitz), and some sort of yellow feathers, and without a tying vise, just managed to tie up a few Comet patterns without the collar of hackle - couldn't find any feathers that'd work for that back then here. Used her clear nail polish to seal the thread (polyester or cotton) but they worked, and worked even better, if anything, than the old Crippled Shrimp jigs. I'll never forget Dad and I were fishing the Ogeechee once for them, and he was using a spoon. As an old marine, he was dedicated to doing things "by the book," and in accord with the conventions locally. I caught 3 shad with my little fly while he went without even a bump! Finally, he said, "Alright! That's ENOUGH! Gimme one'a them flies, boy! I'm tired of not catching fish!" You'll never know how proud that made me, and how amusing it was for me at that age! Sure do miss that man! He was one of a kind, and an awfully GOOD kind, too!

And I often fish at Rocky Ford. Usually just upstream but still in sight of the landing for shad. There are places all over the river where they can be caught, and mostly, they're strung out all up and down the river. I think they make their way upstream rather casually during the day, and some spots will be dead for a while, and then a school will come through, and you're into some great fishing action in spades. However, when they're turned off, you couldn't BUY one, much less CATCH one! And they'll do that sometimes. Weather seems to be a big influence. They'll often turn on and give a really good bite before a storm comes in, and the skies are cloudy. They also don't bite much if the water is very stained or muddy. Not sure if it's because they can't see the bait unless you hit them on the head, or what, but it's been a pretty consistent pattern, whatever the reason.

It's always an adventure, though, BECAUSE they're so unpredictable. And also because of the big stripers that follow them upstream. Get one of those big bruisers on and you've got WAY more than a handful in the little Ogeechee! Not many big ones get landed because of all the stumps and snags, but it's sure one more exciting event to hook into a 20+ pounder in such a small and snaggy venue! The heartstrings get a good, full workout, believe me!

I think one reason I love it so is because it's so unpredictable, and every time I go, I try to learn something, or at least reconfirm my impressions from the past. They're a very unique and puzzling fish, and I suspect they're a lot like women - we'll NEVER get then figured out! It's sure fun trying, though!

Thanks for the recipes. I'm already excited just with the anticipation. I keep a number of buddies in supply with my little flies, and most all who I've given them to have reported they're at least as good as anything else they've used, and the best part is they tend to hold the fish on and not pull out as bad as most of the stuff that's used to catch them. Very cheap and simple and quick little fly to tie, and that makes it doubly good!

For my 2nd and 3rd shad dinners this year, I'moan try smoking one and croquettes with the 3rd. I have a notion they'd be really good with onions, leeks, garlic, maybe a lil' paprika, and who knows what else? I have a notion that for those who like their taste, it'd be pretty hard to mess them up? I hope to see before long.

Keep the recipes coming if you can. Nobody seems to put a whole lot of thought or prep into them, probably because the taste is already so strong and folks either like it or they don't. I may even try to gussy up some of the eggs, too, but those are almost a religious experience here, so ... that one's just a maybe. Mom used to love to experiment with her cooking, and I'm coming to understand why. She had many challenges in life, and was pretty darn good at dealing with them, and cooking was something she loved to experiment with. And the best part is even when she though she'd failed, we all ate really, really well anyway. A kid couldn't grow up better than that!

Edited to add: Just thought of one more - wrap shad in aluminum foil tightly with some butter and green onions and a little garlic, with a sprinkling of lemon juice, place on grill. May have to try that at the river house at Go-Bar landing, right on the banks of the river! I believe it'd really hit the spot after a hard day's fishing! Some corn dodgers for ballast, and some unsweetened tea, and I'd be in hog heaven I think!

I've always been way too busy to do much cooking, but I'm really enjoying learning. Yet one more adventure to tackle!

[Greg_R]

In Texas we used them for bait, I never heard of anyone eating them at all. I knew they were eaten back east, and always thought they must have been a different species.
Different genus within species. Gizzard shad and threadfin shad are commonly used for bait. American and Hickory shad are eaten, blueback and alewives I don't know about.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Never heard of Shad.

Netting Smelt in the streams draining into the north shore of Lake Superior was a big tradition in Minnesota...not so much anymore. But there are still a few sportsman clubs that hold a fund raiser "Smelt fry" during Lent. Good Eats !

[Yodogsandman]

I like to catch them using light tackle, no more than #10 lb test. They're called "the poor mans salmon" because of the way they jump. We use shad flutters, which are nothing more than a small willow leaf blade soldered to a long shank hook. Normally gold or silver blades with a few stripes of a color painted on the backs. I like to use the pink and white ones. One color blade or the other works on different days if they want to bite. These are fished below a small bobber to keep them off the rocks and snags at the bottom of the river. You can't just "horse" them in either, they have "paper mouths" that will rip the hook out easily and be lost. We release all of them, they're considered trophies around here. So, never ate one.

[dkf]

I usually use a 7' light fast action rod with 6lb test for shad. We don't use darts that are too big and heavy. I may brave commie Maryland this year to take my grandfather down for shad. He has always loved fishing for shad and rockfish and is too up in years now to go on his own. I don't trust fishing for rockfish anymore with how devious the state of MD is/was with them and publishing the early season upper bay regs.

[tdoyka]

when my grandpap was young, him and his mother(great-grandma to me) used to net shad by the hundreds. used to smoke them and some where canned. they don't run into the creeks anymore, to much sulfur water.

[Lloyd Smale]

we smoke them.

[Taylor]

We call 'em cut bait.

Same here,catfish.

[10-x]

Doug is right, however being a Native Virginian, each state , area has their traditions. Virginia has shad planking, don't knock it it till you try it. BTW, don't have to hang out with the elected, better than you types to eat planked shad.
Oh , a big Thanks to Doug for cylinder work a few years back!

[Menner]

Dad and my uncles used to net fish for Shad and Herring when I was a kid. We used to fish for them in the spillways with ultra lights and yellow shad darts 4 to 6 pound test. They would eat the roe with eggs for breakfast I could eat the fish but never developed a taste for the roe. Never developed a taste for Caviar either tried it few times.
Tony

[Blackwater]

dkf, I usually use a spinning rod and 10 lb. test, but keep the drag fairly soft on it. In our river, with all the snags, it's best to use the heaviest line you can get away with without pulling the hook out, and that kind'a works out to be about 10 lb. line. Those who try to horse them in usually lose them from the hook pulling out, and you HAVE to have a net to get them into the boat. Their body wt. alone is usually sufficient to pull the hook out, so there's no hoisting them aboard like with bass sometimes.

The weather is still ill suited to them apparently, and I haven't heard of the first one being caught yet, and I've got pretty good sources. Can't wait! It's something I look forward to every year, and serves as the transmission to shift me from hunting mode into fishing. And making my own superior lures helps keep it "special." And then there's the eating!

[dkf]

It depends where you are fishing for them. I fish for shad from a boat in fairly shallow water (under 10') and the current is not that strong most of the time. We also get mostly hickory shad which are smaller than the american shad. Some of the american shad can get a decent size, over double the hickory shad size. In these cases I can get away with lighter tackle and prefer it to try and prevent tearing through the shads mouth. In my area the shad usually start to get excited towards the end of March, a couple months to go yet.

The setup I use can handle some heavy fish too, though they take some finesse. This guy took a dart using 6lb test on a 7' light fast action rod, was not expecting to catch it.
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm285/SDV10/100_1702.jpg (http://s299.photobucket.com/user/SDV10/media/100_1702.jpg.html)

[RP]

Most around me love the row with eggs but most catch them for fun and catfish bait

[Blackwater]

Dkf, PM me your address and I'll send you some of my shad flies. Don't know if they'll be as good in your area as they do here, but I can send you some to at least try. To date, I haven't found anything better, but shad are mysterious fish, and can be quite tempermental about what they'll bite sometimes. I've been trying to figure them out for 50 years and don't have it down yet. At least the flies I tie will hold them, usually, better than anything I've seen tried around here.

Looks like the weather here is gonna' keep them off the bite for yet a while. I'm getting impatient to go, though. C'est la' vie! Darn it!

[quail4jake]

Are you from South Jersey?