# Shad…Cross That Off The List! – St. Johns River 2-21-2012



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

Like most avid anglers, I maintain several very important mental lists that factor in heavily whenever it comes time to decide the who, what and where of my future fishing trips.  These lists include but are not limited to the following choice selections;


*Places I’ve Fished
Places I’d Like to Fish
Places That Haved Banned Me From Fishing There Any Longer 
Species I’ve Caught
Species I’d Like To Catch
Species I Don’t Like To Catch, But Consistently Do Anyway :
Species I’ve Caught On Fly
Species That Refuse To Be Caught By Me On Fly! 
Stupid Things I’ve Done :-[
Stupid Things I’ve Seen Others Do ;D
Stupid Things I’ve Done That No One Else Saw :-[  :-[
Equipment I Need To Bring Fishing
Equipment I Forgot To Bring Fishing
Equipment I Forgot To Bring Fishing Despite Having A List Of What Not To Forget!  [smiley=frustrate2.gif]*



Invariably, every outing adds to one or more of these lists. Although usually in the “Stupid Stuff I’ve Done” or “Equipment I Forgot” categories, every once in a while something amazing happens and I’m able to put a mental checkmark next to an item other than “Fall Overboard”. So, it is with great pride I tell you that on this latest trip, I not only added to two of my “Stupid” lists and the “Places I’ve Fished”, I also got to cross off one item from the infamously aggravating “Species That Refuse To Be Caught By Me On Fly!”. [smiley=happy.gif]


That’s right, you guessed it (or maybe just read the title), the American Shad is no longer on my flyrod wish list. [smiley=toast.gif] I finally outwitted a few of those pesky little overgrown baitfish, and with their ladyfish-like strike technique and tarpon-esque fighting style, they seem almost tailor made for the longrod enthusiast. Plus, they were plenty of fun to catch on lightweight conventional gear too, even though they tended to give up quickly in order to conserve energy for the moment they were brought onboard, at which point they became a twirling, flipping explosion of flailing fins and flinging slime. [smiley=tongue.gif]


By the end of that perfectly calm, cool yet sunny day, I’d totaled a dozen good-sized shad including three on fly, along with a couple of small bass to keep things interesting.  Without question, it was a fantastic, gator, bird and cattle-filled outing that stretched into water much farther south than I’d ever gone before. So it should be no surprise when I say that I’ve got a new list in the works, called “Places I’d Like To Fish…Again”, and the St. Johns River for shad will be right up near the top. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


Couldn't ask for better conditions...









Plenty of action...

































































A bass or two...









Big gators abound...









The number of birds was amazing. Brett would've loved it!


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Y'er right, I would've been grinnin' from ear to ear. 

Just be careful when makin' lists....start listin' too much, an y'er gonna flip y'er boat. 

Pretty water HaMm3r, been learning my way around the edges of the St. Johns,
awful lot of river to cover when y'er constantly slowing down to look at critters and scenery.


----------



## Rooster (Mar 13, 2011)

That looks like a beautiful area - thanks for the pics! I crossed Shad off of my list last year up in NC - not a species that I would lay awake at night thinging about, but certainly enjoyable on the fly rod. But, added to a beautiful location like you fished, I'm sure that makes for a very good day!


----------



## jeross (Jun 6, 2009)

Nice job! Looks like it was a beautiful day on the river. The St. Johns is really a great resource. South of I-4 it changes slowly from forested shoreline to scrub shoreline until south of Lake Harney, where it becomes pasture land and cattails ... airboat country. While no fearsome quarry, the shad are great fun and it's pretty cool that they swam in over 200 miles from the Atlantic to give you a tussle.


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

> Just be careful when makin' lists....start listin' too much, an y'er gonna flip y'er boat.


LOL!! - Great response Brett. ;D



> ...not a species that I would lay awake at night thinging about, but certainly enjoyable on the fly rod.





> While no fearsome quarry, the shad are great fun and it's pretty cool that they swam in over 200 miles from the Atlantic to give you a tussle.


I completely agree guys. The only reason they were a big deal to me was that I hadn't done it. Now that I have, I think they were a lot of fun and worthy of an occassional trip.


----------



## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Great fun on light tackle.


----------

