Shad Running ?

[Trapper John]

Hi Guys,   
The shad must be running by now, anyone been fishing for them?
Any campgrounds down there?  I've never been down there and would like to take a weekend and try my luck.
JC   

[Mfowl]

Dam counts are ramping up but it's not full blown yet. I'm sure the coming weeks will be prime. I've never camped down around Bonneville just day tripped it. Enjoy, shad are fun!

[Blacklab]

June is prime time. Dam counts are in the twenty grand now. Mid june is fire😉

[TeacherMan]

I’ve only done it once when I was back in college and have no idea the dates I went. Are they still running the first week of July? My daughter has a track meet July 6th in Gresham, figured we’d be pretty close to Bonneville.

Thanks!

[hard hunter]

Went Friday for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  A few hits and got one to the bank.  I should ramp up the next week or two.

[buckhorn2]

They say the peak of the shad run is usually June 10 to 15th.

[bearpaw]

Has anyone fished from a boat somewhere below Bonneville for shad? Is that better than on the bank?

[Mfowl]

Has anyone fished from a boat somewhere below Bonneville for shad? Is that better than on the bank?

You can certainly fish them from a boat. Is it better? Perhaps in that you are not shoulder to shoulder with the other bankies. Both are productive though. There is actually a spot known as the "shad rack" that is a longtime favorite of many boat anglers. It is an anchor show and you are either letting your gear out behind the boat and waiting or casting and retrieving. You may need to move around a bit and find the depth the fish are running in but it can be lights out when you are on them. Currents below the dam are swift and anchoring/retrieving can be technical. It's best to have some experience doing it or have someone with you that does.

[metlhead]

Numerous spots clear down to Kalama that fish really well from a boat. Much easier anchoring downriver as well. Gotta move around to find the line of fish. DickNite behind a WiggleWart or HotnTot.

[h2ofowlr]

Shad are running.  My buddies caught them this past week below the dam.  You can always camp up towards Stevenson or stay at Skamania Resort as another option.
I like fishing below the dam, it will definately be busy, but I just grab a spot early in the morning.  Use shad darts that I make.  I usually keep around 20 for crab bait and then let the folks keep them that are fishing either side of me.  Last year, I fished for about 4 hours and had caught close to 65 shad.  Lots of fun.  I typically target the second week of June.  I will also look at the Bonneville dam fish passage and as soon as 100K a day start going over the dam, I head down.  Makes for good fishing.

[hard hunter]

Went up to Bonniville Dam for a few hours early this afternoon. (I fish quite a bit from the sturgeon line) Caught 10+ in about two hours.  It should get a lot better next weekend.