We sniffed around the Bonneville dam and Beacon Rock, but the water level was way too high and not too many people I talked to on the Dam that were having any luck with the Shad. We were about 2 weeks late for the run-(Next year!!). I drove about a couple minutes to Ashes and was ecstatic to find no one fishing! I was tossing a green tube jig and set my son up w/a kinda drop shot with half worm. The wind was brutal and detecting the bite was very difficult at first for my son, who kept on saying he was having a bite every cast..I was doing very well w/the jig and my son, well, he was getting frustrated. I spent about 5 minutes watching how he was watching his line. The wind was really playing tricks on his line, but he actually was getting tons of pick ups. I showed him to lower his rod tip and reel in the slack( he was setting his hook too late)...Wow, it made a huge difference. We both landed and released well over 20 nice sized smallies and my son had 4 over 2 pounds. He also caught a squawfish "aka" pikeminnow that was 14 inches ( I had no idea they get this big?). It swallowed his hook and didn't live. ):
Side note, the last fish I caught, was still digesting a small crawfish. I had nothing in my box resembling a crawfish...next time!

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