Catch shad on middle stretch of the Delaware River

In the first milliseconds it’s like a wad of cotton has stuck to your line: heavy, limp, unyielding. This sensation is why anglers often confuse a shad strike with a possible snag.
But as soon as you lift the rod – which is how you should react – the cotton gets angry and shoots downstream pealing yards of line from the reel. At that moment you know, without a doubt, you’re hooked to the pounding fury that is an American shad.

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