Countdown begins

Luv2Boutdoors!

Ten Pointer
Well deer season is over and now I'm waiting on the shad run to begin. I know I have a few weeks but as the winter moves on I'll be eagerly awaiting my chances but they will be limited to get after them.

When I saw the title, I knew what this thread was about......cant wait either!
 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
Never done the shad run.

I just got into over the last couple years. My son goes to preschool a twice a week and use that time to hit the nearby river for a few hours. Had a good run last year and I'm ready for it again.
 

Panthera

Eight Pointer
I would love to do it but not sure where to go. I heard they run up several rivers including the Cape Fear, Neuse, Roanoke and Tar.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I would love to do it but not sure where to go. I heard they run up several rivers including the Cape Fear, Neuse, Roanoke and Tar.


you nailed it,,,and between now and May just go fishing! Eventually you catch the run,,,

or at least that's my style,,,
 

cgrhyne

Six Pointer
Dam at Blewett Falls does stop them , Lots of White shad caught where water boils out from turbines along wall. Not my favorite place to catch them. Neuse, Tar and Roanoke are a lot better.

Big modifications underway for a trap and truck fish catcher at Blewett. Think building, attractant flow, fish elevator, truck underneath to take to the topside. There will be shad above Blewett soon. Only question will be the number of fish that make the truck ride...
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Just wondered because that is closer to me.

It is usually a little more specialized to catch them there. Most are in the outflow at the generator and to catch them off the wall guys rig up rod holders to the railings on the wall and drop a 2 rig setup with a heavy weight straight down off the wall . Kinda like tightlining. Probably not explaining it too well but I may have a diagram in a book I can take a picture of. Now some are caught casting and in the main river but the bank spots (good) ones are few.
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Big modifications underway for a trap and truck fish catcher at Blewett. Think building, attractant flow, fish elevator, truck underneath to take to the topside. There will be shad above Blewett soon. Only question will be the number of fish that make the truck ride...

They are doing that because thay have confirmed that the fry can make it back down through dams ok. They have made it down through 3 dams on the Roanoke river. They may in the future have lifts at RR Lake, Gaston and Kerr. They have been releasing american shad in the river above Kerr to see if the fry can make it back down through the 3 dams. THEY CAN. I have heard they are still doing this. and I think they already have an Eel lift at RR Dam see here............ http://www.byrdultrafly.com/ncshad08.htm
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Big modifications underway for a trap and truck fish catcher at Blewett. Think building, attractant flow, fish elevator, truck underneath to take to the topside. There will be shad above Blewett soon. Only question will be the number of fish that make the truck ride...

sounds like the lift at St stephens in SC on the RE-Diversion canal. Visitors can go in that building as see the fish lifted. I wonder if the one at Blewett Falls will be that way??
 

cgrhyne

Six Pointer
sounds like the lift at St stephens in SC on the RE-Diversion canal. Visitors can go in that building as see the fish lifted. I wonder if the one at Blewett Falls will be that way??

Doubt it will have a visitor option, but there will be some type of counter that will report the numbers to the agencies. As far as downstream passage, the velocities over the spillway were such that it would kill the fish on the trip downriver (per the ologists), so they’re modifying it to pass them downstream. There will be mods to allow eel passage as well. We’ve had stuff in place for years at Wateree and I rarely saw eels, but supposedly there’s 100-1 difference on the PeeDee as far as population. I was there during the peak of the hurricane Florence flooding and there were 1000’s along the bank downstream of the spillway trying to make it up. Per the people that know, the higher the flow, the more they’re attracted to move upstream.
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Doubt it will have a visitor option, but there will be some type of counter that will report the numbers to the agencies. As far as downstream passage, the velocities over the spillway were such that it would kill the fish on the trip downriver (per the ologists), so they’re modifying it to pass them downstream. There will be mods to allow eel passage as well. We’ve had stuff in place for years at Wateree and I rarely saw eels, but supposedly there’s 100-1 difference on the PeeDee as far as population. I was there during the peak of the hurricane Florence flooding and there were 1000’s along the bank downstream of the spillway trying to make it up. Per the people that know, the higher the flow, the more they’re attracted to move upstream.

thanks, see my link above where they can pass through Old Dominions Dams, ...Hopefully one day people can catch some in the Rocky River and the Little.
 
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MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
They are doing that because thay have confirmed that the fry can make it back down through dams ok. They have made it down through 3 dams on the Roanoke river. They may in the future have lifts at RR Lake, Gaston and Kerr. They have been releasing american shad in the river above Kerr to see if the fry can make it back down through the 3 dams. THEY CAN. I have heard they are still doing this. and I think they already have an Eel lift at RR Dam see here............ http://www.byrdultrafly.com/ncshad08.htm
Yes they do have a Eel lift at RR Dam
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
They have a fish lift on the meherrin river dam in emporia Va. Not to sure how effective it is. Think a lot of up keep to it. Been a few years since have seen it so guess it’s still there
 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
Forecast is not good in the coming days and the models have several storms lined up. Gonna see some high water on the rivers just got to hope it doesnt last long and mess with the shad run like last year.
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Forecast is not good in the coming days and the models have several storms lined up. Gonna see some high water on the rivers just got to hope it doesnt last long and mess with the shad run like last year.

High water doesnt bother shad. They actually like it. It does mess it up for fishermen though.
 

Woods and water

Ten Pointer
I'm not real familiar with the run up there but it is early here . I caught five while crappie fishing last week. I was approximately 25 miles from the ocean up a feeder creek off the cape fear
 

shaggy

Old Mossy Horns
Tar river is well above flood stage hopefully by next week the water will be down and they will be showing up.
 

Luv2Boutdoors!

Ten Pointer
Wanted to hit the Tar in Greenville this past weekend. Water level is 9X higher than it was Thursday. Now its raining again...:mad:
 
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