These harbingers of Spring appear each year beginning in the month of February and peaking around the second week of March. The Roanoke River is as good a place in the world to catch enough of these acrobats, to wear you completely out.
February and March (maybe early April) are really the only months to pursue these fish, but that's all it takes to catch more than you could ever want to tangle with. The NCWRC publishes a weekly fishing report each week beginning the first week in March. It is a good idea to check this and as a matter of fact, before heading out on a trip to the Roanoke, I would recommend the following research take place.
What you are looking for there is of course the number of fish being reported caught in the NCWRC report..... the gauge height is what tells you the current water level in the river. Ideally, you want to see something in the range of 3-8 feet with 4-6 being optimal.... the flow release should be somewhere between 2,500cfs - 7,500cfs with 5,000cfs to 6,000cfs being optimal.
You can catch fish when the water is very high, but they get very difficult to find due to the fact they spread out. If you are there when the water is very high then you need to find creeks, cuts and anything else that slows the flow. Once these areas are located, you can make a decent day out of a tough one.
The shad are usually concentrated between the ramp and the "big rock" located a mile and half or so downstream. Look for areas that are 3-6 feet deep, bends in the river and most importantly, a bunch of boats close together. You still need to respect others areas, but at Weldon, you are expected to fish pretty close together so get in there and be a bit more patient with that boat that anchors closer than you are used to. There are certainly plenty of fish for everyone at this spawning mecca.
Gear and Tackle
Fishing for Hickory Shad is a fairly simple task. For maximum enjoyment, use a 4-6 foot ultralight rod with an ultralight reel filled with 6 pound test line. Shad bite lures out of aggression so get ready to have more flashes on your bait than fish caught. They are also notoriously finicky about what they will hit. This can change several times throughout the day. Over the years we have developed a pretty strong pattern of lure selections.
The spoon works the best during the sunny parts of the day. We put them in all different combinations to form various two lure rigs as well. Experiment with those three lures, and you will need no others.
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