Differences between herring and hickory shad

[finchaser]

body shape, and tail looks like a blue back sea herring or bunker to me definitely not a shad no spots and wrong shape tail

[Monty]

I was trying to figure out what fish that was in montys report and did a search. this thread came up. Was thinking maybe a hickory shad. They get here this early?

body shape, and tail looks like a blue back sea herring or bunker to me definitely not a shad no spots and wrong shape tail

Last weeks headless I stumbled across and this weeks catch.
When I caught this weeks I thought they looked the same.

[hookset]

Don't know if this was posted already. I found this info on hickory shad. Its from maryland but it should apply to us as well- apparently they are catch and release only in maryland. I thought that was the case in NJ also, not sure.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries...ickoryshad.asp
Distribution:

• Historically, hickory shad spawned in rivers and tributaries along the Atlantic coast from Florida all the way to the Bay of Fundy, Canada.
• Current presence in more northerly waters is uncertain, but recent spawning has been documented as far north as the Connecticut River.

Habitat:

• The hickory shad, a member of the Clupeidae family, is a schooling species.
• Hickory shad are anadromous fish which spend the majority of their life at sea and only enter freshwater in the spring to spawn.
• Adult hickory shad appear to spawn in a diversity of physical habitats ranging from backwaters and sloughs to tidal and non-tidal freshwater areas of large rivers.

Food Preference:

• Studies suggest that hickory shad migrate in a pattern similar to the coastal migrations of American shad, feeding on small fish, squid, fish eggs, small crabs, and pelagic crustaceans.

Spawning:

• In the Chesapeake Bay, hickory shad spawning runs usually precede American shad runs by beginning in March.
• Peak spawning time is mid-April through late May, with temperatures ranging from 54-72?F. Peak spawning temperature is 59-66?F.
• "Repeat" spawning (spawning several times in a lifetime) in hickory shad runs appears to be common, but tends to vary among river systems. In Maryland, repeat spawning hickory shad account for 30-60% of the migrating adults.
• Spawning hickory shad females (ages 3 to 9) broadcast a large quantity of eggs into the water column which are fertilized by males (ages 2 to 7).
• Fertilized eggs are carried by river currents and hatch within a few days.
• Larvae drift with the current until they mature into juveniles.
• After spawning, adults return to the sea, but their distribution and movements in the ocean are essentially unknown. It is believed that they follow a pattern similar to the coastal migrations of American shad, moving northward after spawning in waters south of and including the mid-Atlantic.
• Increasing water temperatures and photoperiod like influence mature hickory shad migration back to freshwater in the late winter.

Fishing Tips:

• A statewide moratorium on the harvest of hickory shad in Maryland waters was implemented in 1980 to prevent extinction.
• A catch and release recreational fishery is permitted in Maryland.

[hookedonbass]

After reading about all the hickory shad I did a search and found this. Very informative thanks.

[baitstealer]

Interesting. They said in some states it was catch and release of these things. According to what fishermen are saying they are everywhere. I would think there are no where close to extinchtion?

[captnemo]

I don't believe they are catch and release in NJ or they would not be listed on the state record books.
Saw a post where someone said they caught a giant. You guys should think about weighing in if it's truly large. The state record is 2 lbs 13 oz.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/recfish-salt.htm
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/news/2012/recshad-cunner.htm