Hickory Shad
Alosa mediocris
(A.K.A. - Hickory Jacks, Tailor Shad)

Key Distinguishing Markings:

• Hickory shad is gray-green in color along its back.

• Body coloration is silvery and grey.

• A dusky shoulder spot may be followed by several faint spots along its sides.

• Hickory shad have sharp, saw-like scales or "scutes" along the belly.

• The lower jaw juts out further than the upper jaw, a key identifying feature.

Size:

• At 12 to 20 inches, Hickory shad are noticeably smaller than American shad but larger than alewife and blueback herring.

Distribution:

• Historically, hickory shad spawned in rivers and tributaries along the Atlantic coast from the Bay of Fundy, Canada to Florida, but now they are probably restricted to waters south of New York.
• Current presence in more northerly waters is uncertain; however, recent spawning has been documented as far north as the Connecticut River.

Habitat:

• The hickory shad, a member of the Clupeidae family, is a schooling species that is highly migratory.
• Hickory shad are anadromous fish which spend the majority of their life at sea and only enter freshwater in the spring to spawn.
• Adult hickory shad appear to spawn in a diversity of physical habitats ranging from backwaters and sloughs, to tributaries, to mainstem portions of large rivers in tidal and non-tidal freshwater areas but will lay viable eggs only in freshwater

Food Preference:

• Studies suggest that hickory shad migrate in a pattern similar to the coastal migrations of American shad, feeding on small fish, squid, fish eggs, small crabs, and pelagic crustaceans.

Spawning:

• In Chesapeake Bay, hickory shad spawning runs usually precede American shad runs and typically begin during March.
• Peak spawning time is mid-April through late May, with temperatures ranging from 54⁰-72⁰ Fahrenheit. Peak spawning temperature is 59⁰-66⁰ Fahrenheit.
• "Repeat" spawning (spawning several times in a lifetime) in hickory shad runs appears to be common, but tends to vary among river systems. In Maryland, repeat spawning adult hickory shad account for 30-60% of the migrating adults.
• Spawning hickory shad females (ages 3 to 9) broadcast a large quantity of eggs into the water column which are fertilized by males (ages 2 to 7).
• After spawning, adults return to the sea, but their distribution and movements in the ocean are essentially unknown. It is believed that they follow a pattern similar to the coastal migrations of American shad, moving northward from the mid-Atlantic and southeast after spawning although recent studies suggest they prefer inshore habitat.
• Fertilized eggs are carried by river currents and hatch within a few days.
• Larvae drift with the current until they mature into juveniles.
• Regardless of where they are found during the winter months, with increasing water temperatures in late winter and changes in photoperiod, mature hickory shad will migrate back to freshwater to complete their life cycle.

Fishing Tips:

• A statewide moratorium on the harvest of hickory shad in Maryland waters was implemented in 1980 to prevent extinction and is still in effect today.
• Over the last several years, there has been an increase in hickory shad catches by both fly and spin fishers in Maryland tributaries particularly Deer Creek, Patuxent River, and in the mainstem Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam.
• Current management restrictions can be found on our updated commercial and recreational regulation pages.
• Since these fish do not feed in freshwater during their spawning run, artificial baits such as shad darts, small spoons or wet flies are used.

Fun Facts:

• It was once thought hickory shad were a hybrid between river herring and American shad, but they really are a distinct species.
• Hickory shad have never been as abundant as other alosines in the Chesapeake Bay, probably because they are near the northern limits of their spawning range.
• The Maryland state record hickory shad was captured in the Susquehanna River in 1972 and weighed 4 pounds.
• In recent studies, the oldest hickory shad in Maryland was nine.
• Maryland stocks between 2 and 10 million juvenile hickory shad per year.
• It is thought that hickory shad strike a “fishing bait” because they are guarding their spawning area. 

For more information on hickory shad and their management, please contact Karen Capossela.

Illustration courtesy of Duane Raver, USFWS