Newsletter Site Index Contact Us
Big Bucks Now!
Fish Float Tubes
Bear Spray Test
Hot Muskie Lures
Make Fish Jerky
Gun Case Test
Photo Contest
Where to Buy
Subscribe Today!
Digital Edition
The Town Obsessed with American Shad
previous   1 of 22   next>>
photo: Joe Cermele
The Town Obsessed with American Shad by Joe Cermele

You know it's time to party when a certain smell comes wafting down the Delaware River in Central New Jersey. To some, it's the scent of a culinary delight. To others (myself included) it just smells like old bait that's been left in the sun. I'm talking about the perfume of American shad being grilled at the annual Shad Festival in Lambertville, NJ. Here, hundreds of people gather for the weekend to praise this fish. So when I decided to check out the festivities, I figured what better way to start than by getting on the water and hooking into a "poor man's salmon."
previous   1 of 22   next>>
Comment on This Article

At 3:38 PM, 2008-12-05, Big Johnny T said:
I really like this type of fishing too. It seems where I fish that they are real active in late October-early November. If you're lucky, you can even catch blue fish or striped bass while shad fishing. All around, very fun. Mark comment offensive

At 8:14 PM, 2008-09-28, Bill Clinton said:
cool article. shad fishing really is enjoyable; the fish give a fun fight and you usually will catch many once you find them. really worth a try. Mark comment offensive

At 9:48 AM, 2008-08-20, Petrella said:
kinda makes me want to try the whole shad experiance! Mark comment offensive

At 9:32 PM, 2008-05-01, Big D said:
great pictures and a well written article! i enjoyed having joe and gabriel on the boat for the day and showing them how we catch these amazing fish. Mark comment offensive

At 9:33 AM, 2008-05-01, Blackjac said:
great story! everyone should try a shad sandwich....once!! the upper delaware offers fantastic fishing from both the pa and nj sides of the river. Mark comment offensive

At 8:44 AM, 2008-05-01, tesco said:
don't know much about fishing but this article has peaked my interest. ;) Mark comment offensive

At 11:35 PM, 2008-04-30, Jhonny said:
great article, really enjoyed it. nice job joe. Mark comment offensive

At 11:10 PM, 2008-04-30, Point Jude Joe said:
shadooby....shaddered! great article ,joe!shad fight and jump all over,they are a great fish to catch.good striper bait too. i dunno about planked shad though.looks like a great tradition they have there in lambertville,thanks for sharing it . Mark comment offensive

At 9:33 PM, 2008-04-30, Jennifer said:
i liked the article. Mark comment offensive

At 8:01 PM, 2008-04-30, doctorspivey said:
common you gotta at least try it sure they probably taste like crap but be a man and eatem up. Mark comment offensive

At 3:41 PM, 2008-04-30, Chief Brody said:
awesome story, but think i'll stay away from that planked shad. anyway, really neat fishery. i'll have to try to make it up their some time. this story really motivates me to give it a shot. Mark comment offensive

At 3:07 PM, 2008-04-30, anonymous said:
whoooo-ee... love that shad-fest. nice article and some beauts in those pics... keep 'em coming. Mark comment offensive

At 3:06 PM, 2008-04-30, ajh0301 said:
thanks for such an enlightening article ... it was great to see festival coverage..the images are fantastic as well! Mark comment offensive

At 2:20 PM, 2008-04-30, anonymous said:
really great article - so informative. and some of the pictures are amazing.. nice coverage of the festival. Mark comment offensive

At 12:20 PM, 2008-04-30, JBT said:
windsor, ct the home of the annual shad derby festival, and the shad derby queen Mark comment offensive

At 11:49 AM, 2008-04-30, Steve Clark said:
great article! it demonstrates perfectly the balance of sport and history/tradition behind this great fishery in the middle of two great cities. great pictures too. never saw mr. hnat smile. Mark comment offensive

At 9:27 AM, 2008-04-30, Bill Donovan said:
joe, great piece. great photos. really enjoyed it. "shad punch", heh? think i'll stay away from that one. keep up the great work! Mark comment offensive

At 9:01 AM, 2008-04-30, ljh said:
it's about time someone has done an article about this festival it is a fun time for all! Mark comment offensive

At 8:15 AM, 2008-04-30, Musky Snax said:
great reading joe!!! after years of making lures that look like shad for catching other species it's good to see them as a viable game fish in their own right. Mark comment offensive

At 11:12 PM, 2008-04-29, River Rat said:
really good story and great pictures. Mark comment offensive

At 7:37 AM, 2008-04-29, dogtrot said:
great article! Mark comment offensive

At 5:45 PM, 2008-04-28, pdu said:
what happened to the shad queen ? or can these three ladies now hold that title ? Mark comment offensive

At 5:07 PM, 2008-04-28, anonymous said:
sounds like my beloved mullet and the mullet festivals that dot the gulf. yankees hate it, any redneck worth his salt can't get enough. shad and mullet-good excuses for a party and feast. Mark comment offensive


Your Name:

Your Comments:
Please keep comments focused on the subject (and profanity-free) or we may delete your post. Do not enter more than 10 lines. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us.

We require all participants in interactive areas to accept the terms of the Bonnier Corporation subscriber agreement. Please read the agreement before making comments. When you click on the button above to submit your comments, you are indicating your acceptance of and are agreeing to adhere to the terms of the subscriber agreement.

We paid a visit to the village of Lambertville, NJ, on the Delaware River, where you can hook, cook, and decorate your house with all things American shad during the annual Shad Festival. These brawlers are definitely one of the hardest fighters you can catch on rod and reel, and arguably one of the most historic fish in American history.

For information of the festival, visit lambertville.org, and if you want to try your hand at fighting one of these silver speedsters, book a charter with local captain Dieter Scheel of Big D Riverguide. He can be reached at (610) 574-7519 or by email.

» See all Photo Galleries
Copyright © 2007 Bonnier Corporation.