A bounty of shad
This weekend's shad festivals in Fishtown and Lambertville, N.J., celebrate the fish's historic importance in the Delaware Valley, but shad are still alive and swimming in the Delaware River (not to mention the Lehigh and Susquehanna rivers, too).
This weekend's shad festivals in Fishtown and Lambertville, N.J., celebrate the fish's historic importance in the Delaware Valley, but shad are still alive and swimming in the Delaware River (not to mention the Lehigh and Susquehanna rivers, too).
"They're a very persnickety fish," said Pic Schoeneke, referring to the challenge of catching them.
She's executive director of the Forks of the Delaware Shad Fishing Tournament & Festival, starting Saturday through May 9 in Easton, Pa.
Shad, believed to migrate each spring to mate in the rivers where they spawned, have been on the move since mid-March and have been sighted in the Easton area, Schoeneke said. The run will continue into June.
The Easton tournament, in its 27th year, expects upward of 600 participants, she said.
The Delaware's shad population is doing fine, a reflection of the river's health, Schoeneke said. "It's been cleaned up a lot the past 10 years, especially around Trenton." *
Forks of the Delaware Shad Fishing Tournament & Festival, Saturday through May 9 in Easton. There's a kids' fishing contest from 1-2 p.m. Saturday and a kids casting contest Sunday. The 12th annual Doo Dah Parade, a cookout, awards and closing ceremonies will be held May 3 at Scott Park in Easton. Registration for the tournament ends today. For information, go to www.shadtournament.com or call 610-597-7423.