I am still learning where to catch bass when walking the bank of the Columbia. I will share what I am learning.
I am finding that the bigger bass are super specific about where they hang out and feed. There are times where I will walk half a mile or more without making a cast because the combination of right conditions just are not there for fish over, let's say a half pound.
This time of year what I am looking for is current seams in 15-20 feet of water. Smallmouth really orient to areas with current. These are places where the bass can relax in slow water, but are adjacent to stronger current that funnels food into their vicinity without having to range far to find it. The name of the game for them is to consume as much nutrition as they can at the least amount of effort they can get away with. The ones that do it well are the ones that get big.
Deep water seams can be found behind big rocks or outcroppings, at a sharp corner or bend around structure, next to ledges or behind underwater dropoffs. You get the picture.
Spots with the right combination of current, depth and structure are very specific. For example, Fishing the bank at Rooster Rock covers the entire marina and channel and a mile of bank on the main channel. I do not believe that stretch has the kind of water I am describing that is accessible from the bank at normal water levels. The only spot there that tempts me would have to use a kayak or float tube. I am betting that decent size bass can be caught right where the marina channel meets the main river. There is going to be a current seam where the still marina water meets the main current. That is an educated guess on my part. I have observed that location from the road, but do not have the motivation to make it down to there on foot. I doubt that it can be done without swimming. Haha. Boat or kayak would work.
When I get to a spot like that I will work several depths and all angles trying to provoke a bite. Sometimes they want a slow tantalizing presentation like a Senko. Other times it takes a rapid retrieve on a deep diving crank bait driven straight into the rock. Hesitate after contact with the structure so it floats up off the rock, like a stunned minnow that just bumped its head. Then pop it a couple times and hesitate again. Then drive it into the bottom with fast cranks and hesitate all over again. The take can be vicious, but is frequently nothing more than a bump when they inhale the lure and hover in place with it in their mouth. When in doubt always set the hook because they will spit out a crankbait pretty quick.
It is hard to find places to use this technique from shore without snagging a lot. If you find places to fish where the target area depths are sloping toward you rather than away, or parallel to you, those offer better bank cranking without snagging too much.
It can be done successfully. My biggest bank caught bass on the John Day is 7.5 lbs. Biggest on the Columbia is 6.5.
As to fish that are safe to eat, that could be a matter of opinion. PCBs are higher in some parts of the Columbia than others, but they seem to be pretty much everywhere in the mid and lower river. PCBs are a known carcinogen. Personally, I will not eat any resident fish in the big C, especially not sturgeon, catfish, bass or walleye. I will eat salmon, steelhead and shad, but they spend most of their life in the ocean. Look up Columbia River fish consumption advisories before taking any home.
