The List: 5 Things to Know About Shad

A type of herring, shad are spawned in freshwater, but spend most of their lives in the saltwater of the ocean. The 'shad run' is the 6 to 8 weeks, usually in April or May, when the shad return to the Delaware River to spawn. They may be as long as 30 inches, and the average fish is 6 to 8 pounds.

When the shad are running, "Shad don't eat. They react," says shad fisherman Ted Strzepek, of Harmony Township, NJ. He added that they are aggressive when breeding season hits, and are more interested in fighting anything that
gets in their way of their upstream swim.

So what bait to use for fish that aren't hungry?
The main types of shad bait are "spoons" or "darts".

Shad still run when the river floods, but they don't bite much. This is because they don't see the bait well in the muddy waters, fishermen say.

Eating shad?
"They're really boney," said Billy Freeman, of Easton, who has been shad fishing for about three years.
"It's not that they taste bad, they're just a pain," added Strzepek. "The best way to prepare them is to grind them up and make patties."
Smoking them is also a recommended way of preparing shad to eat.