OREGON SHAD FISHING
Shad - In May and June we are catching Shad which come up by the thousands. This is a great fishery for kids. We get a lot of action and these fish are good fighters. After a day with me out catching shad, all the kids will think they are another Bill Dance. We all will have a great time. I love fishing with kids and showing them techniques that they can easily learn and there is nothing more satisfying than seeing a child with an ear to ear smile. These fighting fish will average 2-4 pounds and all have an attitude.
Peak times for shad:
- mid-May through 1st week of July
Shad start their way up the Columbia River by the tens of thousands in Oregon and Washington, with as many as 80,000 going over the dam in one day. They are a scrappy fighter averaging 2-4 lbs.. One customer called them "A poor man's steelhead". Shad are a fun fish for kids to catch. There is lots of action so their attention will not be lost. I offer half day trips in the afternoons for shad.
Mid May, June and the first week of July is good because the shad are running and we catch those in the morning and use them for bait for sturgeon or salmon that day. These shad are fun to catch. They will run 2-4 lbs and you catch one just about as soon as your hook is in the water. It is a great fishery for the kids because of the continual action. I do a lot of half-day trips in the afternoons for parents wanting to get their kids out fishing without costing too much. Everyone wins with this one. I do several trips a year where the dads, or whoever, comes and fish for the trophy sturgeon during the day and in the afternoon the moms and/or kids fish for shad. Fishing here in the Northwest during the summer is beautiful.
Shad have a real soft mouth so you don’t need to set the hook very hard but they will fight up a storm. Shad are in the same family as tarpon so they have a good fighting background.
These American shad will average 2-4 pound each and you will get hooked up a lot. My boat record for a half-day shad trip is 172 landed. We start catching shad May 16th and will go through about the first week in July. I do a lot of half-day trips for shad in the afternoon when I am done with my day trip. Some people eat them, some catch them for crab bait, and some just bring their kids out for some fun fishing. Every kid is an expert in just a few minutes and believe me, they will not get board.
If you are going to do some shad fishing, all you need is 3-6 oz lead, 8-12 pound line and anything that is small and will flicker in the water. We use a small lure called Dick Nites. They come in all kids of sizes and color. I like to use the small sizes that are gold or silver with a red butt. However, just about any color will work. Give us a call and we would love to fish for shad with you.