Cost=$225
This is a one day only introduction to Shad fishing for LTFF Level 3/4 students on the American River on Saturday, June 5. We have reserved two guided drift boats (4 students total) for this one day outing in the Sacramento area (exact location is TBD based on where the shad are in the river). The time of day is currently planned for Noon to 8pm...however we may also change that to earlier in the day, based on conditions.
If you are lucky enough to get into shad, it can be a whole bunch of fun! If you already own a 6-8wt single-hand rod and a shooting head set-up with a Type 3 or Type 4 sinking shooting head (ie., 3-4 or 4-5 ips sink rate) on a floating mono (or floating, coated-fly line-type) running line OR an integrated sinking line with a roughly 180-275 gr. sinking head and know how to cast this set-up that would be ideal. Depending on how fast the river is still flowing, a Type 6 shooting head (or maybe a 10' sink-tip of T8 or T11) may work also.
However, if you are not yet ready or don't have time to get new gear for this outing , I still want to encourage you to come on this fish-out. I understand that our GGACC shooting head clinic is not scheduled until June 19th. The guides will provide the necessary gear, and are ready to help the beginner with shooting heads.
This will be only a one day trip up to the Sacramento area so there is no plan for the group to spend the night. The shad are moving through the river system, so the guide will determine our meeting place and time for a full day of fishing (this will likely be noon to 8pm on the river, but that will be confirmed at a later date.)
As you may have heard, shad are often referred to as the "poor-man's tarpon" since they can put up quite a battle for their small size -- esp. on a light fly rod. For handling shad I suggest that you may want to have a pair of sungloves or similar half-fingered gloves -- which is something that you will want to be sure to wash when you get home.
Bring a windbreaker or fleece (just in case it cools off), polarized glasses, and hat. The guides will provide the rest.
This fish-out will be limited to 4 students. If we have sufficient interest and guides are available, we *may* expand this to 6 students (3 boats/guides). The online registration fee to cover the guides is $225 per person. As always, guide gratuities are not included—and $25-$40 per person are recommended.
Because this is short notice, and we want to maximize the number of students who can participate, I will ask one of the registrants to be the “on-site” leader. I will work with them to pair you up with a guide and insure we have all of the necessary arrangements.
As with all GGACC LTFF events, your registration is non-cancellable and non-refundable. If you find that you must cancel, it is your responsibility to find a replacement.
Contact info:
Bruce Greenwood brucegre@pacbell.net