Shad Foul Hooking

[MCartoski]

Hey guys, I've noticed an unusually high amount of foul hooks while shad fishing this year and was hoping someone would have some insight as to what I might be doing to cause this.

I'm using a 'fast sink' sinking leader along with patterns similar to Rob's "shad buster", fishing the Rappahannock around the Rt 1 bridge.  I noticed it last year and the trend continued when I went last weekend; occurring on around 50% of hookups.  I've been purposely stripping more slowly to try to avoid this but I keep on hooking them just in front of the dorsal fin.  

Is anyone else having this problem or am I doing something wrong?  If you have any tips then please let me know!

[Richard Farino]

Several suggestions - slow down your retrieve.  I know you said you have, but if you’re fishing a “shad buster” style pattern that rides hook point up and you’re still hooking them dorsal side, you need to go slower and with smaller strips.

Also – your sinking leader might be sinking faster than your fly and as you strip you’re leader is below your fly bringing it down into the strike zone, foul hooking fish.  How much tippet are you adding to the leader?  It shouldn’t be much, somewhere between 2-3 feet of 10-12lb.

My suggestion is use a sinking fly line instead of sinking leaders.  Your proper hook up rate should improve.

R

Richard Farino

Urban Angler VA | 108 N. Washington Street  2nd Floor | Alexandria, VA 22314 

(703) 527-2524 | fax: (703) 527-3313 | ric...@urbanangler.com    

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[MCartoski]

Thanks, Rich- sounds like my tippet is 3x longer than it should be.  I have been using three ~2.5' sections of 0x, 1x, 2x tippet (around 8' length total) plus the ~2' section of monofilament at the end of the sinking leader.  My logic was that there might be some smallmouth lurking around that would be willing to bite.  Also, my strips may have been on the long side so I will shorten them and hopefully it will help.

I probably should have invested in a sinking line years ago but just couldn't justify the cost with how little I use the sinking leader- maybe that's what I'll use my next Orvis coupon for though!

Thanks for the great tips and hopefully I will have a positive Rappahannock report for everyone on Monday!

 

[Richard Farino]

The only thing I didn’t ask – what size is the fly?

Richard Farino

Urban Angler VA | 108 N. Washington Street  2nd Floor | Alexandria, VA 22314 

(703) 527-2524 | fax: (703) 527-3313 | ric...@urbanangler.com    

From: MCartoski <mcar...@gmail.com>
Reply-To: <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>

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[Dalton Terrell]

Do the fish you foul hook look like this?

Or this?

[MCartoski]

Richard- size 6 (3x long) shad buster flies.  Was thinking of going a bit smaller as the only guy on the river who was getting regular hits last weekend was a spin fisherman using a really small white shad dart. 

Dalton- haven't hooked (or seen) any gizzard shad in the Rapp, just american/hickory shad. 

[Dalton Terrell]

10-4, when I've been foul hooking fish on the Potomac it is normally gizzards and then it's time to move, I can only recall foul hooking a couple hickories in several years. Richie may be onto something with the heavy poly leader dragging down the long leader you have connected.

Dalton

[Rob Snowhite]

The Rapp isn't very deep down there. Sink tip with short leader or floater with split shot. If they are stacked up thick below rocks structures (Native American fish weirs etc) to take a break from the current they will be more susceptible to being foul hooked.

 

Rob Snowhite

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From: Dalton Terrell <daltonb...@gmail.com>
To: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thursday, April 9, 2015 3:36 PM

Subject: Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Shad Foul Hooking

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[Remick]

I started tying flies on circle hooks a few years ago to stop inadvertent snagging. I haven't noticed a huge drop off in hook up ratio when fishing streamers on a circle hook either since it's a strip set. Plus you can't snag yourself or any other anglers either ;) 

[KC]

I was out this morning just west of chain bridge on the md side and noticed the same thing fishing the shallow eddies with intermediate sinking line and 3 ft leader . Caught about 20 and hooked about 1/3 in the back. Never had that problem before so stopped by Orvis on way home and picked up full depth charge line. Maybe will help

[Charles.Tapp]

I had a similar experience on Friday evening in that same spot, with a slightly lower foul hook ratio. Slowing down my retrieve helped a lot. I think it comes with the territory at Big Eddy., especially at this stage of the run.

[Carl Z.]

Are these gizzard shad?  They will pool in those eddies near the "helipad".   They don't seem to bite anything, but you can feel your fly/dart hitting their backs.  I used to think they were Hickories, but I am pretty sure they are gizzard shad (and a tad on the slimy side compared to hickories).  I snagged one this morning at Fletchers. 

Carl

On Sun, Apr 19, 2015 at 9:04 AM, Charles.Tapp <charle...@gmail.com> wrote:

I had a similar experience on Friday evening in that same spot, with a slightly lower foul hook ratio. Slowing down my retrieve helped a lot. I think it comes with the territory at Big Eddy., especially at this stage of the run.

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[Justin Schiavone]

I had to throw in the towel yesterday on the Potomac because every other hook up was a foul hook. Interesting enough I was using full sink, short leader and tried different methods of retrieve.

The only thing that was taking the fly in the mouth was gizzard Shad- right at my feet. I caught about six or so really nice ones though. Which is cool and all, but I caught one or two last year altogether. Anyonr notice a stronger gizzard bite?

Js

[Rob Snowhite]

DC side is all gizzards and I would advise against usin a full sink from shore

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[Melser Bonilla]

Tons of Gizzards on the Mount Vernon side as well. No fun but feisty fighters!