F&S Hook Shots, Episode 1: Delaware River American Shad

In this first-ever Field & Stream “Hook Shots” episode, Joe Cermele chases American shad with local guide Dieter Scheel on the Central Delaware River in New Jersey during the annual April run. These shad fall to flutter spoons held in the current at different depths behind an anchored boat. Females, or “roes,” can actually hit the eight-pound mark. Interestingly, American shad do not feed on their journey upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. Theories abound, but most believe they strike out of aggression or simple curiousity.