Sardinata vs. American Shad
Jason with a sardinata from the Amazon jungle.
In 2022, we had the opportunity to go fishing in the Amazon basin, deep in South America. A common goal we have is to increase the number of unique species we catch, and on this trip, we were excited to target fish we had never caught before! One of those species is the sardinata, a member of the Pellona genus which flows up to the Clupeiformes order. Jason caught the first sardinata on our first day of fishing, and we instantly knew we had to find more. They take the bait very aggressively and put up an incredible fight, very similar to a tarpon in that it continuously jumps to try to shake the hook. It seems as if once hooked, they spend more time jumping out of the water than they do swimming! Once Jason landed the sardinata and we had a chance to see it up close, we were mesmerized by the beautiful colors and iridescent effect of the sunlight reflecting off the scales. We decided to keep one of our sardinata to share with our camp. The fish was smoked overnight on an open fire and combined with rice and beans for a delicious lunch the following day.
Smoking fish overnight to supplement our lunch the following day.
As we caught a few more sardinata, we started to see some similarities to the American shad, which we love to target right here at home in the Lowcountry. We later determined that American shad also belong to the Clupeiformes order, making them distant cousins with the sardinata. The Clupeiformes order contains about 405 species of ray-finned fish, including herring, anchovies, and shad. Not only do the sardinata resemble the American shad in looks, but they also put up a similar fight, and have similar features such as very sharp underbelly and top spine (pro tip: gloves are recommended for holding a sardinata and shad safely so as to not cut your hands).
Jennifer caught the last sardinata of our Amazon trip, which is now an approved International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world record. It was a special fish in that it was one of the biggest sardinata our local friends had seen in that region in many years. And while we are not able to target sardinata in the US, we are always excited about the Lowcountry shad run when the shad migrate from saltwater to freshwater to spawn. We have an amazing fishery for American shad, and it is nice to know that we can recreate the experience of our Amazon trip right here at home!
Jennifer with her IGFA world record sardinata.
If you are planning to take advantage of the shad run in the Lowcountry, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
The shad run typically begins around the end of February and runs through March, dependent on environmental conditions.
You must have a current fishing license from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
Check out the SCDNR’s page on fishing regulations for shad and herring before you venture out to review the daily limits per person for recreational fishing.
Tight Lines!
Jason with a Lowcountry American shad.