Who’s ready?? I get home in late January & will be looking for reports, if not i’ll give it a go.
I made and painted some jig heads yesterday. Still need to order some jig bodies though.
I was born ready like ole Buffalo told John Wayne.haha I only got two trips in last year before them lily livers shut down the boat landings.
sman, yep last year they closed the landings and the year before the river was flooded up my way. I’m ready, it’s been a long time.
i go when ted says they’re runnin. not until then
So you wanna fish with me up there is what your saying? We gonna bank fish with the locals??
21 Contender
of course. the Q and pbr’s on me.
i prefer the rediversion for the sightseeing
Can I come if I promise not to talk about politics? Y’all can keep all the row, I’ll take a couple of bucks to give my neighbor if we catch any. He loves em. YOu gonna bring that $3.00 rye?
Only place I go. You’ve seen my pics.
21 Contender
I haven’t been back to Tailrace in 3 yrs. Is it over for good in there?
You can't catch fish on a dry line
Well tailrace has been ruined by not turning loose any water nowadays.That being said,if you were to get any shad there it would be very early in the run.
We used to start there in late January & our best week was always around President’s Day. My youngest got a 11lb bass there shad fishing. When he was 5.
21 Contender
It’s a miracle y’all landed that big fish.haha I remember some of the fellas in my crew catching nice rockfish and crappie also.Do you remember that year the locks were being repaired and couldn’t be opened?What a year that was for shad! I wish tail race could return to its heyday and spread out the shad fleet.Maybe the decline of shad at tailrace is because they are opening the locks more often.
Following
Socially distanced.
Waiting on pics of PeaPod in Patagonya Shad Fushing A-tire.
TIA(Thanks in advance… sman)
The ENTER-NET Fisherman
I bet he won’t go with me. The offer is there
21 Contender
I have to ask, doesn’t anyone fish the Santee River for the Shad? If everyone that does fish for them is at the tailrace, seems like other places might be good to try, or am I thinking in the wrong terms?
I made up a bunch of Shad Darts last year, since I had retired and it was the first time that I actually go to go and see if I could find a Shad. I went to the Santee, from the bank and the water was a little high and muddied. That was just as the virus hit, and a few days before they closed down the ramps.
I caught one small Striper (13"), that’s been my success so far with Shad fishing. 
Santee river is where everyone goes nowadays.If you want to fish off the bank,go to the railroad trestle up from arrowhead,pea will be there.
3 main spots to catch shad
Arrow head and Wilson landing are on the santee
Arrow head is the better landing and easier and safer to navigate and has lots of room. The parking seems safe and there is a campground motel and tackle shop near by.
Wilsons landing can be a death trap at times and is to shallow and small for big boats and there are some rocks and trees in the water. The good spots fill up way quicker. The parking and area is general is sketch and so is the ramp. I feel like im gambling when parking there. Trashy area like beer bottles and stuff and its all dirt parking lot with some major potholes sometimes.
The ramp is the steepest and longest I’ve used and the bottom of the ramp is the river bottom which is sand and flat so it is shallow when the waters low and when its high its so close to the dam that its dangerous.
Tail race canal is on the cooper. It is easy to navigate and lots of room. The parking and area seems safe.
If we are in a period of drought the santee gets low and the flow slows and the cooper is better for shad then.
Typically shad don’t show up until the water holds at 59 degrees. February 23rd to march 15th is when they first start showing good. February=some shad March=shad. April= Shad and herring. April/May = herring and baby stripers.
I wouldn’t plan a trip until march if i was trying to find decent action for sure. If i had a boat bigger then 15ft i wouldn’t go to wilsons landing.
Bring multiple kinds of little green grubs and sabikis. It matters alot, like a lot a lot. The difference of 1 or none to a cooler full. Different weights for them for the current. Also light mono and flouro carbon catch more then braid with a leader
Thanks for the replies!
My boat is 16’, but not sure I’ll have it ready when the Shad are here, so more likely will try fishing from the shore. A trip to these areas you folks are mentioning is a 25 minute drive for me.
I would use a light spinning outfit with mono anyway. I used to fly fish for Shad, but not too sure that’s something I would try here, unless it was from a boat. Green grubs! I’ve caught them on many colors, and grubs, so I’ll guess when you say green, it’s the green chartreuse? I have plenty of that color, and some other green shades. I even made some shad darts in green chartreuse. 
Yes chartreuse little curly tails on jigs. If the shad are there the banks will be lined with people. Check water flows before you go. To much and its dangerous and poor fishing to little is the same thing. You can catch shad on sabikis too. Just watch out they bend hooks tangle rigs and nets when they do.