Smallmouth bass a big deal on the Columbia River

posted 01:05 PM 06/30
Link this article here.

The closest thing to a sure angling bet in the Northwest right now is smallmouth bass on the Columbia River.

I've noodled around that big river for about three years now, and I haven't found a place that doesn't hold smallmouth bass. Some spots have more bass than others, but find rocks -- and maybe a current seam -- and you'll find smallmouth.

I was on the river -- the part backed up behind John Day Dam -- Saturday morning, and I couldn't keep the bass off my lures and flies. The bass were hungry, and they whacked floating bass bugs cast on my fly rod early in the morning. As the scorching sun rose into the sky, the fish went a little deeper -- maybe 5 feet or so -- to the rocky ledges just off the first shoreline dropoff.

I switched to a spinning rod and cast a Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow -- an excellent small crankbait -- about 30 feet offshore and reeled it in with stops and starts. The bass would almost always whack the Bitsy when it started moving again after a pause.

It was a wonderful morning of fishing. Truth is, you can find fabulous smallmouth bass fishing on the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam upstream all along the Washington/Oregon border. I do most of my Columbia smallmouth fishing from the bank. I find a rocky bank, a little current and then try different depths nearby.

You may also catch some walleye and yellow perch, which are very tasty fish. Yellow perch are usually tiny here in South Sound lakes, but they get big on the Columbia.

This river is worth the trip -- especially if you camp in the nice state parks on either side of the river. Watch for rattlesnakes along the rocks and have fun!

Chester Allen

Chinook salmon limit now 2 fish for ocean anglers

posted 03:45 PM 06/23

If you're fishing off Westport or Ilwaco, you can now keep two chinook salmon.

South Sound sport crab season starts on June 18

posted 04:20 PM 06/09

Got your pots ready for a summer-long crabfest? Well, you've got until June 18 to get your gear together.

Shrimpers get yet another day on Hood Canal

posted 06:00 PM 06/06

You've seen it here before, but it seems that sport shrimpers will get yet another final day of shrimping on Hood Canal this year.

Bass-happy kids can flip out at free Cabela's Casting Kids event Saturday

posted 05:23 PM 06/03

Kids can use all the Bass-O-Rama they can get, and the free Bassmaster Casting Kids event at Cabela's on Saturday seems like a good chance to get them a little closer to that state of bliss.

May 24 razor clam dig gets the green light

posted 04:57 PM 05/21

A coastal razor clam dig on Saturday -- the last shot at razor clams this season -- got the green light Wednesday afternoon after tests showed the clams are safe to eat.

Bonus one-day razor clam dig scheduled for May 24

posted 06:47 PM 05/13

Razor clammers thought the season was over -- but they might get one more day of digging on three coastal beaches during the morning of May 24.

Puget Sound shrimpfest to start on Saturday

posted 05:26 PM 04/30

Shrimping is one of the most popular outdoor sports in Puget Sound, and the first pots of the season will undoubtedly drop into the water at 7 a.m. Saturday morning, which is when whole shebang starts.

Fish later in the day -- and on smaller lakes -- to find bites in cold water

posted 03:17 PM 04/29

Cold water made for a slow bite and many frustrated anglers on Saturday's opening day of the lowland lake season, but there is good news:

Get ready for more razor clam digging in May

posted 03:45 PM 04/22

Life is good for razor clam lovers these days, as yet another monster dig is now on the horizon.

Spring chinook fishing to end downstream of Bonneville Dam after Sunday

posted 04:39 PM 04/18

Fishing for the biggest run of Columbia River spring chinook salmon -- the queen of Northwest salmon -- will end downstream of Bonneville Dam Sunday night.

Spring chinook fishing now closed on the Chehalis River to protect struggling run

posted 04:26 PM 04/15

It's been a spring of bad salmon news -- unless you're enjoying the massive run of spring chinook on the Columbia River.

Crashing salmon runs show that we're not doing nearly enough to save the fish

posted 04:32 PM 04/11

The numbers don't lie.

Reducing fishing seasons show that we're not doing nearly enough to save our salmon

posted 03:22 PM 04/11

The numbers don't lie.