10
Jun
2012
jloomis

Columbia River Shad Fishing

My friend John took me out shad fishing on his boat Sunday after I helped him tear out his deck the day before. We left around 7 AM along with one of John's friends from work, Gary. We headed toward Bonneville Dam and launched his North River boat from Hamilton Island boat ramp on the Washington side of the Columbia River. The current was ripping and it was fairly windy, but mostly sunny out. This was my first time out fishing since selling my boat and it was really nice to finally get back on the water even if just for shad.

We headed downstream from the boat ramp and anchored on the North side of Ives Island. We saw lots of boats shad fishing on the South side of the island, but we had the North mostly to ourselves all day. We observed a couple bald eagles flying overhead and an assortment of other birds. We unfortunately also saw a sea lion.

Columbia River     Eagle Near Shore of Columbia River

Shortly after getting my line in the water, I got the first bite, but it didn't stick. A few minutes after that I landed the first shad in the boat - a good start to the day. After that we caught shad off and on the whole day. They came in spurts with 2-3 fish on at a time. Other times it was dead for almost 30 minutes.

Gary Reeling in a Shad     Shad in Cooler

By the end of the day I had landed 24 shad with a total of 67 for the boat. It was a pretty good day despite the relentless wind. Most of the action was on small Dick Nite Spoons with red tipped nickel being the best producer. With decent weather, good company, and great fishing, I couldn't have asked for a better day on the Columbia River.

Cooler Full of Shad     Getting North River Boat Ready to Tow Home
Category: 

Post new comment

Disclaimer: You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards of backcountry travel and taking the necessary precautions. Loomis Adventures may not be held liable.