American shad are seasonally native to the Connecticut River. They range from Long Island Sound to Bellows Falls, Vermont. Large numbers of shad have been counted at the dam in Holyoke, MA. Large numbers of shad pass the Holyoke dam and much smaller numbers pass the Turners Falls Dam. However, shad have trouble making it all the way through the fish ladders at the next upstream dam in Turners Falls. As a result of this bottleneck, researchers are trying to find a way to improve the fishway at that location. In the mean time, some shad are collected at the Holyoke fishlift and trucked upstream of the Vernon dam to make sure that a reasonable number of shad have access to high quality upstream habitat. The consequence is a spring recreational fishery for shad from Bellows Falls south. Nearly 4,400 anglers per year fish for shad in MA alone.

American shad are an exciting fish for anglers. They're big, they fight hard, and, in the Connecticut River, you can fill your creel pretty quickly. The Connecticut River record shad was 11 lbs 4 oz, which is also the world record!

The best places to fish for shad are at the mouths of rivers including the Farmington, Chicopee, or Westfield, and below dams, such as the Enfield, Holyoke, Vernon, and Bellows Falls Dams. The shad run peaks between late May and early June.

Visit this page during the spring for daily shad counts. Also, check your state's fishing regulations for more information.