shad

noun \ ˈshad \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of shad

plural shad

: any of several fishes (especially genus Alosa) of the herring family that differ from the typical herrings (genus Clupeus) in having a relatively deep body and in being anadromous and that include some important food fishes of Europe and North America

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Recent Examples of shad from the Web

Lake Conroe - Catfish action has been the best bite lately on cheesebaits and shad.

— bink grimes, Houston Chronicle, "Outdoors report: Jan. 26," 25 Jan. 2018
Their diets are the fish that people don't care about like carp, gizzard shad, and others.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Texas' own 'Fish Whisperer' catches an 8-foot alligator gar in the Trinity River," 18 June 2018
From the Interstate 5 bridge upriver to the Oregon/Washington border, all salmon and steelhead fishing is closed until further notice, although shad, walleye, bass, etc. are legal to catch.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Columbia River spring chinook salmon run prediction downgraded," 21 May 2018
The Alabama rig with a set of small shad-like jigs attached is one favorite offering for bass and striper anglers working these aggregations.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Bridgework for winter angling action," 10 Jan. 2018
They are both meant to replicate shad and bunker, two primary bait fish of striped bass.

— john peabody, New York Times, "A Growing Brooklyn Fishing Scene, Artisanal Lures Included," 28 June 2018
Bass will start hitting the thread fin shad and searching for crawfish for protein coming out of the winter months.

— tyler mahoney special to the star, kansascity, "Fishing report: Uneven weather makes for mixed results on the water | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018
At Lewis Smith, now is a good time for a big striped bass, with anglers drifting live shad or suckers in bays leading to the spawning creeks doing well on fish of 25 pounds and more.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 23 Mar. 2018
Many people doing well on hybrids using live perch or shad.

— tyler mahoney, kansascity, "Fishing report: With summer settling in, morning bite is best most places," 27 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.