Shad season in Georgia opens Jan. 1
Photo: Georgia Department of Natural Resources
From staff reports
Commercial fishermen ready for shad season can take to the water as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, officials from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife division said.
Shad season begins at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, and is scheduled to run through March 31.
“We had a good run of American shad and hickory shad last year, and for many of our fishermen it proved to be a good season,” said Jim Page, a Senior Fisheries Biologist. “We are certainly hopeful and optimistic that this season will be a favorable one as well.”
The 2021 shad season includes the following specific regulations for rivers:
♦ The Altamaha River downstream from the Seaboard Coastline Railroad Bridge is open for commercial shad fishing Monday — Friday. Waters of the Altamaha River system upstream of the Seaboard Coastline Railroad Bridge and below the U.S. Highway 1
Bridges are open Tuesday – Saturday, including the Ohoopee River downstream of the U.S. Highway 1 Bridge. All waters of the Altamaha river system above the U.S. Highway 1 Bridge, including the Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers, are closed to commercial fishing.
♦ The Savannah River is open for commercial shad fishing downstream from the Interstate 95 Bridge Tuesday — Friday. Waters upstream of the I-95 Bridge and below the U.S. Highway 301 Bridge are open Wednesday — Saturday. All waters of the Savannah River above the U.S. Highway 301 Bridge are closed to commercial fishing. Only drift nets may be used downstream of a line between the mouth of Knoxboro Creek and McCoys Cut at Deadman’s Point.
♦ The Ogeechee, Satilla and the St. Marys rivers are not open to commercial shad fishing.
Following are some guidelines to ensure nets used for commercial shad fishing are legal:
♦ The minimum mesh size for legal set or drift shad nets is 4 ½ inches stretched.
♦ Set nets must be placed at least 600 feet apart and should be limited to 100 feet in length.
♦ Set nets must clearly display the owners name and commercial fishing license number.
♦ Drift nets shall not be fished closer than 300 feet apart and are limited to a maximum of 1,000 feet in length in saltwater.
♦ Set nets and drift nets must be situated so as to allow one-half the stream width to be open and free for the passage of fish.
♦ All set nets must have one end secured to the stream bank and must be buoyed at the outer (seaward) end so they will be clearly visible to other boaters.
♦ Sturgeon, game fish other♦ than American shad or hickory shad, and all species of catfish taken in set or drift nets must be released unharmed into the waters where they were captured.
Commercial shad fishermen must have a valid Georgia commercial fishing license and are required to have purchased a commercial fishing endorsement for shad.
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