The shad run on the Columbia is winding down, but you would never know it from the action my father and I had on the WA shoreline on Monday. It was insane in the afternoon. Fish after fish after fish. The shad moved in close to the shoreline and so we were just lobbing our darts into the river, rather than casting out far. We took home close to 100 fish.
Here's a tip for those of you that want to or do partake in this fishery: if you are not catching fish in your spot, then MOVE! Changing positions on the shoreline by 50 - 100 feet or less can make a big difference. If you are not catching fish in say 15-20 minutes, then that usually means the fish are not there (they are traveling outside or away from your casting location)--people a few dozen feet away from you may be hauling them in hand over fist, because they've got just the right angle and position to cast into the traveling lane. The position of the rocks, swirling current, etc. seems to have an influence on where the fish are traveling.
Also, the "hot" spot on the shoreline may change from day to day.
Shad-a-licious
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Shad_Eating_Grin
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- Location: Renton, WA
Shad-a-licious
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returnofthefish
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Re: Shad-a-licious
Very nice job. The worst part is hauling the fish up from the shore up to the bank. The catching part is so much fun though.
Re: Shad-a-licious
I'm thinking about going down this weekend. Were you at Bonneville? I'm wondering if it'll be crowded.
My alternate plan is to go to John Day figuring that the Bonneville shads have moved up. Any suggestion appreciated.
My alternate plan is to go to John Day figuring that the Bonneville shads have moved up. Any suggestion appreciated.
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Shad_Eating_Grin
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Re: Shad-a-licious
We were at Bonneville. Weekends are always crowded, but it is less crowded now than during the earlier part of June. We've been fishing away from the main crowd and doing well.wlai wrote:I'm thinking about going down this weekend. Were you at Bonneville? I'm wondering if it'll be crowded.
My alternate plan is to go to John Day figuring that the Bonneville shads have moved up. Any suggestion appreciated.
It looks like the counts went back up yesterday to over 100k fish. There may still be plenty of fish for this weekend. We caught that large batch on Monday when only 47k fish were counted.
I've never been to John Day. If the counts at Bonny are over 40k on Thurs and Friday, a weekend trip to Bonny may be a good bet.