Bass fishing on the Long Tom

[PK Yi]

went out to the long tom yesterday for some bass action. got some bass but they were mostly small ones. the bigger ones I lost were 2# at least.

I landed more crappies than I expected.

I was using a shallow diving rapala - my favorite, go-to lure of all time.

 

[troutdude]

Loved every minute of that video! I fished that river a lot, from about '66 to '81. There's a LOT of nice crappie in there. Those bigger ones, would've landed in my fry pan!

Thanks for posting.

 

[bass]

Wow, that was an awesome video. Those were some huge crappie! How deep is the river where you were catching those fish? That river looks a lot like the Tualatin (bigger, but similar), but I have never tried throwing a shallower running lure like that. I will give that a try next time I go out there.

One question, do you head mount or chest mount your camera? Your video seems so nice and smooth.

 

[PK Yi]

the water is about 3-4 feet deep.

I chest mount my gopro for stability. besides, for head mounts, camera keeps falling off when I tip back to drink beer.

 

[bass]

the water is about 3-4 feet deep.

Wow, that is pretty shallow. The Tualatin has a lot of 8-14' water. Maybe the shallow running baits might not be as effective. Only one way to find out though. I will definitely give them a try next time out.

I chest mount my gopro for stability. besides, for head mounts, camera keeps falling off when I tip back to drink beer.

Great tip

I need to take ours out one of these days. We have had it for a few years but so far it has just the been the kids using it while boogey boarding, skimboarding, doing flips off of a dock, etc. I did buy a bunch of mounts for the camera. Maybe this fall/winter I will try to get some sturgeon action. The chest mount seems like it really produces a great sense of being there without being all jerky.

 

[C_Run]

I watched your whole video and it looks like you had a lot of action right in that one spot. Got a question about access. I looked at Google Earth and also the Oregon Gazetteer and I am not seeing any boat ramps anywhere but it looks like a lot of county roads cross the Long Tom at various locations. Are there places where a guy could drag a kayak down to the river and put in without trespassing? I am aware of the impoundments upstream from Monroe.

 

[PK Yi]

that one spot is interesting. I went there many times in years past and especially this year. most of the time, I get nothing from that spot. on rare occasions, I get some good action as from my video here. if you can get in there, there's another better spot down the river from the bridge. I pulled many crappies from there, big ones; if you're into crappies.

it's along the bank, you'll see a swing rope tied from a tree. that spot. but then again, the structure changes yearly on that river...so your mileage will vary I guess.

bank access is a little challenging. you can drag a canoe down no problem, but you'll get a work out coming back up because of the steep slope. bank access is pretty tight so you'll have to try your best to maneuver that canoe. not sure about trespassing. haven't run into that yet. (might be best to keep on the north side of the bridge though).

good luck.

 

[C_Run]

Very good. I will eventually make a recon trip down there.