Made my annual shad fishing trip again. It was packed and parking was hard to find at 8 in the morning. Saw a few cars from Oregon taking advantage of free fishing weekend. Talked to a few guys that reported it slow closer to the Second Powerhouse and they moved downstream. I find a spot and proceeded to fish for shad. The first spot had slow moving water and was snaggy. Lost a few setups right away. A plunker with a sliding rig, caught a couple on Dick Nites the short time I was there. Got a text from a buddy and moved further downstream since I wasnt catching anything.

Fished the next spot from about 9 till 1pm. I hooked into five for the day and lost 4 right at shore. They are definitely fun to catch. One was a long distance release because I was horsing them in like I do with planter trout. He came up to the surface way downstream and spit the hook while caught in the current. The others I misplayed while they were spazzing by the shore. I was getting other bites but ripped the hook from their soft mouths. 1/16 shad darts in chartreuse/green and red/white were getting hits. You can buy shad dart 5 for 3.99 at the Chevron right before the dam in North Bonneville. Its probably better to buy them elsewhere for cheap.

Im starting to get this shad fishing down. This trip produced the most hookups and bites compared to previous trips. Brought home mines, 4 from a guy nearby and 6 from my friends. Didnt see any summer run kings caught this year.

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