Shad Fishing Gears & Skill

Shad fishing is very popular in Washington state and Oregon state from late May to early July every year. They are good fighters, and there is no size and number limit at Washington state side, which means a ton of fun! In a good year, I can land over 100 shad in just 5 hours. What you need is just a light fishing pole and Bashi shad dart, and then enjoy the fun. The when, where and how detail for shad fishing can be found below in this page.

Shad Fishing 101

This video talks about how to do american shad fishing in Washington state and Oregon state, especially at bonneville dam, columbia river.

shad fishing 101 tips for beginners

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Gears – Bashi Shad Dart

Any light fishing pole will work. The most important thing is: You need the Bashi Shad Dart!
Bashi shad dart for american shad fishing in Washington state or Oregon state

American Shad Fishing Guidance

I wrote below information based on my shad fishing experience from Washington state side, before information should also apply to Oregon state side.

  • When: Shad come back to columbia river to spawn from late May to the middle of July every year. Usually it would be good to go when the fish number is greater than 10k per day. At the peak time, this number can reach to more than 500k per day. The middle 2 weeks of June are usually the best time for shad fishing at bonneville dam.

  • Where: You can find shad at multiple dams in columbia river, since they will be waiting to go up the fish ladder just down below those dams. Bonneville dam is the most popular location if you are fishing shad from Washington state side, Cascade Locks Marine Park would be a great spot if you are fishing shad from Oregon side.

  • Gears: Most shad will be weighted between 1lb to 4lb in the columbia river, but they are great fighters, feels bigger than they really are. I prefer my 9ft6 ML spinning rod, which is light enough to feel the bite and strong enough to handle the fight. For the spinning reel, 3000 would be a good size. For the main line, 15lb mono line is a good choice. For the weight, people use 1/2oz to 1oz depends on the current status. For the lead line, 12lb mono is a good option. And the most important thing is, you need the bashi shad dart , which landed me a lot of shad in my every single shad fishing trip.

  • How: Most shad are swimming very close to the bank, you don't need to cast very far away. I usually count to 10 before reeling in after the cast (this is very important), so that my shad dart has the chance to sink to the bottom of the river bed, and then reel in slowly. Shad's bite is very light, so be focus and sensitive to feel to bite. Once you feel the bite, set the hook right away. Shad has paper mouth, so when you are pulling the fish back, don't pull too hard, or you will only get the shad mouth back. Once you get a bite and land the fish, try to cast to the same spot, usually if you find one shad, you actually find a school of them. And that spot is a good spot for shad to stay, the next school of shad will most likely be there too.