A Shad, Shad Story: The Annual Springtime “Shad Run” Is On
Feel like a road trip? Then head west to experience an on fire fishery that’s occurring on the Delaware River from Trenton north to Worthington State Forest in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Going into its second weekend of rod’n reel migration mayhem, the annual springtime “Shad Run” will continue through the Memorial Day weekend and possibly beyond, and there are already reports of this acier-toned, well-muscled migrant fresh in from the Atlantic already being caught up at the Montague-Milford Bridge in Sussex County.
Big numbers of American shad, the largest member of the herring clan, are on the upriver spawning trek, and these movements usually occur in waves, with bucks (males) first followed by females (roes). The initial push is in progress, with a second most likely underway, as there are reports of fish being caught around Bordentown below Trenton. The later run will have a mix of bucks and roes.