This week has been all about the shad.  This week and next will be mostly shad before I start in Weldon on April 8.  The striper bite on the lower Roanoke has still been good.  For the shad fishing this week, I’ve been sticking to the Tar River, and we’ve had some beautiful catches.  Lots of fun fishing some areas I haven’t frequented since childhood.  The Roanoke in Weldon would normally be our go to area for high numbers of shad this time of year; however, the river has not been fishing as well as it could due to fluctuating water levels and high turbidity.  Some folks have gone to Weldon and had some big catches here and there, but mostly it’s been a tougher than normal shad season.   The flows are currently at 8000 cfs and will be cranking up to 18,000 cfs this coming Saturday.  At 18,000 and muddy, it won’t be easy fishing.  

Today was a very special trip.  Jim and Bert have fished with me before, but neither of them had ever caught a shad.  We fished two different areas of the Tar River today, and had great fishing in both.  We ended up with about 100 fish for the day, with 10 doubles.  That’s pretty darn good shad fishing.  The Tar River is a beautiful river and a wonderful fishing experience.  I can’t wait for tomorrow.