Posted by Capt. Duck on March 18, 2006 at 00:33:37:
In Reply to: Hickory Shad info you need to know posted by Randy Brown on March 17, 2006 at 10:26:16:
The link below has pictures of: Alewife Herring, Blueback Herring, Hickory shad and American Shad. It also gives the common spawning dates and water temps for these fish.
I have seen pictures of hickory shad on several other websites as well and the appearance does vary a lot. Some of the pictures look much more like a blueback herring than the one on this link.
Most people probably don't look at their bait close enough to notice the difference. However, a giant bait may invite a closer look.
As far as I understand it, Hickory Shad are legal if caught on a hook and line so gold hooking them is legal. They are considered a game fish so they cannot be sold and I have no idea what the legal limit is.
From what I've heard, South Carolina is not enforcing the possession of netted Hickory Shad as Georgia is.
Knowing that a lot of fishermen catch bait in one lake and use it in another lake tells me that landlocked Hickory Shad probably are already in several lakes but may not have been detected yet.
Good Fishin'
"Duck"