I work Friday bud, but thanks for the offer.  Still planning on headind down there the 10th (May) and I may go down there instead of doing the rap on the 25th.  Depends on what river is lower and warmer.  My guess will be the James, but we will see.  I'll be keeping an eye on the data sites.

Those shad do look like fun though.  Might hav to fish Brittle for them a bit more year round now.  Saw some older guys killing them out there with grubs, crappie type plastics and minnows last time I went.  Said they get BIG in there.  Saw one they had in a bucket close to a couple lbs.

So, again just let everything go and then there is no problem...

I'm a C&R guy too, but I guess it's just nice to know regulations to help out your fellow fisherman. In the event someone next to you is mis-informed about keeping a certain species.

Micro - you're right about the commercial fishing, I just figured it would apply to recreation but I guess it doesn't! Thanks for pointing me straight.

What about the other website I posted?

http://www.mrc.state.va.us/regulations/swrecfishingrules.shtm

If you scroll down to American shad it says:

Illegal to possess American shad caught from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries

The james spills into the Chesapeake doesn't it? Which would then make it a Chesapeake tributary meaning it'll be illegal to keep any American shad!

That's correct.  All rivers in Virginia, except a few in southeast Virginia and a few in south Virginia, empty into, and thus are tributaries of, the Chesapeake.  

Keeping American Shad by recreational fisherman is illegal in Virginia, except in those south Virginia Rivers that empty into North Carolina waters.  

Went today for about 2 hours, hit 3 shad and 2 herring was fun =D

Nice catch.

what were you using.  i only caught two in about two hours on shad darts.

1.5in silver spoon on a 3/4oz trolling sinker....earlier in the week this guy told me to try and put an orange bead on the line above the silver spoon, he seemed to think it helped and when I tried it I did start catching more fish...I don't know if it actually helps or not but worth a shot !

Went to the foot bridge on the Occoquan this morning after work. I landed 3 and lost one hickory shad in an hour of fishing. Two were on a small gold spoon below a yellow and red shad dart and one hit the dart. Here are a couple pics...

Another...

I had the whole FOGGY river to myself! The shad were 15", 16.5" and 18.5"... All full of eggs! Some big hickory shad...

so the shad are still going to be around early may?  thats when i get done with final exams and can't wait to hit them if i still have a chance

If it stays cool the hickories should be around at least until the first if not second week of May. The American Shad could be around  well into June and if we are lucky even early July! But not every river has American Shad, only the Potomac and James have decent numbers, the Rapp and Occoquan have recovering populations that are VERY low... Good Luck!

I went last Saturday to the Appomattox River in Colonial Heights. Take Archer Ave off the BLVD and there is a park on the left hand side you pull up to. I went for about a hour and caught 20 of them using a gold spoon. Pretty much everbody around me were catching them like crazy!!

If you are familiar with Colonial Heights Dances Sporting Goods carries alot of baits for shad.

Good Luck, John.

Chartreuse was killer today on the James at Ancarrow's.  One guy was catching them 2 at a time with a chartreuse/red sabiki rig.  My fingers are all blistered from reeling them in...Fun times!  

I'll be at ancarrows at 12ish if anyone wants to join =D !

Been out any this year?

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1237941598/63#63

Went out today again and didn't catch a thing.  The game warden said everyone was having a slow day.  I can't catch a break!