Community Corner
Shad Shack Museum Opens for Shad Season
Shad fishing has been going on in Haddam since its settlement. One person who loves to talk about shad fishing is Joe Zaienty, the proprietor of the Haddam Shad Museum.
Joe Zaienty, proprietor of the Haddam Shad Museum, started shad fishing when he opened his dentistry practice in Higganum in 1968.
Back then, he says, "there were many more boats on the Connecticut River shad fishing. Years ago there would be 50-60 netters out there at one time. There weren’t places for young men to work part time, so they fished shad and sold them.”
He bought the Haddam Shad Museum after he saw a photo of the building in a Haddam Annual Town Report. He recognized it as a building across the street from his office.
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“When I saw the photo I realized the building had some historic significance,” said Zaienty.
For many years the building was well known among shad fisherman as Bill Maynard’s shad shack. Maynard fished all night, came in, boned his fish and then sold the fish out of the shack.
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“Bill wouldn’t ever tell anyone how to bone shad. It was a secret,” Zaienty said.
Shad is the largest fish in the herring family and thought a saltwater fish, they come up the Connecticut River to spawn. Shad fishing, by law, is done at night with draft nets from small boats call scows. Scows are light, easily maneuverable, which makes them perfect for net fishing.
Zaienty says there are a couple of factors why the shad are not plentiful now. One of the reasons is the increase in striped bass because they eat the young shad. Also, shad spend their summer up in Maine where the commercial fishing companies pick up the shad as byproduct.
Most of the materials in the Haddam Shad Museum have been donated by shad fishermen.
“George Bernard was very avid about shad. He collected everything. A lot of the materials in the museum he collected and donated,” said Zaienty.
Zaienty, who isn’t sure he will go out this year, feels the increased boat traffic on the river is keeping some shad fishermen off the river.
“At least three times boats have gone through my nets. Now I have a power megaphone with a fire alarm siren to warn them away.”
While the shad season runs (through June 30), the Haddam Shad Museum will be open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 212 Saybrook Road, behind the gas station. Appointments for other times can be made by calling Zaienty at 860-267-0388.
