SilverFly
06-10-2009, 08:35 PM
Headed up to North Bonneville after work this AM with a couple of buddies. Shad fishing was spotty but we caught 8 among the three of us. While most of the fish were caught on flies, we were fishing them on spin gear (blasphemy, - I know.) I did spend an hour or so swinging a heavy sink-tip on my 8wt, but the bite appeared to be off at the time. The suprise was hooking two steelhead and what had to be a chinook on the same pink & silver fly that caught most of the shad. My buddy John (Musicman) had to bust off the chinook with less than 20 yards of line left on his reel.
Too bad the river is closed to retention of steelhead since there are a lot going over the dam and most of them are hatchery fish. They are trying to protect ESA listed chinook right now and don't want people incidentally catching salmon on steelhead gear (even though chinook apparently like shad flies.) Lost the first steelhead but managed to bring the second to hand which was very fat and still had sea lice! (and a clipped adipose .) Not suggesting anyone swing flies for steel below Bonneville since that would be targeting them, - BUT if a guy were to swing for shad using a pink fly, you might be in for a big suprise. I also seriously doubt you would be presenting much of a hazard to threatened chinook with shad fly gear.
BTW, here's the fly recipe:
Hook: #4, 2X strong wet fly.
Body: Pearl braid.
Hackle: 2-3 wraps of Fuschia Crystal Hackle.
Thread: Hot pink.
Too bad the river is closed to retention of steelhead since there are a lot going over the dam and most of them are hatchery fish. They are trying to protect ESA listed chinook right now and don't want people incidentally catching salmon on steelhead gear (even though chinook apparently like shad flies.) Lost the first steelhead but managed to bring the second to hand which was very fat and still had sea lice! (and a clipped adipose .) Not suggesting anyone swing flies for steel below Bonneville since that would be targeting them, - BUT if a guy were to swing for shad using a pink fly, you might be in for a big suprise. I also seriously doubt you would be presenting much of a hazard to threatened chinook with shad fly gear.
BTW, here's the fly recipe:
Hook: #4, 2X strong wet fly.
Body: Pearl braid.
Hackle: 2-3 wraps of Fuschia Crystal Hackle.
Thread: Hot pink.