Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ shad cam is live! The annually active camera feed offers a live look at the fishway consutructed along Bosher’s Dam on the James River. According to DWR, “In 1999, a fishway was constructed at Bosher’s Dam, providing fish with access to 137 miles of the James River and 168 miles of its major tributaries for the first time since 1823. A camera at the fishway provides visitors a peek into this incredible journey as the fish return to spawn in the spring.”
It’s late-March (3/26 at the time of this writing to be exact) and anglers regionwide are eagerly anticipating the first push of Hickory and American Shad up many Chesapeake Bay tributaries, most notably the James, Potomac, Patuxent, Choptank, Gunpowder, Susquehanna, and North East rivers. A few reports are starting to trickle in from anglers testing Fletcher’s Cove and Mattawoman waters of the Potomac, among other tribs. But if we are to opine that the shad runs begin in southern waters before moving north, then the James River shad cam will be a great indication of the fish to come!
Click here for the Live Shad Cam OR visit our Fishing Reports page, anytime.
