Last spring during a three-hour session of shad fishing, I kept track of the number of fly patterns I used. Eight in all, they included several different designs and colour variations thereof. Experience has shown frequent colour changes are often necessary to prolong the bite, and having a variety of designs at hand will cope with changing water depths. By changing every time the action stopped for more than a few casts, the mean-time-between-failure was kept to a minimum.
To reinforce the point, two weeks earlier I had been on the losing side. On my way home from the Truro area I put in an hour and a half on Nine Mile River. Shad were in the lower pools, but showed only disdain for the contents of my box. Several other anglers were suffering the same fate, but an odd man out hooked two fish while I fished. "It's one with a yellow tail," he replied to the obvious question. I leave you to guess how many patterns I had with a yellow tail; a count since augmented.
To be comfortably cast, lures have a lower weight limit. Generally, this complicates coverage of shallow water sections. Conversely, fly rods were never designed to cast shad darts, but they deliver unweighted patterns with ease. Moreover, when combined with a sink-tip line, moderately weighted flies will fish deep, or at least deep enough. This is why your Team Shad should enter fighters in at least four weight classes.
Almost exactly three years ago I exposed a simple, but effective, design developed by my fishing partner Paul MacDonald. Built of a short marabou tail and body of UNI Glo Tinsel, I'm chewing my cud because two of the eight patterns fit mentioned above fit this mold. Unweighted-some variations include a cone-head-they do best when shad are holding in shallow riffles. Another winner was my insignificant variation of the Goldy, created by my friend Marc Madore. Marc uses gold Krystal Flash for the tail and a gold Mylar tinsel body. Varying the size of the dumbbell eyes gives you presentation options. I carry the concept in a silver eyes, holographic silver UNI Flat Braid tail/body, variation too.
Goldy
Hook: Mustad 3366 or similar, size to suit
Thread: 12/0 UNI Cord
Tail & Body: Hollow gold braid
Weight: Gold dumbbell eyes, cement after tying in
Head: Black
NOTE: I use 12/0 UNI Cord because it is strong enough for me to apply considerable pressure when tying in dumbbell eyes, yet thin enough to avoid bulk. UNI Cord is expensive, but one uses very little for each pattern. I use straight eye hooks because it makes it easier to thread braided tinsel onto the shank.
Step 1: Push the braid onto the shank, fray out the strands to make a tail, secure with the thread, whip finish and cement. Secure braid an eye's length behind the eye and trim.
Step 2: Attach eyes using figure-8 wraps and horizontal wraps between the eyes and the top of the shank. I usually start with two figure-8s, then take two horizontal winds, repeat the sequence and finish with two more figure-8s. Finish head, and cement head and eye windings.
To be certain I'd never be caught without yellow again, I added a half-dozen of one based on a pattern from Larry Shortt of Sackville, NS, to my box.
Bead Eye Green & Yellow
Hook: Mustad 3366 or similar, size to suit
Thread: Yellow UNI-Stretch
Tail: Yellow marabou
Body: Yellow UNI-Stretch
Butt: Green UNI-Stretch, apply after body
Eyes: Medium dumbbell or bead-chain eyes
Head: Fluorescent green chenille
Step 1: Attach the yellow UNI-Stretch at the front and wind to the rear. Tie-in the marabou tail and wind UNI-Stretch forward and back to build body. Finish at the dumbbell eye position leaving lots of room for the eyes and chenille head. Add green UNI-Stretch butt.
Step 2: Secure the dumbbell eyes and cement. After cement dries attach fluorescent green chenille, make two figure-eight winds and secure. Finish head and cement. Laquer butt and body for durability if desired.
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