The information below is compiled by Mark Boriek, Principal Fisheries Biologist at the division's Lebanon Field Office. Additional reports this year and in previous years' reports, are from Gary Conner, the voice of the Shad Hotline. Please call the Shad Hotline 610-954-0577 or 610-954-0578 for the latest shad updates on the Delaware River.

4/26 Report
4/25 Report
4/24-2 Report
4/24 Report
4/23 Report
4/16 Report
4/14-2 Report
4/14 Report
4/11 Report
4/9 Report
4/8 Report
4/5 Report
4/4 Report
4/3 Report

FISHING REPORT - 4/26/07 (from Gary Connor)

Lewis Fishery, Steve reports water levels are rising - he estimates rise will be 1 foot by Saturday, Netting is suspended till levels return to normal. Lambertville, Dick and Pete report the run has stopped. Last report of fish landed 4/23. Let's hope there are more schools to come. Pete also reported there were men working on the Hydro phones on the 202 bridge. Keep reporting all fishing activity by E-MAIL to connerfish@aol.com, or call my cell at 215-200-1658. Info like water temp, levels, debris and clarity are also helpful. Come to the Delaware River Fisherman's Association meeting tonight 7 PM Dicks Sports at Franklin Mills. See you on the river. Tight lines, Conner FISHING REPORT - 4/25/07 (from Gary Connor)

Just a few quick up dates.

Dick reports, the Sandtz Eddy ramp is usable (be careful of the mud in the turn around) best to back straight down the drive.

Easton is fishable the P'burg ramp is in the best shape. Water temp in Easton now 53 degrees.

Dick observed one shad lost at one of the two boats out.

Lewis fishery still on hold, Steve wants the water level to drop 6 inches before pulling the net.

If you are planning to shad fish this weekend, try from Bull's Island south to Yardley.

For a mixed bag go to Trenton, rig for herring, stripers and shad. Don't get carried away, the 2 rod rule still applies along with the 3 hook herring rig (sabiki) rule and the in-line circle hook for all bait fishing till 6/1, and last but not least NO harvest of stripers before 6/1.

The Delaware River Fisherman's Association meets this Thursday at the Dick's Sport Store in Franklin Mills Mall complex, Dick's is between Boaters World and WalMart. Start time 7 PM. If it swims in the Delaware someone at the meeting will be able to help you fish for it.

Last but not least, your reports are very important, please drop line to connerfish@aol.com, if you don't have e mail call my cell at 215-200-1658.

Tight lines,

Conner

4/24/07 (From Gary Conner)

Action is starting to pick up in the lower river on Monday.

Kevin fished Trenton and went 3 herring, 1 striper and 40 shad. Kevin also fished Saturday with clams boating more than a dozen, but only 1 was keeper size.

Ron fished Lambertville from 3-7. from 3-5 boated 9 for 20+ then total shut down. Mostly buck, water temp 52 degrees. Temps this low this late in the season MAY help push the run further up river before the spawn starts, lets hope!

Also, Saturday I took my own advise and joined Ron at Nockamixon for a little bass fishing from 3-6 PM. The lake was muddy and very cold, 49-54 degrees from one side to the other. Talking to bass fishermen coming in the fishing is really late. The surrounding area looks like mid winter with no hint of green up, and no grass or pads growing in the shallows.

Lewis fishery, Steve is waiting for the river to go down more before putting the nets out, maybe Tuesday. Good news, most of the bridge is salvageable, as soon as the water levels get low enough they will re-raise the bridge to the island. If you get the chance take the kids to see the pulling of the nets. It is pulled just like it was when King Charles issued the grant for the fishery almost 250 years ago.

See you on the river.

Tight lines,

Conner

4/24/07

The river is still high, 31,300 cubic feet per second (Trenton gauge), but dropping. By Tuesday afternoon, it could be near or below the 20,000 – 25,000 cfs range that past hydroacoustic monitoring studies have shown trigger large schools of American shad to migrate upstream, past the Route 202 Bridge.

The water temperature, too, is cooperating. At the time of this writing, it is 53.78° F at Trenton. Fifty degrees (50°) F is about the coldest temperature at which A. shad begin to show an interest in shad darts and flutter spoons. Southwesterly winds have aided the migration and have warmed the water. The higher than normal water level gives the advantage to the shore anglers, as the A. shad prefer to migrate in the slower current velocities near the shoreline. Per usual, the most productive times are near dusk and dawn. Winds shifting to the west / northwest with an accompanying cold front, predicted for Tuesday night, will undoubtedly turn the bite off.

4/23/07, 8:43am Angler Report - "My brother John caught 15 American shad in the warmwater effluent of the Duck Island power plant, Trenton this morning on his home made flutter spoons. After the day break, most fishermen left."

4/23/07 - Lewis Fishery, Lambertville: "The good news is that we got the footbridge apart this weekend and it looks like we will need to replace very little lumber. The bad news is we are still quite a way from getting to a water level that will allow us to put it back up. We may be able to start seining again today but that determination will be made late this afternoon. I will continue to keep you posted."

4/23/07 – Captain George Kumor’s wife reported that "a good number of American shad" were caught in their Delaware Bay nets yesterday. I anticipate receiving similar good catch reports from the Kumors through, at least, Tuesday.

4/16/07

Due to the flood, of course, everything's shut down. However, the below angler report from 4/14, is an indication of potential good catches when the water eventually recedes and warms.

4/14/07

"Wasn't expecing much but I got lucky Saturday evening and stumbled into I suspect a warm pocket in the Lumberville/Bulls Island area. I wacked 12->15(lost count) BIG Roes 6->8+ lbs all on the same dart in 2hrs. Water temp only read 48 but I guess nobody told the roes - all fought like bluefish, four even jumped. It was sweet pay back - I could count all of last year's shad catches with 3 fingers. It was just like the good old days. Has me thinking this will be an exceptional spawn year. Sent them all north."

FISHING REPORT - 4/14/07 (from Gary Connor)

The flowers are starting to bloom. The grass is greening up and the fish are biting.

Thursday evening Lambertville, Big D and daughter fished 6-7:30 PM going 4 for 9.

Lewis fishery got 2 cats Wednesday, 2 shad Thursday, no shad Saturday. At least 1 shad was observed caught under the Lambertville bridge Saturday morning.

What a difference a few bad runs will make, 10 years ago there was a fleet of 75+ boats out in Lambertville on this weekend, today there were 4 boats. Trenton, water temp at the ramp 46 degrees (10 degrees below normal) all other conditions perfect.

Trenton power plant action very good, Kerry was high hook with 9 A. shad in just a few hours with other anglers not far behind. A couple of boats close to the hot water discharge were having a good time snagging gizzard shad. Bob picked up a couple small mouth casting parallel to the rip rap. 2 stripers were reported at the bottom of the tide on bait.

With a nor easter heading our way tonight and running through Tuesday our next best chance will probably be next Saturday.

Don’t forget the big raffle at the DRSFA meeting Wednesday 3-18 , 7:00 PM at the SE WY CO FIRE COMPANY RT # 378 South Bethlehem bring the kids, all kids win a prize.

Keep reporting to connerfish @ aol.com or call my new cell at 215-200–1658.

Tight lines

Conner

4/11/07

Last evening, 4/10 Lewis caught just 2 channel cats, no A. shad. Water temp = 45 F.

Steve Meserve, of the Lewis Fishery, needs help hauling the seine for American shad in the Delaware River at Lambertville, NJ in the evenings on week days, and on Sat. mornings. You can work as little as one netting per week if so desired. Contact Steve at lewisfishery@usa.net.

FISHING REPORT - 4/9/07 (from Gary Connor)

OUR 9 YEAR OLD GRAND SON CONNER JOINED US FOR THE TRIP TO SEE THE LEWIS FISHERY IN ACTION THIS MORNING. STEVE AND HIS CREW WERE GREAT AS ALWAYS, PUTTING ON A WONDERFUL DEMONSTATION FOR ALL THE KIDS.

WATER TEMP IS A COLD COLD COLD 43 DEGREES, ALL OTHER CONDITIONS WERE NORMAL. EXCEPT FOR THE 35 DEGREE AIR TEMP. WITH THESE CONDITIONS STEVE ADVISED THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY FISH IN THE NET AND HE WAS RIGHT.

LET'S HOPE WE CATCH A BREAK AND THE NIGHT TIME TEMPS STAY IN THE MID TO UPPER 40s FROM NOW ON WITH OUT ANY HUGE RAIN EVENTS. WISHFULL THINKING, SOMETIMES THAT IS ALL WE HAVE TO HOPE FOR.

SEE YOU ON THE RIVER

TIGHT LINES

CONNER

FISHING REPORT - 4/8/07 (from Gary Connor)

BACK IN THE LATE 70s AND EARLY 80s WE CAUGHT SHAD AS EARLY AS 3/6. THAT MEANS WE WOULD BE STARTING OUR SECOND MONTH OF SHAD FISHING THIS WEEK END.

STEVE MESSERVE, LEWIS FISHERY, PULLED NETS FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST NIGHT. NOTHING BUT COLD. STEVE SAYS WE ARE AT LEAST A WEEK AWAY FROM ANY REAL ACTION. HE WILL PULL NETS AGAIN SATURDAY MORNING . THINK MY GRAND CHILDREN WILL WANT TO SEE THAT!

THURSDAY, 3 STRIPERS WERE CAUGHT AT THE TRENTON HOT WATER DISCHARGE ON CUT HERRING. FRIDAY, AT THE HOT WATER DISCHARGE, 1 SMALL MOUTH, 13 GIZZARD SHAD AND 3 AMERICAN SHAD ON THE OUTGOING TIDE. WATER TEMP AT THE TRENTON RAMP 45 DEGREES.

WATER CONDITION GOOD, FLOW NORMAL AS FAR NORTH AS LAMBERTVILLE. ALL RAMPS ARE SERVICEABLE. 3 BOATS WERE HERRING FISHING, NONE CAUGHT. NO BOATS WERE OUT AT THE 3 OTHER RAMPS TO LAMBERTVILLE.

DROP ME A LINE ON ANY ACTION ANYWHERE, IF YOUR E MAIL IS DOWN JUST CALL ME AT 215-200-1658. E-MAIL (CONNERFISH@AOL.COM) IS STILL THE EASIEST FOR ME. SEE YOU ON THE RIVER.

TIGHT LINES

CONNER

Friday, 4/5/07
Delaware Bay commercial fisherman, Captain George Kumor reported that fishing picked up over the weekend of 3/31 & 4/01. He caught 300 - 400 A. shad on each day with the ratio of 4 females to 1 male. Average weight of the fish = 5 lbs. There were some 8 pounders. On 4/03/07 he caught only Gizzard shad & Hickory shad. He believes that the A. shad, sensing the approaching cold weather, have moved to deeper water to hole up. George estimates that he is 1/3 of the way into this year's American shad run. With the next warm up, he expects to make his biggest catches of 2007.

Up the river at Trenton, anglers have had a slow pick of A. shad in the warmwater effluent of the Duck Island power plant since mid-March. Below is a recent report:

Wednesday, 4/4/07, 9:02 AM - My brother John caught and released 3 American shad and lost 1 this morning on his homemade yellow with red head flutter spoon in the Duck Island power plant in the rain. His biggest one, estimated 24", jumped completely out of the water and threw the hook. Other 8 car loads of fishermen caught more than 12 American shad.

At Lambertville, the transducers for the Hydroacoustic Monitoring of the passage of the 2007 Delaware River American shad run at the Route 202 bridge went into the water on 4/03/07, as the river has dropped to a safe, workable height. A. shad passage number estimates are not yet available.

FISHING REPORT - 4/4/07 - (from Gary Conner)

The weather over the next week is not encouraging, we may have the lowest high temp for Easter in recorded history for that date.

Water temps in the non tide water is still in the 30 s and 40-42 in the tidal waters.

No reports of shad from any of my sources so far.

Tight lines

Conner

Tuesday, 4/3/07 Easton PA Angler Report:

Fished in the Delaware River below the Lehigh River Dam today with water temp at 48.9 F at 10:30 AM. When I left at 3:30 PM, the Lehigh R. was 51.9 F and the Delaware R. was 52.2 F. One small roe was caught by a boat right next to me. I was marking fish off and on until 2 PM, when about every 15 minutes large, and I mean large, schools of 15 to 40 fish passed under the boat. This lasted about 40 minutes. I took a ride up to Hummers Beach just below the scenic view, and man did I mark fish in that area, right up to the fast rapids. American shad are here, and in some good numbers, but with the water temps slowly rising, and now with more rain and cold weather, who knows what's in store for the rest of the week?

Answer: Probably not too much…………but with the next warm-up, when the water reaches 50° F. and above, and stays there, the A. shad now in the Delaware