When is shad in season

View Our Preparedness Plan. Thursday, December 17, - Highway 1 Bridge. All waters of the Altamaha river system above the U. Highway 1 Bridge, including the Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers, are closed to commercial fishing. Waters upstream of the I Bridge and below the U.

Highway Bridge are open Wednesday—Saturday. All waters of the Savannah River above the U. Seasonal Opportunities.

Licensing Info. Check out the Latest Recreation Report Current conditions and opportunities to fish, hunt and see wildlife.

Visit Recreation Report. American shad are anadromous; as adults they travel in large schools along ocean coastal areas for 4 or 5 years, until they are sexually mature, and then run up large rivers from saltwater to freshwater to spawn. After spawning, surviving adults return to the ocean. Newly hatched young remain in freshwater until fall; in the fall, they move downstream to brackish estuaries where they may remain for a year or more before moving out to the ocean. Shad run up rivers in the spring as water temperatures reach the midF mark.

Males usually come upstream first, with spawning occurring over sandbars or rocky riffles at dusk and into the night in an average depth of 6ft. Although shad may be harvested and sold commercially in the Cape provinces you may not sell shad caught in KZN. The reason for this regulation is to help protect adult shad that migrate to KZN each year to breed.

Prev Next. Related Posts. February 17, February 16, February 10, We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Cookie Settings Accept All. Manage consent. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website.

We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website.