never been shad fishing (help)

[proguide]

I need some help on shad fishing. What to use, where to fish how deep. any help would be great. THANX

[STGRule]

What river? Bank or Boat? Fair weather or hard-core? Mind crowds?

[proguide]

columbia river, from a boat weather is not a problem kinda used to the rain crowds not a problem ether thanx

[STGRule]

I prefer the the Camas area on the Columbia as we have a drift boat and farther up is a problem. We fish the reef west of the boat ramp out of Camas. You want flow, but be careful anchoring. Your likely to get pushed off anchor by passing wakes if your anchor isn't good enough. You can either back bounce or use divers. Small hardware is what we use: Dick Nights, Triple Teasers, Flicker Spinners, and home-brew spinners. Black, white, green, silver, brass. You can also use plastic worms and grubs in those colors. How deep depends on the depth. You want your hardware close to the bottom. The one thing that is a bummer about shad is; you have to hold your mouth right and be on the correct side of the boat. If you aren't catching, MOVE! It may only be 5 feet to your right, but move. I saw a little girl go from nothing for hours while her brothers slayed them, to the hot rod in the boat because she dabbed her lure with "Barbie Perfume" from her necklace. Scents may be a key? Good luck. It's fun. Use light steelhead rods. Good fight, but you get to land them also.

[ 05-19-2002, 11:20 PM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[Dan Christopher]

columbia is fun :grin: oregon city is a mess :mad: i fish the columbia and can go head to head with any catch at oregon city and its more fun without the croud.start in 14 feet of water use a 2 foot droper and a 3 foot leader to your lure try something differant on each rod,with differnt dropers.back bounce it back and wait.if the action is slow slide your boat a little shallower,some times deeper or change droper lenth up is size.just dont sit there and catch no fish.you have to find the depth there running that day.lure choise doesnt matter to much..it does. but if your in the slot you will catch fish on a bare hook.once your in the fish then you can find out what the hot lure that day is.if your not catching and a guy in a hog line is tagging the fish and the rest of the line is slow move above or below him at his depth and line and start over..dont forget shad are soft mouth dont rip the hooks out to bad on the hook set and bring a net or pinch them in the gill plates and pull then in..
p.s try them on a fly rod
http://www.millan.net/anims/giffar/smiles.gif

[ 05-20-2002, 12:23 AM: Message edited by: MADWIZERD ]

[Silver Hilton]

Go up to Bonneville, put in at the fishery, and go upriver. There are two islands on the washington side, and there will be a bunch of boats in the good spots. You're looking for fairly fast moving water, over a gravel bar. The bar along side the upper island is good all the way up.

Try a 2 ft dropper, and either flicker spinners or dick nites. Small ones are best. Sometimes silver works, sometimes gold works. I've found them in 6 ft, I've found them in 18-20 feet. I usually fish on the shallower side.

Great fishery for kids. Lots of action, and you don't see the tension and bad temper that sometimes accompanies crowds in salmon fishing.

[AngleThis]

Another good place for shad if you want to avoid the wind in the gorge and the stink and crowds at OC is Coon Isle on the Mult. Channel. There is a ramp very close by too on sauvie isle, just past the nude beach and to your left (follow the dirt road).

Use dick nites (favorite color silver and red) or other similar small wobler. Fish in 12-15 feet of water. The length of your dropper is key. Start with 4' and adjust up and down by one foot increments until you start getting bit often. Sometimes I fish with two; one at three feet and one at 5 feet off the bottom. Use heavier line and tackle than you need as one in 20 or so fish is often a chinook...I lost one yesterday on my trout pole.

Good luck!