Steve Meserve operates the Lewis Fishery, the last commercial shad fishery on the Delaware River. While the sale of American shad is no longer the lucrative business it once was, the Lewis Fishery serves an important purpose in providing the state with catch numbers that help them estimate the strength of the fishery. You can see these almost daily reports at the NJDEP site, HERE.

This year, Meserve has caught more than 600 shad, the most in 10 years. Last year’s number was 197, though that could be due to low water conditions in the Delaware. This year, the water levels are much better, and according to Meserve, the river is in great shape.

Backwoods Anglers TV posted this video about the Lewis Fishery back in 2010. The fishing method used hasn’t changed in more than a century: