Posted by Randy Brown on March 17, 2006 at 10:26:16:
This info was provided by the Georgia Depatment of Natural Resources Resources Division.
Hickory shad are a member of the shad and herring family (Clupeidae). Hickory shad are highly migratory and range from Nova Scotia to Florida, but they can be found most of the year in Georgia's coastal rivers and inshore waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Because hickory shad populations cross state boundaries, the Atlantic States Fisheries Commision regulates their harvest throught federal law by providing guidelines to states on how to regulate migratory shad/herring populations. In Georgia, seasons and net sizes regulate the commercial shad fishery whereas the recreational shad fishery is restricted to hook and line or bow net methods and an eight fish per day creel limit.
Hickory shad are anadromous, which means they migrate from salt water into fresh water to spawn. Other anadromous fish species that occur in Georgia include Striped Bass blueback herring and skipjack herring. Man-made barriers, like dams, block their passage to historic spawning areas further upstream.
Unusual circumstances sometimes create "landlocked" populations in which passage back to the sea becomes blocked. The only known landlocked population of hickory shad in Georgia and possibly the nation, occurs in Lake Hartwell. Unlike landlocked blueback herring, it is NOT LEGAL to harvest landlocked hickory shad with a cast net or sell them for bait.
Unfortunately, anglers who cast nets for live bait in Lake Hartwell sometimes catch hickory shad without knowing it. Because of stringent state regulations for hickory shad, anglers who cast nets for live bait on Hartwell should know the difference between blueback herring and hickory shad.
Although blueback herring and hickory shad are similar in appearance, especially when they are small, there are some distinct differences. At first glance, adult hickory shad are much larger than blueback herring. Hickory shad may reach a length of 18-inches and weigh nearly two pounds, whereas a large blueback herring may only measure 10-inches in length and weigh less than one-quarter pound.
The body shape of a hickory shad is more rounded than the torpedo-shaped blueback herring, but the most obvious external feature of hickory shad is the row of 5 or 6 large dark spots behind the gill plate. Blueback herring usually have only one spot, but occasionally up to 4 spots.
The most dramatic difference between hickory shad and blueback herring is not found on the outside of the fish but inside the gut cavity. The lining of the gut cavityin a blueback herring is black, whereas the lining of the gut cavity in a hickory shad is white. This is the only sure way to tell the two species apart, especialy in young specimens.
Moving fish out of their native range is an illegal practice that can have devastating impacts to native fish and wildlife. Although hickory shad have developed in Lake Hartwell, they should not be removed and relocated to other water bodies. For mor information about fisheries management in GA, visit www.gofishgeorgia.com
Hope this info will help keep someone from having any trouble with the DNR and if you catch any hickory shad in Clarks Hill or Lake Russell please notify the Georgia Departmant of Natural Resources or the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Good Fishin'
Randy Brown
ASC Tournament Chairman