Other warmwater fish that can be caught in Silver Lake are crappie, bluegill, catfish and perch. Walleye fishing on the Columbia also has its devotees. Walleyes have been caught as far downstream as Jones Beach near Clatskanie. It's estimated there are 30,000 in each of the three big pools behind the Bonneville, John Day and Dalles dams. Every spring, millions of shad head up the Columbia River - and on weekend days, hundreds of anglers line the riverbanks to catch them.
Shad are the most numerous sport fish in the river.
Runs the past 10 years have ranged from 1.4 million to more than 4 million. In recent years, the shad run at the Bonneville Dam has varied between 60,000 and 95,000 per day the last three weeks of June. Shad are bony and not the best eating fish around, but they're spirited fighters, and fun to catch for young and old. To reach the Bonneville shad bonanza, drive east of Vancouver on Highway 14 for about 40 miles. There's a parking lot at the dam, or you can drive across the dam to another parking lot on Cascades Island, where fishing is possible on both sides.