Fishing spots for Columbia River shad by kayak?

Fishing the spring shad run from my powerboat in the Columbia used to be one of my favorite times of the year. However none of my spots are very kayak-friendly to get to, requiring a pretty long haul to the nearest boat ramp and/or too deep or too much current for me to feel comfortable anchoring my kayak.

Anybody care to share some kayak-friendly spots on the Columbia to get on the shad? I really miss those days.

I will probably go out on the Willamette for them this year, but I get so tired of the crowds. The thing I liked about the Columbia is you could find a spot that wasn't too crowded.

I'd rather this not turn into a anchor-safety thread, so I'll just put this out there: Don't anchor in a kayak in current if you don't know what you're doing. Use the search feature on this site to find lots of good advice on anchoring and proceed with caution.

Between Lady Island the Camas Marina at the mouth of the Washougl is a popular spot and would be worthwhile. I also see boats on the reef out in front of Portco.

I just read a post about a guy who trolls for them using a hookless wiggle wart as a diver and ties a 2' leader off the back with a dicknite spoon with about 50' of line out. Sounds like a fun alternative to me that I may try once the fish get here.

  Are shad edible ? If so , how is the taste and texture. Never tried it.

  Are shad edible ? If so , how is the taste and texture. Never tried it.

I've not yet ventured into the world of shad eating but I love picked herring and they are in the same family. For now I am happy converting shad into salmon, crab, halibut, and sturgeon.

  Are shad edible ? If so , how is the taste and texture. Never tried it.

Smoked shad is good. The American Shad saved the American Revolution due to an early run that fed the starving troops at Valley Forge. Lots of recipes out there.

The founding father's liked them. Be patriotic and catch and eat some!

  Thanks for the history lesson Craig. Just might have to try it for guts and glory.....

Thanks for the feedback! I have no doubt the trolling idea would work if you were in the right slot. I anchored up beside a guy one time that was killing them with a diver board in fast current (basically the same setup). Tiny dick nites are the best!

I have eaten them a few times. I like the flavor (kind of like a cross between herring and steelhead to me) and texture (medium, flaky) just fine, but the things are completely filled with bones everywhere. I've tried the recipes that slow cook them to dissolve the bones but have had no luck.

At any rate, as USP mentioned, they make excellent bait for pretty much everything.

With the first fish showing up at Bonneville recently, it won't be long until they're thick. If I get my act together I'll put up an invite in the next couple of weeks. Let's get a hog line of kayaks going! 

I watched the wiggle wart and dick nite/mister twister combo on a episode of hawg quest from 2014.they were up by Oregon city I think.

More on Craig's comments...

There  is a book called "Founding Fish" by John McPhee which discusses the importance of shad in the early years of our country.

http://amzn.com/0374528837

Also.. they can be filleted bonelessly, but it's a dying art.

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/09/garden/without-them-shad-is-nothing.html

I watched the wiggle wart and dick nite/mister twister combo on a episode of hawg quest from 2014.they were up by Oregon city I think.

Yeah on the Willamette most everyone favors tiny panfish jigheads (usually pink) with tiny chartreuse grubs. I haven't fished the Willamette as much for shad, but when I did, tiny Dick Nite spoons did just fine for me.

I doubt the Wiggle Wart does much to help you catch shad except to get the bait low in the water column.

As to eating, I found the only net caloric option to pickling - too much effort cleaning bones from teeth to be worth it grilled, smoked or fried. 6 weeks in vintage / anise / pickling spices and they were mm, mmmm good!  12 quarts good maybe not.  Ended up out-fishing RedBeard 4 - zip for sturgeon with the last jar, though I'm pretty sure he's forgotten about that 

As to lures, guys were absolutely killing it with naked bright shiny silver #2 hooks at Cascade Locks.  Easy 3:1 over Dick Nites / flies / grubs / corkies / yarn / anything else the 100+ other guys on the wall were using. I haven't tried them though.

As to eating, I found the only net caloric option to pickling - too much effort cleaning bones from teeth to be worth it grilled, smoked or fried. 6 weeks in vintage / anise / pickling spices and they were mm, mmmm good!  12 quarts good maybe not.  Ended up out-fishing RedBeard 4 - zip for sturgeon with the last jar, though I'm pretty sure he's forgotten about that 

As to lures, guys were absolutely killing it with naked bright shiny silver #2 hooks at Cascade Locks.  Easy 3:1 over Dick Nites / flies / grubs / corkies / yarn / anything else the 100+ other guys on the wall were using. I haven't tried them though.

I have no memory of those events!

I think different things work better in different places. When I had my powerboat "in the seam" and I couldn't keep them off my line, we started experimenting and nothing we tried outfished the smallest size dick nites. We tried other small spoons (triple teasers, etc.), the little Willamette grubs, beads above bare hooks, and bare hooks. I think we caught 1 fish on the grub while the Dick Nite rod continued to produce fish after fish.

Fast-forward a year, and I'm anchored up beside a guy on the Willamette and he's using the grubs, and outfishing me (although it was much slower overall). So maybe it has to do with the water or location or something. <shrug>

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-signs-that-youre-the-problem/

 

As to eating, I found the only net caloric option to pickling - too much effort cleaning bones from teeth to be worth it grilled, smoked or fried. 6 weeks in vintage / anise / pickling spices and they were mm, mmmm good!  12 quarts good maybe not.  Ended up out-fishing RedBeard 4 - zip for sturgeon with the last jar, though I'm pretty sure he's forgotten about that 

As to lures, guys were absolutely killing it with naked bright shiny silver #2 hooks at Cascade Locks.  Easy 3:1 over Dick Nites / flies / grubs / corkies / yarn / anything else the 100+ other guys on the wall were using. I haven't tried them though.

I have no memory of those events!

I think different things work better in different places. When I had my powerboat "in the seam" and I couldn't keep them off my line, we started experimenting and nothing we tried outfished the smallest size dick nites. We tried other small spoons (triple teasers, etc.), the little Willamette grubs, beads above bare hooks, and bare hooks. I think we caught 1 fish on the grub while the Dick Nite rod continued to produce fish after fish.

Fast-forward a year, and I'm anchored up beside a guy on the Willamette and he's using the grubs, and outfishing me (although it was much slower overall). So maybe it has to do with the water or location or something. <shrug>

Oh I know I'm the problem... at least when it comes to kokanee. I can put up numbers of sturgeon... some days. At the LCKA thing the main problem was I recommended everyone get live sand shrimp, and then couldn't find any for myself. haha. Oh well.

i kid, i kid.
i'm just making sure i re-earn the sombrero every day.