I haven't seen any discussion of shad fishing lately; anyone been fly fishing this year for those tiny tarpons? I used to fly fish for shad below the Bonneville Dam back in the '90s, but the crowds have kept me away since then.
The Bonneville Dam Fish Counts suggest that the shad run is really good this year and may be peaking right now. A gear fishing friend said that everyone was catching lots of shad below the Bonneville Dam last week.
I know that shad are caught in some of the Oregon rivers, but I've never heard of any shad being regularly caught in our southwest Washington rivers. Anyone ever find shad in any of the WA tributaries of the Columbia River? Seems like those tributaries might be a lot less crowded than the Columbia River. I've heard that boaters catch fish at the mouths of the Washougal and Lewis Rivers, so it seems that the shad might run up those rivers. Please PM me if you don't want your "secret" rivers named in public.
I believe I speak for the whole forum when I express my heart felt gratitude for all the great content you've been contributing here at WFF. Keep it up!
Thanks, Dave! I missed that thread due to the thread title... I still would like to find out if any shad make it into the various southwest WA tributaries of the Columbia.
Starman 77, I fly fish the Washington shore for shad below the John Day Dam. Lots of decent water and hardly any crowds. I watched some jig fisherman catching them by the 5 gallon bucket under the powerline below the dam last Thursday. A little farther downstream is the a great place for fly rods. Looks like the next 3 days will be 15 MPH + W factor w/gust up to 20. Tom
Serious question here... why do you post? You post no helpful fishing related content whatsoever. You make absolutely zero effort to do so in fact. You post argumentative opinions and that's about it. So in all sincerity, why do you actually take the time to post here? I understand why people come here, even if they don't post at all... Because so many other folks post actual fishing content that there is plenty to browse through for entertainment and learning purposes, but I simply can't figure out why you waste the time and energy to actually sign up and post when it's clear you have no interest in contributing anything of value here. Is it just a you live a boring life and this is how you get your kicks kinda thing? Do you have one of those dominating wives at home that buffalos you at every turn so coming here and making silly little comments is your only outlet? I'm genuinely curious what the end game is with you.
I could just have replied, but an edit seemed more appropriate. It went with the basic tone of communicating with bitter old farts who live their lives wound up super tight, and take everything so very very seriously all the time. Lighten up I say. And what's wrong with popsicles?
Ducking the question with more sarcastic bullshit. Gee, who could have seen that coming.
You don't bother me in the least. You're nothing more than a few words on my phone screen. My only real reaction to you is curiosity... I truly do wonder why you take the time to press on the keyboard. Surely you know that what you're typing is a giant waste of time and nothing more, yet you continue to do so. It perplexes me, nothing more.
Ducking the question with more sarcastic bullshit. Gee, who could have seen that coming.
You don't bother me on the least. You're nothing more than a few words on my phone screen. My only real reaction to you is curiosity... I truly do wonder why you take the time to press a keyboard. Surely you know that what you're typing is a giant waste of time and nothing more, yet you continue to do. It perplexes me, nothing more.
When I asked a buddy from Maine if people eat shad, he said, "Some do, some don't". To which I replied, "What do they taste like?" He says, "If a turd could take a shit...." I lost it.
Napawhiney is a special little troll. Being a troll is bad enough but being a talentless troll must be a pathetic way to go through life. Of all the trolls we have seen come and go whiney has, by far, brought the least amount of ingenuity. He can't even throw out a decent insult. No creativity in his little trolls at all. Must be a sad existence when you completely fail at trolling.
I checked a bunch of napawhiners posts out and they all seem to be negative. We need more positive posting on this board and less of the immature crap. Shoot, if I want immature crap I can go down to the local McDonalds and listen to the kids in the romper room.
And if I could put in a vote for the Ed Call hammer.... The hammer of Ed just doesn't have the right ring to it.
I stated that it was too late for the good fishing. Then i asked how tbe fishing was and you hotheads got all pissy. Go back and read it . Seems like you should lighten up on the pedal.
Perhaps you could elaborate on your statement that it is "too late for good fishing". In looking at the fish counts for shad over Bonneville Dam, it appears that the shad are still arriving in large numbers, more than at any time last year and more than the 10 year averages:
Sorry your thread turned sideways so fast and far. I don't know the answer to your question about whether shad run up any SW WA rivers. I have not heard about any spawning population of any kind doing so. They go up the Snake in pretty decent numbers but very few go past Priest Rapids on the Columbia. Honesty, I'm glad they have not populated any more than what they have already. Not sure if there is a biological reason for such and so perhaps they never will or if it is just a matter of time before they do so.
Thanks, Dave! I haven't received one PM about shad in any of the SW WA rivers, so maybe the shad haven't yet made it into those rivers, although I've read about shad occasionally being caught in rivers like the Snohomish, so they must wander around somewhat.
I was ready to give up on shad this year after my trip below JD dam last Saturday. But seeing the surging numbers in the graph Rex posted, I'd like to try it again. I'm just not sure what I'd do different? I was anchored a few feet offshore in about 3.7 to 4 feet of water. I was using a Rio Deep 7 and a small, heavy Crazy Charlie but would only feel it tick bottom after hanging behind the boat for awhile...yeah the current was strong. I think if there were shad moving through I would have caught at least one by accident but then again, I didn't fish very long.
Dave, it has been a long time since I've fly fished for shad, but when I did it I was fishing at Bonneville Dam from shore, not a boat, and I'd approach it just like I would for steelhead fishing, using a sink-tip line, using a downstream swing technique. It seemed to me that the shad would be in the 5 to 10' depths, in the current seam, just like where a steelhead would be. I used summer steelhead flies and they worked fine. Most any fly pattern seemed to work. The shad would come through in schools, so one minute you'd have lots of action and then nothing for awhile and then it would get hot again. If I was in a boat, I think I would change locations if I wasn't hooking any fish within a dozen casts, either trying slightly deeper or shallower, trying to find the current seam line that the shad are taking. As I recall, I didn't have to be ticking the bottom all the time, as the shad would rise up in the water column to grab the fly. I never tried an indicator technique, but I don't see why it wouldn't work, assuming you could get the fly to sink quickly enough in that heavy current. I'd recommend giving it another try, for sure, given the numbers of shad that are passing through.
The data should be identical as it comes from the same source. I think it is just that DART cumulates the numbers as the default setting, so naturally the graph will keep climbing. If you uncheck the "Cumulate Counts" at the top and then click on Update Table, the numbers will then match the Bonneville Dam Fish Counts that I posted in graph form. The graph does suggest that the run has peaked recently, but the most current counts are still way, way above last year and the 10 year averages. I'd expect the shad fishing on the Columbia River to remain good for two to three weeks, but I'm no shad expert and I haven't fly fished for shad for 20 years.
Everything here is better when people try to get along and not be jerks. This includes the Shad fishing. Some people like to be that grain of sand in an uncomfortable place.
Those shad make excellent dungeness crab bait if one is so inclined.
It was fun last year seeing crab come flying out of deep water in a full sprint to get some shad snacks.
SF
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