Shad question

I went looking for shad up around Bonneville yesterday- very windy but I caught a few.


One of them had very red fins and there were obvious blood vessels all over the operculum and mouth parts. I don't catch a lot of these things, so it was surprising to me when I got that one. Is this common? Is it spawning coloration?



This was my last fish.


The "redfish" was pretty weak. The others fought very well.

 

[skyriver]

I've never caught one like that. The spawners will get darker spotting and get soft. Like this one

 

[Doublebluff]

Another question- where do all the dead ones end up? I envision a few huge piles of rotting shad on the bottom of some current breaks.

 

[Evan B]

Another question- where do all the dead ones end up? I envision a few huge piles of rotting shad on the bottom of some current breaks.

Inside sturgeon probably