Shad from the bank.

[SuperT]

I'm thinking of taking my daughter (6) for a couple hours of shad fishing, but have never fished for them before. Would like to fish the Willamette since it's the closest to me. Can anyone give me any suggestions as to how and where to fish for them? Thanks in advance.
Tony [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[birdhunter]

Hey SuperT. Best bet (although it is crowded) is Clackamette Park. Plenty of people to observe what is working and where the fish are. One great place to fish is the point right at the confluence of the Clack and the Willamette. I was down there last weekend and this is the rig that was killing them. Seems a bit crude, but the guy who was using it nailed four shad on four consecutive casts. Then some a-hole decided that looked like a good spot to anchor. Oh well. Cast about 20 yards out (if the boats will let you) and let it drift down. Don't forget to use spinning reels. They are much easier, trust me. It'll start to settle on the bottom and begin to slowly retrive. You can tell when it starts sloping up again really fast and then you just have to crank it in or you'll lose everything. I know that there are plenty of other ways to fish for them, but this was working really really well last weekend. Good luck.



[ 05-31-2001: Message edited by: birdhunter ]

[Pete]

One feature I've also seen is to use a cork float half way between the swivel and the lure to keep the hook off the bottom.