[andypat]

The crappie didn't hit for me this morning. Only one crappie, but I was catching a lot of these. I guess they were shad, or herring. Was a lot of fun, but I wanted crappie. The crappie were hitting good yesterday morning. The tide was not moving and the tide was way too high. That's never good fishing for me. What are these fish I was catching?

 

[bluefish1928]

How long was it?
How deep was the body?

It looks a lot like an American shad or the real alewife (get away Maryland term for menhaden) from the angle. However, American shad are supposedly pretty rare. The sheer size of Americans make them easier to identify. Hickory shad usually have multiple spots and sharper "V" nose/mouth.

This may help
http://www.ctfishtalk.com/herring-family-fish-id-t7613.html#.Vx5jU_krJ1s

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/shadherringid.html

 

[andypat]

I know it was not an American shad. They were all about 12- 15". The creek is loaded with these fish right now. From your pictures I think they are Blueback Herring.

 

[catman]

I know it was not an American shad. They were all about 12- 15". The creek is loaded with these fish right now. From your pictures I think they are Blueback Herring.

Yup, Blueback Herring for sure. Prior to the moratorium in 1981 on both hickory & white shad we'd catch a ton of them below the dam at Conowingo. A big hickory looks almost identical to a white. The best way to tell the difference is with their mouth closed, the lower jaw of the hickory extends out past the upper jaw/nose. The females were highly prized for their row.