American shad in millstone river

[Irishmist120]

NJ DEP mentions shad were prolific before dams on rivers; removal of dam in Manville allowed them up to Blackwell Mills on Millstone where there is a small dam. I caught 2 yesterday upstream between Griggstown and Rocky hill; both on a fly rod (learning fly fishing) - one a nice size - like a stocked spring rainbow - good fighters, other one bait size. I caught a few last year also - in November - both about 6-9 inches. Guessing they get over the dam when flooded. Fun to practice on - was targeting sunfish as trout fishing down here this Fall pretty dismal.

"Staff from the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Watershed Institute found evidence of successful American Shad spawning while cooperatively monitoring changes in fish assemblage following the summer 2017 removal of the Weston Mill Dam. Five juvenile shad averaging 4.3 inches in length were found 4.5 miles upstream of the dam at the base of Blackwell’s Mills Dam, which is considered the next upstream impediment to the movement of the shad. No shad have been found upstream of this location"..

https://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2018/...ounced%20today.

[thmyorke1]

Great post, it's great to see them, as well as in the fall especially the young ones. I saw part of the demolition of the Weston mills dam years ago.
Cool to see them above Blackwells dam too, maybe send over your report to the biologist?

I still need to try floating this river in my canoe. For sure some big shad-hungry fish are bulking up in there...