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I hit the Columbia river on Saturday the 8th with my regular fishing buddy. We both had been watching the weather forecasts like a starving man eyeing a donut waiting for a weekend with fishable wind. We were both super excited as Saturday approached, checking the forecast every hour for days. We could not believe it, the first bass trip of the year was at hand!!
I got to the ramp a a little after sunrise and my buddy had launched and was fishing. I felt like I was moving through molasses as I tried to get my kayak ready. The first trip of the year is far from autopilot for me
Finally I has able to get everything how I needed and roll my kayak down to the ramp. The wind was out of the East, and while not insanely strong, the river is completely unprotected from the East and there were small waves even with the modest wind. I did not care though because I was going fishing!!
I was excited to see that the river had good visibility. With all the rain we have had I was worried it might be a bit murky. I launched and quickly pedaled over to where my buddy was fishing and he told me he had already nailed 3 nice smallmouth. I picked up a rod that matched his technique and we both fished hard for about 1/2 hour without any success. Since the wind had picked up since I arrived I thought perhaps the fish had moved shallower and decided to toss a swim bait in a bit shallower water. That turned out to be a fortunate choice and I nailed my first bass of the year!!
Not a monster but a solid fish. I pedaled back up from where the wind had blown me while I weighed the fish and on the next cast I caught my second bass of the year. I thought "oh man, I am going to be on fire today". Clearly I have little gift for seeing the future
I did not get another bite for a while and switched baits multiple times before landing my 3rd bass on a lipless crankbait.
Then came a lot of casting with nothing to show for it. We tried a couple of different spots and decided to try and divide and conquer. I lucked into a 4th bass on my trusty swim bait while exploring an offshore rockpile.
Then another long lull. Lots of casting and pedaling but the river just felt like a desert. There is that feeling you get when it just seems like there are no fish left in the river. It is an emptiness that all fisherman pick up on from time to time. The only good news was that the wind died down and I went from shivering to comfortable. We tried drop shots and Ned rigs without success so I went back to the old swimbait and finally coaxed my 5th bass of the day.
I am not sure what really changed but that fish really energized me and made me start fishing like I meant it again. I decided that perhaps I need a bit more calling power than just the swim bait so I switched to a vibrating jig (jackhammer stealth). Now I watch guys on TV slay fish with these things but I have never had much luck with them and probably have never really given them a fair shake. I decided I was going to suck it up and just throw that thing for the rest of the day. I really enjoyed the buzzing feedback in the rod from feeling the lure working and kind of fell into that magical zen I occasionally achieve where I feel like I am really one with the lure.
We moved to another rockpile and I felt like I had a strike but missed it. Then I hooked a nice fish but it pulled the hook after a short battle. My buddy caught one on a swimbait and I hooked up but lost that fish as well. My faith was being tested for sure but I just stuck with that lure. After not having any more action after that brief flurry my buddy decided he wanted to leave but I thought I would fish one last spot on the way back.
He was just hanging around chatting when I felt a really solid thump on vibrating jig and my rod took on a deep bend. After a brief battle I landed my best fish of the day. A 2lb 7oz bass. No monster for sure, but finally landing one that lure really boosted my confidence. A few casts later I caught another 2+lb bass. Unfortunately the bite died at that spot. My buddy headed in but I wanted to keep fishing so I headed upstream past the ramp.
I once again fell into that special zen mode where I could feel that lure vibrating in my very soul. I fished a handful of spots where I was sure I would get bit - but didn't. Finally I got to this tiny nothing looking micro point and landed my last fish of the day.
I ended the day with 8 bass between 1lb 10oz and 2lb 7oz. Definitely not on fire yet but that was a respectable day in my book. It was enough for me to have a big smile on my face as I pedaled back to the ramp. I can't wait to get out there again!!
Here is some video from the day:
I got to the ramp a a little after sunrise and my buddy had launched and was fishing. I felt like I was moving through molasses as I tried to get my kayak ready. The first trip of the year is far from autopilot for me
Finally I has able to get everything how I needed and roll my kayak down to the ramp. The wind was out of the East, and while not insanely strong, the river is completely unprotected from the East and there were small waves even with the modest wind. I did not care though because I was going fishing!!I was excited to see that the river had good visibility. With all the rain we have had I was worried it might be a bit murky. I launched and quickly pedaled over to where my buddy was fishing and he told me he had already nailed 3 nice smallmouth. I picked up a rod that matched his technique and we both fished hard for about 1/2 hour without any success. Since the wind had picked up since I arrived I thought perhaps the fish had moved shallower and decided to toss a swim bait in a bit shallower water. That turned out to be a fortunate choice and I nailed my first bass of the year!!
Not a monster but a solid fish. I pedaled back up from where the wind had blown me while I weighed the fish and on the next cast I caught my second bass of the year. I thought "oh man, I am going to be on fire today". Clearly I have little gift for seeing the future
I did not get another bite for a while and switched baits multiple times before landing my 3rd bass on a lipless crankbait.
Then came a lot of casting with nothing to show for it. We tried a couple of different spots and decided to try and divide and conquer. I lucked into a 4th bass on my trusty swim bait while exploring an offshore rockpile.
Then another long lull. Lots of casting and pedaling but the river just felt like a desert. There is that feeling you get when it just seems like there are no fish left in the river. It is an emptiness that all fisherman pick up on from time to time. The only good news was that the wind died down and I went from shivering to comfortable. We tried drop shots and Ned rigs without success so I went back to the old swimbait and finally coaxed my 5th bass of the day.
I am not sure what really changed but that fish really energized me and made me start fishing like I meant it again. I decided that perhaps I need a bit more calling power than just the swim bait so I switched to a vibrating jig (jackhammer stealth). Now I watch guys on TV slay fish with these things but I have never had much luck with them and probably have never really given them a fair shake. I decided I was going to suck it up and just throw that thing for the rest of the day. I really enjoyed the buzzing feedback in the rod from feeling the lure working and kind of fell into that magical zen I occasionally achieve where I feel like I am really one with the lure.
We moved to another rockpile and I felt like I had a strike but missed it. Then I hooked a nice fish but it pulled the hook after a short battle. My buddy caught one on a swimbait and I hooked up but lost that fish as well. My faith was being tested for sure but I just stuck with that lure. After not having any more action after that brief flurry my buddy decided he wanted to leave but I thought I would fish one last spot on the way back.
He was just hanging around chatting when I felt a really solid thump on vibrating jig and my rod took on a deep bend. After a brief battle I landed my best fish of the day. A 2lb 7oz bass. No monster for sure, but finally landing one that lure really boosted my confidence. A few casts later I caught another 2+lb bass. Unfortunately the bite died at that spot. My buddy headed in but I wanted to keep fishing so I headed upstream past the ramp.
I once again fell into that special zen mode where I could feel that lure vibrating in my very soul. I fished a handful of spots where I was sure I would get bit - but didn't. Finally I got to this tiny nothing looking micro point and landed my last fish of the day.
I ended the day with 8 bass between 1lb 10oz and 2lb 7oz. Definitely not on fire yet but that was a respectable day in my book. It was enough for me to have a big smile on my face as I pedaled back to the ramp. I can't wait to get out there again!!
Here is some video from the day:
