Description: color of back
green or greenish blue with silvery sides, white underneath (colors darken
when fish enters fresh water to spawn); belly with scutes forming distinct
keel; one or more dark spots in a row behind operculum; lower jaw with
pointed tip that fits into v-shaped notch in upper jaw.
Similar Fish: other
species of Alosa (shad and herring) and Brevoortia
(menhaden). Menhaden, which are often referred to as "shad,"
have a rounder lower jaw tip. American shad is an east coast species
replaced on the Panhandle coast by Alabama shad.
Where found: OFFSHORE
except during late winter spawning run into east coast rivers, notably the
St. Johns River.
Size: most catches 2 to 3
pounds; common to 5 pounds.
*Florida Record: n/a
Remarks: anadromous
species, coming into fresh water to spawn; young remain in fresh water to
length of 2 to 4 inches, then move out to sea; plankton feeder, but
strikes small,bright spoons or flies; their roe (as many as 30,000 in a
single female) is prized, the flesh full of fork bones.
* The Florida records
quoted are from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's
printed publication, Fishing
Lines and are not necessarily the most current ones. The records are
provided as only as a benchmark.
