A ><> Fishy <>< collection of shad related photograph & digital art. ~Enjoy~


~I'm to $3xy for my hooks~


~to $3xy for my hooks, to $3xy and my hooks are golden..~


~I Swallowed A Volcano~


~Under The Microscope -UV- even~


~Life Throught A Fish Eye Lens~

Where it all began - The story behind "Shad Art"

I had been taking photos of the various things I see when shad fishing and even revolving around the gear used to fish for them. As simple or silly or even as unachievable as this may sound I was trying to make shad fishing look more interesting. I love to fish for shad anyplace they swim. I have fished for them in many places in 3 different West Coast states. Most people do not associate the term shad with intersting. Can shad as a fish be interesting? How about something as simple as a shad lure? Not likely! Then why bother? Because someone has to do it! Spring will be coming again soon so in the name of shad I stand!


~Downtown at Vic's Vinyl's Shop Getting Stripes Put On~


~Lifetime Supply~

No, it is more complicated than that. The first time I fished for shad was on California's American River. I was likely about 15 the first time I saw them. Later I fished for them on the Feather and Sacramento Rivers. Most shad anglers at that time drifted shad flies on spinning gear. Later after moving to Oregon I discovered the Willamette run and started fly fishing from my drift boat near the falls in Oregon City. Stripping shad flies on sinking lines through the heavy boils could produced a number fish each night. If fly gear failed I would anchor up and drop a Dick Nite on a spreader down to the bottom. One year I discovered a run of shad in the Clackamas River. I caught a bunch of them on a fly rod in a place know as the Coffee Drift. I caught some more of them drift fishing a Dick Nite through the tailout of the pumphouse hole just above the highway 205 bridge. In the mid 1990's a friend with a boat took me out to Washougal Flats in the Columbia River. Columbia River shad tend to be on the larger side and in the heavy current can often fight like a steelhead! In more recent year I have been fishing off the bank in Washington off the rocks at Hamilton just below the North side of Bonniville dam. This location is significant because you can travel to here in 15 minutes from Bradford Island on the Oregon side when they close the gates at 5:00 PM in the summer. Please note this will require an inexpensive Washington sport fishing license that can be purchased in Stevenson or Washougal.



As I traveled along I took photographic records of some of the things I came across. The shad, as a fish photographs well. It is not an ugly fish nor is it lacking color. While it was easy to focus on just the fish itself I always kept my eyes wandering looking for oddities or the strange scenes that make shad fishing what it is, if you can feel it. Like every place you go it has a feel. A vibe you must tune in to be successful. Shad are a vibe fish. The people in shad fishing are a vibe people. Most intersting and always a head turner is the shots I took of giant sturgeon swimming along the banks near Bonniville looking for the angler's catch! I captured some of this amazement on video as well. Video Clip







~The Shad Ninja~

About the Vibrant people in shad fishing, in every thing fishing there is the one person. The one person that catches more fish than you and me, everyone else. The wise man at the end of the pier. The exhaulted grandmaster of fishing. Dare I say even, that salty old ..man of the sea. In the case of shad fishing it turned out to be even more interesting. Regulations in shad fishing are generous enough to allow for multi-leader plunking setups. When your hauling in two or three fish at a time, there is no disputing who is the champ... He did not fit the criteria for most of the other names I could have given to him as the champion of shad fishing. It was not until I converted a photo to black and white that his true name was revealed to me. It may have been an ancient Chinese secret to be honest. His real name may never be known since he like most wise men will opt out of any conversation attempt you may offer but what we should call him was now clear to me. Fish fly from this mans hands into buckets at a rate and accuracy that must be seen to behold. He will not even BLINK! if a shad falls off the side of the bucket and back into the water. Not even blink... This man, this "ninja" could take on the Caspian Turns of lower Columbiaville! Now if you dont find all of these tall tales interesting, there is likely something wrong with your fishing circut.

Hooking back to the ><> Fishy <>< "Shad Art" at the top of the story. I hope you will humor me in my latest attempt. Yes Spring is coming around again soon and I am ready and armed with a lifetime supply of shad darts and a photographic eye! This might all seem like a bunch of overblown fish story balony, and to a certain extent it very much is, but I assure you I was there in the shad fishin vibe since I was 15 and you will find me again this summer fishing for shad with the vibrant people at Robins, Bradford and Hamilton.