Hickory Shad. Are they different from skipjack or gizzard?

[SpurHunter]

A friend of mine that has lived in Harrison all 42 of his years, and fished the Chick all his life says he doesnt know what a skipjack is, but is familier with hickroy shad. I am thinking he calls skips, hickory shad. </p>

Here are two reference pages I found doing a search, but I am still not really sure. The second one has a user supplied picture, but they four he caught look like skipjack to me. </p>

http://www.gma.org/fogm/Pomolobus_mediocris.htm</p>

http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=182</p>

 

[Guest]

The hickory and skip jack are the same. The gizzards run along the walls and bank rocks and won't hit a bait.

 

[SpurHunter]

I knew skips and gizzard were different Doc.</p>

 

[foodsaver]

I have caught a gizzard with crappie jigs doc. Those are the big flat shad with the blunted nose right?

 

[MrWiskers]

I caught a gizzard last year on a jigging spoon. They are herbervors but it did eat the spoon or I got really lucky and hooked him in the mouth.

 

[Guest]

Some people call skipjack herring hickory shad but they are different. Hickory shad are saltwater shad that look a lot like skippies.

 

[SpurHunter]

So do you think they come this far up the river Cheez?</p>

 

[Guest]

Spur your link said their range is the Atlantic coast so no I don't think they come around these parts. If you do a search on skipjack herring you will see that they are wrongly called hickory shad. It would be easy to mistake the two because they look so much alike.

.

 

[foodsaver]

back in virginia there is a herring run every spring with fish that look like skipacks ( i can't tell a difference) but they are only around for about a month and a half or so.

 

[Guest]

foodsaver - 2/5/2008 11:23 AM

back in virginia there is a herring run every spring with fish that look like skipacks ( i can't tell a difference) but they are only around for about a month and a half or so.

Those are hickory shad Craig. The search I did on the hickory shad said there are even festivals dedicated to this fish from NC all the way up to PA. They run up the mid Atlantic rivers to spawn then right back to the ocean.

 

[Guest]

Hickory Shad are a coastal species, as is the much larger American Shad. The live in the ocean and spawn in fresh water. Hickory usually spawn near the fallline, Americans will head real far up river. Both can be caught easily on shad darts, small spoons, flies, and sabaki rigs (same holds true for Skipjacks)

Skipjacks are freshwater species that are similar in size and shape the above. Often called hickories.

Gizzard shad taller body are round nosed, slimy and stinky, often seen skimming the surface in the summer.

Threadfin shad are like miniture (4") gizzard shad, they have a bunch of local names, yellowbellies being the one I hear most, fanastic forage fish.

Alewife and blueback herring (aka river herring) are like miniture (6") skipjacks, they tend to do better in cooler/deeper reservoirs.

 

[drumking]

The only gizzard shad that I have ever caught were actually snagged and I don't think hit the lure, but had the lure hit them. I have caught a few in my lifetime.