Shad - Bonneville Dam - Numbers Increasing

Shad runs on the Columbia have so far been well below average. Though the numbers have increased over the past few days it is still very bleak to say the least. With the flooding on the river this year, the heavy flows and colder water might all have contributed to the lower numbers going through the fish ladders. Hopefully, the runs are just late and we still have good numbers of fish in the lower river. With the flooding there hasn't been much bank area to be able to fish and the boaters have been avoiding the area due to the unsafe conditions. For those bank fishermen that have found a place to fish, there have been a few fish to be taken. In talking with one of the regulars that was down a day this past weekend he said that most fisherman had only a couple for their efforts, the top rod having eight and many getting nothing. So, for the amount time to drive down and the high cost of fuel I would stay home for the present time until you see the dam counts start to improve substantially.