Anglers Asked to Report American Shad in the Paulins Kill and Musconetcong Rivers

Andrew and Steve Meserve mix fish roe and chicken eggs to create a unique dish (Travel Channel)

Every year American shad migrate up the Delaware River to spawn. The numbers and timing of the "shad run" vary year to year depending on water temperature and conditions. Having accurate, up-to-date information on the run can greatly impact on angling success and enjoyment. Fortunately, there are resources anglers can use to get this information.

INFORMATION RESOURCES

• Lewis Fishery Reports: Contact Steve Meserve of the Lewis Fishery in Lambertville at LewisFishery@comcast.net to be added to his list. His reports are below.

  In addition to the Lewis Fishery postings below, anglers can utilize the following resources:

• Delaware River Shad Fishermen's Association
• Past Seasons Reports

4/8 Report
4/7 Report
4/2 Report

Lewis Fishery Report, 4/8/21
It was a warm but beautiful night to be on the river. We went to 200 yards of net. The water temp was reading 58F on our thermometer. We ended up with 6 bucks and returned 4. We also had 1 quillback. I'm keeping an eye on the weather. There are some showers in the forecast for tomorrow afternoon. If it holds off we'll be back a it. It's looking like a rainy weekend too.

Lewis Fishery Report, 4/7/21
I am glad to report that we were able to get out on the water this evening. We were getting a temperature of 57F but I think that was a bit high. As of 11:30pm the mean temperature reading from the Lambertville-New Hope bridge was 52F (11.0C). Anyway, we were running 150 yards of net. There was quite a crowd on the river tonight. Fishing boats, rowers and dragon boats. We ended up with 4 bucks, 2 roe, returned 2 and also had 2 quillback and a gizzard shad. While it was a bit warm on the river it was nice to be back at it again. We'll be back at it tomorrow night.

Take care and stay safe.

Lewis Fishery Report, 4/2/21
Hello,

It's been a long winter. I hope this email finds you well and safe. We are finally getting ready to start the season. The nets are out and I hope to get the boat in the water in the next few days (Keep your fingers crossed the old Yamaha will start for me). Our bridge which we were going to replace in October 2019 (remember those days?) sustained some significant damage in the high water in December. It will be replaced this spring but not until after the season I expect. Because of this we will need to keep people off the island while we fish. We will bring fish across the creek to sell. It's a process we have used before. Please bear with us.

I will send something out again over the weekend as the start date is firmed up.

If you know anyone who would also like these updates just send the email address and contact info to me.

Steve

Steve Meserve
Lewis Fishery
1 Lewis Island
Lambertville, NJ 08530
908-806-3163
908-507-8197
lewisfishery@comcast.net

PAST SEASONS REPORTS