I have seen some posts on the 2019 shad run and thought I would weight in. I was introduced to shad a couple of years ago and am hooked on it. (Pun intended). On a light pole setting the drag a little loose they are pretty darn fun to catch….
I went down a couple of weeks ago. My day off coincided with that cold front that came in and the wind was beyond ridiculous. I was hooking up only about one in ten casts and loosing 2 out of 3 in the current and massive waves. Did manage to get 15. Not quite enough.
So went back last week and the conditions were markedly better. I got an early start and was in the fish big time. I was hooking one about every other cast or so and landing most of them. There is defiantly a knack to it – I think any way. The guys above me were getting hardly nothing and the ones below not much more. I did think they were a tad bigger this year and a lot more females in the mix for some reason. I finally stopped at about 40 of them. My arm was getting tired.
I read a lot about these not being that good of a fish, but I think it is like anything if taken care of right they can be really good. I made a big stinger with rope and a wire loop. I cut the gills to bleed them and keep them in the water till I am done for the morning. In the pic you can see the couple I just threw up on the bank and I could tell which ones they were when I processed them at home. I fillet them right on the bank and then right on ice. I attracted quite a crowd of pelicans and one scrawny blue heron. I felt sorry for him so I threw him a little one. Once home I fillet the skin off and then the ribs – if canning don’t worry about getting every bone out. I just try to get most of them off. Wash them up good and either freeze to process later or can up.
Now to how I put them up. Makes great sandwich fixings or with cream cheese on crackers or whatever.
To can them sterilize the jars in boiling water. Roll up a fillet and put in jar. Slide a thin slice of lemon down the edge of the jar. Pack in as many little chunks of fish as will fit – leaving head space. Put a sprig of fresh rosemary and thyme, a chunk of garlic clove, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and 2 or 3 peppercorns on top. If you like Cajun just use that and the salt. Fill up with about a 2/3 of olive oil 1/3 water. Use a thin knife to slide along the jar to get the oil/water to get in around the fish. This will also take the salt down as well. Don’t over fill just get enough oil to cover the fish - doesn't take much. Clean the rim of jar really well and dry it. Lid with hot lids from hot water hand tighten rings. Can in caner with 3” of water over top of jars at 10 lbs for 100 minutes. Let caner cool for 30 minutes and remove jars while still pretty hot. This should get 100% seal. Discard lemon etc. when you open the jar…
To Pickle them:
High grade the fillets by cutting length wise to get boneless chunks. Get a gallon jar – glass or plastic is fine. Get enough chunks to be ½ gallon. Now for the first brine. Take 1 1/3 cup of salt. Layer fish and salt being sure to get each layer well salted. Fill jar with white vinegar to 3” above the fish. Refrigerate for 5 days. Sloshing well for 1 minute ONCE each day. On day 5 rinse fish in cold water then soak in ice water bath for one hour. The fish will be white and a little rubbery. Break up any chunks that have stuck together.
For the pickling solution. 8 cups of white vinegar – 7 cups sugar – 1/3 cup white zinvindele and 1/3 can mixed pickleing spices. (Not pickleing mix like for dill pickles!) Bring to a boil in big pan then simmer for 5 minutes. Cool in fridge for 1 hour or until good and cool. Chunk up 2 or 3 sweet onions. Drain fish from ice water. Layer onion and fish back in the gallon gar. Fill jar with the pickleing solution. Put in fridge. Ready to eat on day 3 – once the onions and fish sink to bottom. This is good with any white fleshed fish. The tilapia fillets from the store are good too.
Enjoy!
