Shad Season 2011

For the last four weeks (mid-May to mid-June) the American Shad (alosa sapidissima) have been in Montreal at the Rivieres-des-Prairies (RDP) dam as part of their anual anadromous migration. It was my first year fishing for shad and I really enjoyed it!

It is a really unique kind of fishing and it is only possible in Montreal for a few short weeks in the Spring. This species usually lives in the Atlantic ocean off the East coast of the United States (hence the name) for most of the year. In about mid-February, they begin their yearly migration up the coast and into the hundreds of rivers and estuaries where they spawn. The average fish caught is about 50-60cm long and is packed full of muscle which makes for a fantastic fight.

The scene below the RDP dam is quite exceptional. As early as 5am, fisherman line the shore thigh-deep in the river a rod's length apart, with a lucky angler pulling one out every few minutes. If there's a fish in this river that can give the smallmouth bass a run for its money in terms of a good fight, high jumps and exhilaration it's the American Shad. It's not unusual to see this fish jump out of the water and do some aerial acrobatics while being reeled in.

In French, this fish is called alose savoureuse (lit: "tasty shad"), and it's no wonder since it is quite delicious! That is, if you can manage to pick out the hundreds upon hundreds of small bones riddling the nice rosy flesh. There's a couple of videos online that demonstrate how to properly clean a shad without the bones, but despite the instructions, I found it extremely difficult not to get a mouthful of tiny fish bones. I guess I need more practice! In the end, we decided to just poach the meat in some broth, which made it easy to flake and pick out the bones. I then made some pretty tasty fish meatballs.

All in all, I am very satisfied with my first shad experience this year. It is pretty fantastic to be able to fish such a good fighting fish right here in the city! My only regret is not having thought about going for the shad run for the past 10 years that I've lived here.  The short season is now over, but I am definitely going back there next year!

The scene below the RDP dam is quite exceptional. As early as 5am, fishermen line the shore thigh-deep in the river a rod's length apart, with a lucky angler pulling one out every few minutes. With enough patience and persistence, it's not unusual to be able to catch the daily limit of  5.

My brother, Steve, and the 50 or so other early morning fishermen at the RDP dam. 

Fish on!

My first American Shad (alosa sapidissima)!

Fish on for Steve!

Steve's first American Shad (alosa sapidissima).

American Shad (alosa sapidissima)

Even when you get the close to shore, they still put up a great fight!

My catch for the first day.
American Shad (alosa sapidissima)

Nice specimen. Aprox. 55cm (loc: Rivieres-des-Prairies dam)
American Shad (alosa sapidissima)

Another nice sized shad. You can see one of the tiny shad darts that are used to
 fish this species. (click image to enlarge)
American Shad (alosa sapidissima)

Example of Shad jumping (not my pic)

A freshwater drum (aplodinotus grunniens).
Unintentionally caught by one of the other shad fishermen. 

Shad meatballs. Easier than trying to filet those thousands of bones out.

Shad darts. This is what everyone fishes shad with.
They supposedly mimic what they eat in the ocean.