shad

noun \ ˈshad \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 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

Research showed alligator gar eat few game fish, concentrating on shad and carp and other abundant rough fish.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Gars’ fortunes, anglers’ attitudes evolve over the years," 9 June 2018
The shad spawn typically continues through most of May in north Alabama lakes.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Skipping jigs for hard-to-reach bass," 2 May 2018
Have not been seeing the shad coming through the dam much and the fish haven’t turned on to the white jigs yet.

— tyler mahoney special to the star, kansascity, "Fishing report: Prospects remain iffy on region's lakes, rivers | The Kansas City Star," 4 Apr. 2018
What the place lacks are the seasonal fish that can make a sushi excursion really memorable: gizzard shad, striped jack, firefly squid.

— New York Times, "Japanese Seafood Without the Painful Price Tag, at Wokuni," 22 May 2018
Strikes often come as the lure sinks--apparently the skipping bait looks like a shad fluttering at the surface and turns on the bite.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Skipping jigs for hard-to-reach bass," 2 May 2018
Lures that imitate bluegills or shad are the favorite for topwater action.

— joe songer, AL.com, "See video of a turkey hunter calling up a bobcat," 30 Apr. 2018
Stripers are coming out of the rivers after spawning, and can be caught by drifting with live shad at depths of 20 to 50 feet on channel edges.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 20 Apr. 2018
Lake Livingston — Guide Simon Cosper reported a good catfish bite around schooling shad.

— bink grimes, Houston Chronicle, "Outdoors report: April 12," 11 Apr. 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.