Shad fishing is beginning to take shape on the Sacramento River as evidenced by this outstanding fish caught on the fly by Summer Moore of Redding.  Most of the action is currently
in the Colusa and Glenn county area as the shad make the move upstream to spawn.  While I yet to fish for shad I am told the fishing is exciting as they travel  in schools and once located can produce great action. The shad's claim to fame is that they are hard fighting and anglers equate them to be a poor man's tarpon putting a strain on fly rods and  light spinning tackle.  Look for action on these migratory fish to be best through June and they are normally caught in the river as far upstream as Red Bluff with some reports of fish in the past as far as the Anderson area. Fly fishing and light spinning tackle using shad darts are the most common method of take.

Gary Heffley has been a valued contributor to MyOutdoorBuddy for over 10 years serving as manager, sales representative and reporter for much of Northern California. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to fish and write about his adventures. He has a long history in the Sporting Goods field and uses that extensive experience to impart his wisdom in his writing.