Shad Fishing the Palmer River

[Woofish]

I am an avid American Shad fisherman and run my Woo's Shad Fishing site ( http://www.woofish.com/shad.html ) which has been very well accepted by the Shad fishing community. I used to fish the Delaware River, but in 2005 I moved to Cape Cod. I am trying to find shad fishing as close to home as possible. I was wondering if anyone can give me information on fishing shad in the Palmer River. Are shad still being caught there? If so, I would like some help regarding where to access the river. What fishing license is require? I have fished the North River with some success last year. Any help would be appreciated. :)

[Bob Parsons]

I enjoy fishing the North river at night. STanding in thewater having the fish bounce off my legs. Plenty of shad fisherman on this site,but for a quick info surge, do a search of this forum and you will find lots of information.

[hamptonsurf]

I am not familiar with the Palmer River, But I do know that I have picked up some nice shad (20+inches) along the seacoast of NH while looking for sea-run trout. Some small shrimp imitations etc. I used to live right by the Delaware in NY and it is MUCH better shad fishing there...but it is nice to know they are around up here too.

[loon]

In the early 60's there was a good run of 3-5 # Shad in the Palmer. I used to fish the stretch below the dam in (I think) Rehobeth. I have heard a while ago on this forum that run has faded to very little.

[BobG]

I'm very familiar with the Palmer, and fished it exclusively for shad from the mid 60's right through the mid 70's until I graduated college. In it's prime, it was perhaps the most unique fishery found anywhere in the state. At the time, the Palmer flowed right through the heart of farm country in s/e Ma. The local farmers had large corn fields which ran right up to tha banks of the river. The area abounded with wild pheasant, and they could be heard cackling all day long in search of hens while you fished for shad. The river received very little fishing pressure. So when combined with the scenic views, cackking pheasant, and ample shad fishery, it made for a mighty cool overall experience. Tackle used was small to ultra lite spinning rods with 4-6lb test, and 1/8oz darts. It also had a healthy population of sea run trout, and there were a few guys who ignored the shad entirely, and fished exclusively to the sea runs.
The river was small when compared to the Connecticutt. In places on 25' across. The shad would often come up in waves, depending on the tide, and you could see the large wakes pushing up river as they made their way upstream to spawn.
Sadly, I'm told just like their anadromous cousins the river herring, the shad in the Palmer are all but a memory. I haven't fished in in years, but in speaking to other who have, I'm told the shad all but disappeared a decade ago.
Really too bad, as this was a real special place to fish.:(

[bdowning]

I haven't fished the Palmer or the North in at least ten years, and have heard very little about the Palmer recently. The North/Indianhead system was always a pretty reliable shad fishery in the 90s, especially at night; not sure how it's faring now because it is not as convenient to drive to after I moved to Central Mass in the early 90s.

I do fish the Connecticut R and especially the tribs near the mainstem, from Holyoke to Springfield a few times every spring for shad. It's still an ok shad fishery, but much spottier than it was back in the early 90s. It's also easier to fish than the North or Palmer, contrary to popular opinion (those legendary crowds aren't what they used to be), plus the best action is during the day. As a bonus, you can catch stripers there too up to July, night being best, but days ok from boats. Again, with the demise of herring runs, the striper run in Holyoke is nothing like it used to be but you can catch them if you put some time in.

-bd

[Quicksilver]

I started fishing the Palmer in 1998. It is a 15 minute drive for me. In the past I have had a great time there, but the last two years have seen a serious dropoff in the numbers of shad. I didn't manage to land a single shad last year. In a development that could potentially add to the problem, the town of Swansea is building a desalinization plant to provide the town with fresh water. The plant will be using water from and returning to the Palmer River.

[Flier]

HI, new guy here. I live right near it and I'm curios myself about it. I did come arcoss this. any thoughts?


http://www.savebay.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=704&srcid=702

[Metacomet1676]

i know this is an old thread but i thought i would post because i live 200 yards from the palmer and fish the shad factory 4-7 times a week from the end of winter to the beginning of winter,ha.i have seen a minimal amount of sea lamprey and blueback herring but i cant say that i have seen any shad at the"shad factory". they have just replaced the fish ladder just below the dam but i do not think it will help much because the fish still have the tendency to want to swim up the dam (which flows over).i have tried netting the herring to help them on their journey and was asked to stop by a town police officer(?)because a concerned citizen had called and reported somebody was "taking" herring.i also think the number of golf courses and luxury homes in the area contribute to the low run numbers.nobody seems to be too concerned with the diminshed numbers but i would like to see some improvements in the way our state spends fishing/hunting license dollars.--124-3