by NorcalBob » April 5th, 2010, 3:10 pm
All of the Central Valley rivers that are connected to the Pacific Ocean get shad runs to some degree. So any from the Merced River north can host shad runs. Unfortunately, all of the CV rivers south of the American River have very sporadic and inconsistent runs making it tough to find fish. Shad do not return to their stream of birth (like the salmonids do) so that makes intercepting shad runs a huge problem for us fishermen. Instead they migrate up the river(s) that have the best flow and water temps for their liking. For reliable and consistent shad fishing, the American River is the most southern river that I'd recommend. However, I have heard of good shad runs on both the Merced and Stanislaus in good years.