Shad Tagging at Conowingo Dam

Type: Nontidal
Region: Northern
Location: Susquehanna River at Conowingo Dam

Shad tagging in May is an adventure like eating ice cream; once you�ve tasted it, you want more.

When Dale Weinrich, the Program Manager for the Chesapeake Finfish Program and enthusiastic shad angler called in late April to set up a date for me to accompany DNR biologists to assist in catching American shad, I was pretty excited. But, as Murphy�s Law would have it, by our chosen date in early May the topsy-turvy weather had brought the shad catching to a standstill. No matter; the hickory shad were still running in Deer Creek so we gave the fly rods a workout and planned for another day.

When the action picked up the following week, all the stars aligned for a good day. Dale noted that the flows for the Susquehanna as regulated by Exelon Power Company would be in our favor. This meant that the power company would only have some of the smaller gates open and we would be able to anchor in a favorable spawning location close to the dam. Our working biologists for the day would be Dale, Bob Sadzinski and Adam Witt.

The year before, in 2009, Dale had invited me to participate in catching, tagging and releasing American shad for Maryland�s (ongoing since 1981) Shad Monitoring and Assessment Program. My job was to �catch� while the attending biologists measured, tagged, took scale samples, recorded the data and released the fish. Their part was everyday work for them and my part was loads of fun. We caught, tagged and released fifty-one shad in four hours � what a day! I made a mental note that the fishing tackle, although adequate, was in need of an update � the reels were a little temperamental about closing the bails and sounded like they might need a tune-up. So, in light of how important the research was to the future of shad reproduction, unbeknownst to the shad team, I sent a request to a friend at Shimano and asked if he could assist with some new tackle. In a few days, four rods and reels arrived to benefit Maryland�s shad research.

Now, armed with new Shimano tackle and tandem rigged shad darts, Dale and I dropped our lines into the murky Susquehanna current hoping for sore arms at the end of the day. It didn�t take long for the healthy shad to strike our darts and give us a tussle in the heavy current. We caught males and females in all sizes and in all stages of the spawn, indicating that the spawn had been taking place for awhile and would continue for a few more weeks. I managed to land the only double-header and Dale landed a fish that had been previously tagged � a rare catch indeed. By the end of the day, forty-eight shad were tagged and released. Another dozen or more were hooked and escaped. Another great day and a tip of the hat to DNR Fisheries!

Dale also noticed that the anglers lining the shoreline were having some success playing catch-and-release with the American shad. They were doing okay, but would have done better if more gates had been open and the water level was higher. Anglers would be wise to call the Conowingo Generation Hotline, 888-457-4076, ahead of time and plan to go when the water levels were up. Exelon also completed a terrific angler�s pier at the base of the dam and parking is more than adequate.

If you go, plan on taking medium weight spinning tackle rigged with tandem shad darts of at least 1/8-ounce. Since the lures are so light and the current is so strong, you will need to avoid line twist by utilizing swivels on your dart rig. The dart rig is tied on a three-way swivel attached to the end of your line. First tie on a three-way swivel and connect ball-bearing snap swivels to the two open eyes. Tie a shad dart to a two-foot monofilament leader to one swivel eye and another dart on a foot-long leader to the other swivel eye. Cast upstream and hold a tight line as your darts swing downstream. The strike usually comes as the rig straightens out in the current. Go!