I've been out a couple of times since my last post in this thread.
The weeds aren't nearly as bad, and much better on the Washington side (I have no idea why that is, but it seems to be a universal theme there). While the weed situation has improved, the fish counts have dropped dramatically, which is perfectly normal for this time of year. Traditionally, they start picking up over the next 3-4 weeks.
We've gotten takedowns every time out (over the last few years, actually), on spinners and wobblers. But alas, not one has made it to the boat (loving the barbless). Tries setting the hook ASAP, tried leaving the rod in the holder until line was ripping, tried tossing the anchor, tried staying on anchor and buckling down... and none of it has worked, which has kind of been a bummer.
But, it's been nice overcast days (I love hot weather, but in a bot with no top, sunny days tend to cook the crew), and anchoring on the Columbia is easy, lazy, relaxing, beer-swilling fishing. There's a definite learning curve (what type of fishing doesn't have a learning curve?), but when the Fall fish start pouring in after a few weeks, hopefully it's game on, and I'll be giddy with success..