# Savannah River below Lock & Dam....



## AAADawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Has anyone got any info on fishing below the Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam in Augusta? I heard this past week end that their is a good shad run up the river to the Lock and dam...is this true? WHen does it usually start and how do you catch them??? Im also interested in fishing the river on both sides of the lock and dam...any info for that area would be greatly appreciated....Im stuck in a pontoon boat for fishing for the time being so I will wind up anchoring or drifting a lot because a trolling motor just doesnt realy work well with a large pontoon boat, especially with any current around!!!!


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## Slug-Gunner (Jan 13, 2006)

*American Shad Run....*

The American Shad migration run usually starts, slowly at first, in late February thru early March and runs thru about May. It really depends on the water temps near the mouth of the Savannah River where it enters the Atlantic Ocean as to when it actually starts. The bucks will usually arrive first and can average about 1.5-2.5 lbs. In late March thru April and sometimes into May the female "Roe Shad" will start to arrive - they average about 2-3.5 lbs, but I have caught several in the 5-6 lb range over the last 6 years.

I fish mainly from the 'lock-side' walkway side of the lock-and-dam area along with my teenage son. We can usually catch-and-release 15-20 in a few hours, but have caught as many as 50-60 each in a 4 hr period during the "peak" of the run. The daily limit is 8 per license holder. We only keep the LARGE ROE SHAD that are over 3-4 lbs, mainly for a friend that has an oriental wife and uses the roe eggs for meals and the meat for soup dishes.

RIGS and BAIT:

To catch American Shad, and spawning Gizzard Shad, most people use a Carolina rigged 1/4 oz crappie jig with a 2" chartruese (bright yellow) or blaze orange/hot pink curly-tailed plastic worm. A 3/4 to 1 oz slip sinker is usually required to keep it down in the current.

We have had extremely good results using the heavier sabiki rigs (multi-hooked baitfish rigs used for catching baitfish in the ocean). During the 'peak' of the shad run, we 'snag' hook almost as many using this rig as are mouth-hooked. Bass Pro has a good selection of these Sabiki Rigs at very reasonable prices. There is a 'finesse' method of using them that I can teach you that helps prevent them from hanging up constantly in the rocks that line the downstream side of the dam.... and a method of rigging the sinkers so that they break loose easily when you do get 'hung-up' so you loose only the lead sinker and not the hole rig.

Rods and reels can vary, but you want one that is easy to handle and doesn't tire you out too quickly. A 7' medium-heavy spinning outfit is ideal for most uses, but I've seen people catching them using just 'WalMart  Special' Zebco 33 rigs with 5' baitcasting rigs. We sometimes use 8-10' surf/catfish rigs and 25-30 lb line when using the Sabiki Rigs during the peak of the run. I've had up to THREE SHAD in the 2-3 lb range on the same rig at one time on a couple of occassions.... talk about a good fight.

NOTE:
AAADAWG,
If I remember correctly, your from near the Augusta area. If we can hook-up sometime around shad-run time maybe we can get together and I can show you around the Lock-and-Dam area. I don't have a boat myself, but know where most of them "tie-up" to the buoy line cable and have good luck. I know most of the local game wardens and they've let me know the areas they've had good luck in finding them 'holed up' using the "shock boat" for their counts. My 19 yr old son would love to come along too if possible. Let me know by PM what you think.

BTW:
Another advantage this year is that you can now keep up to 2 Stripers/Hybrids over either 23/27" (not sure, have to check it out for slot size limit) per day.

          ​


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## AAADawg (Jan 15, 2006)

Man I would love to get together and learn how to catch Shad!!! I have a 28 foot pontoon boat that is ideal for either tying up and fishing or drift fishing...It has a trolling motor on it but it is difficult to keep it in any kind of position if the wind is blowing at all or with any current. I talked to a guiy fishing below the dam last weeke end and he said it was possible to get a pontoon boat up to the cable(???) Send me an IM when you get the chance and find that the Shad are running...or whenever anything else is hitting good on the river!!!!


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## weagle (Jan 15, 2006)

I used to fish the lock and dam a good bit and it is great fun.  The shad are a blast and will wear your arms out when they are really hitting.  You have to get them about 8 to 10 feet up from the water so some people use hoop nets for the larger fish.  I like to fish with a reel that I can just crank down the drag and haul them up.   A good percentage will get off using my method, but I throw them back anyway, so a quick relase doesn't bother me.

Also, you can use a big bottom rig to fish for the monster stripers that run up to the lock about the same time.

I like to use the carolina rigs with a crappie jig.

Good fishing,
Weagle


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## sentrysam (Jan 15, 2006)

*dam at Augusta*

How do you find this place and can you get a striper boat close enough?


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## weagle (Jan 15, 2006)

I think there is a boat ramp pretty close on the river below the lock, and you can get plenty of boat in there.  From the lock , you can go all the way to the Atlantic if you choose and a big center console is no problem.  I've seen some guys pull right up to the bouy line and catch shad on flyrods which would be real cool since they look like baby tarpons.

Weagle


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## miner (Jan 15, 2006)

*lock and dam*

I fish below the lock for mullet.You talk about fun,good eating also.I hope to hook up with a big stripe this year if i can.


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## Keith48 (Jan 16, 2006)

The access road to the lock and dam runs behind the Augusta Regional Airport (Bush Field) between the airport and the water treatment plant (adjacent to Phinizy Swamp WMA. Right before you get to the entrance gate, you hang a right to go to the ramp, and last time I was there, there was sign for the ramp. It is about 1/2 mile downstream from the locks.


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## AAADawg (Jan 17, 2006)

miner said:
			
		

> I fish below the lock for mullet.You talk about fun,good eating also.I hope to hook up with a big stripe this year if i can.




When I was a kid the locks were always full of mullet in the summer but we couldnt get them to hit anything...we would occasionally snag one but I dont think they ever actually were hooked in the mouth. How do you catch them?


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## pangablue (Mar 8, 2014)

*shad 2014*

Anyone know if the shad have arrived at the Augusta lock and dam yet?


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## ace184 (Mar 12, 2014)

I went there with my son yesterday and they had their shad locking schedules posted. Didn't pay much attention to the dates or times since we were just there to kill some time.  I'm still new to fishing here and not sure what all that means,


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## vince (Mar 12, 2014)

*lock & dam*

I stopped by and talked to gene kirkland who owns Gene's brickyard ponds/lock & dam Bait & tackle shop at 1408 doug bernard pkwy near gordon hwy. (706)722-8263
And according to him the shad a running now and will be till the middle od April. Good Luck.


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## Jack Flynn (Mar 12, 2014)

Now Vince you and I both know there ain't no fish in that river!It's where I spend the whole summer and fall...........suntanning.


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## deathrow (Mar 13, 2014)

I was down there Tuesday specifically to see if the shad were running and didn't get any bites nor did I see any. Usually you can see them along the wall. I don't think they have made it just yet.


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## vince (Mar 13, 2014)

*river*



Jack Flynn said:


> Now Vince you and I both know there ain't no fish in that river!It's where I spend the whole summer and fall...........suntanning.



The savannah has always been hard for me to fish I have better luck in the oxbow lakes around Tuckahoe.

Have you made that rare find with your metal detector yet?


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## Babsworthy (Mar 14, 2014)

Jack Flynn said:


> Now Vince you and I both know there ain't no fish in that river!It's where I spend the whole summer and fall...........suntanning.




Then you weren't doing it right!  The fish in my picture is from the savannah river. 


And the shad run is a blast!  The Carolina rigged chartreus curly tail grub is a sure fire way to catch your limit in under an hour. In two days, you could have enough cut bait for a year.


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## cdan1984 (Mar 21, 2014)

Any new update, planned to go tomorrow


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## deathrow (Mar 22, 2014)

The shad are there. I went yesterday for a couple hours and caught 5.


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## Bailey Boat (Mar 23, 2014)

deathrow said:


> The shad are there. I went yesterday for a couple hours and caught 5.



Any females or just males????


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## deathrow (Mar 24, 2014)

I just caught males


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## little rascal (Mar 24, 2014)

*Ya'll post some pics*

when you get on'em! This sounds pretty cool. We don't see no shad around here cept' for threadfin and gizzards in a cast net for bait. I think there's a shad run somewhere in the lower chattahoochie too?


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## Bailey Boat (Mar 25, 2014)

I'm considering making the trip this coming weekend but the lack of females concerns me a little. I spoke with Eric Kirkland yesterday but he didn't have any other info that what is here on the forum.
If anyone hears anything I would appreciate a heads up.... Thanks


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## cdan1984 (Mar 26, 2014)

I caught a nice female 5lb+. Fight a lot harder than male.


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## Bailey Boat (Mar 26, 2014)

cdan1984 said:


> I caught a nice female 5lb+. Fight a lot harder than male.



Cool!!! At least there is a beginning... The females will put a whoopin on ya if you're not careful..... Thanks for the post.


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## cdan1984 (Mar 28, 2014)

the female one I caught, huge pieces of roes, taste wonderful


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## Bailey Boat (Mar 29, 2014)

Nice female!! I'll see you there in about 6 hours, leaving here at 0800 and stopping by Sconyers for lunch and then to the river!!!! Can't wait. If anyone is on the river wave at me. I'll be in a 16' green jon boat w/a black Merc on the back. Probably the only boat there from North Carolina.


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## vince (Apr 2, 2014)

*Shad*

How many did you and Jay end up with?


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## Bailey Boat (Apr 3, 2014)

vince said:


> How many did you and Jay end up with?



As you know Saturday afternoon was a little slow (or we were anyway) but we tore them up Sunday and Monday and wound up with a trip total of 188. Jay had never caught shad so it was a ball watching him hook up. Most of what we caught were females with very few males.
Thanks again for all of the assistance in putting this trip together.


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## vince (Apr 9, 2014)

*shad*

Glad you two had a blast,I bet it was fun watching Jay.Tell him I said hello and see you'll next year!!


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