Oregon bass fishing (round 1)

[Enginear]

Hello OFF peeps!

I'm new to the Eugene area as of last September. I posted here and quickly took notice that bass fishing here is more of a novelty compared to S/S/T. I get it, looks like fun and I look forward to trying it some time. However, I started the bass hunt in the midwest and it MUST continue.

Now that the weather is finally getting better I have been out a few times.

Kirk Pond - 4-5 times dealing with the mess of vegetation makes for no happy. I did get a strike back by the bridge but what a mess of slop to get there.

Fern Ridge - I've fished the rocks on the south side of the dam with no luck. I did catch a 1lb by the docks on the weed line. It was pretty awesome as I saw the little guy dart out of the grass and take my spinner bait.

Golden Gardens Pond - I tried this place today for a change. It looks like tons of spots that would hold bass, too much to cover in a day. I was sneaking around the banks throwing on the edges before I got close. I did get a pull and it felt nice when I pulled the rod, a few seconds later it was gone.

The good news? I caught a fish in Oregon. the better news? I just took delivery of one of those Sea Eagle 2 Seat Frameless pontoon boats. Hooray!. I know it's not a real boat, but it has benefits too.

Most important, fishing here is beautiful. Seeing the mountain lines in the distance, the variety of wildlife, and people here are quite friendly. I know I have not even scratched the surface regarding the beauty of the area, but I'm very much looking forward to exploring more this summer.

Thanks to all the guys here that share info and the guys that post videos on YouTube etc. It is really helpful to those new to fishing and those new to the area. Oh and the ladies too

 

[Aervax]

Bass fishing in Oregon can be truly spectacular once you figure out where to fish, and when that where is the right place to be. It is not uncommon to have 100 bass days on the Umpqua River and John Day River in the north central part of the state. The Columbia River can be very good too, especially in later April. The smallmouth will be moving shallow to spawn then. I recommend trying the backwaters and ponds alongside I-84 around that time if you are up that direction. I predict big fish and high numbers of fish in your future if you keep trying like you are. You'll figure it out. Keep us posted, with pics please.

 

[Enginear]

Bass fishing in Oregon can be truly spectacular once you figure out where to fish, and when that where is the right place to be.

Aervax this has got to be one fo the best fishing quotes of all time. I about fell out of my chair reading that. Thanks for the encouragement.

I did try my luck at Golden Garden again today and caught a couple. Not giants but enough to make me satisfied. for today anyway

 

[Aervax]

One of the challenges to catching bass right now is that the water temperature is still on the low side for them. That depends on the body of water of course. For example, the Columbia is just now bouncing around 50F, which is a rough cutoff for accelerating the bass activity. On days where it is over 50F the bass are starting to bite. Take a cheap pool thermometer with you to measure the water temp where you are.

Below 50F, most of the fish will be in deeper water, many times schooled up on point or other structure. Tough to find them without a boat and fishfinder. At 50F they start to move shallower, say 10-20 feet in general. Above 55F you will start to catch quite a few in water 5-15 feet deep. 55-60F is where you will start seeing them on spawning beds and then it is really on.

These are general rules that most of the fish are going to behave around. There are always a few of them responding to the cues differently than others. An example, the other day I found a shallow wind protected cove where the water temp was 4F higher than the main body of water. Couldn't buy a bite on the main body, but got hit twice in 3 feet of water in that cove, one was a couple of pounds. That was a reservoir at 4000 ft at the beginning of March, it was really cold. The calm waveless cove was letting the sun penetrate to the bottom and warm things up, including a couple of fish that were sunning themselves.

This time of year temperature is key. Keep honing your skills. When the water temp hits 60F you'll be nailing multiple fish every time you go out. And you know bass like structure and cover. The fish you are catching now are a limited number of earlier arrivers moving from deep water to shallow structure where bank anglers can catch them. Look for similar structure to where you are having success, and also go back to the areas where you had success to repeat. As things warm up more fish may have moved into the area for the same reasons the others were there last time around.

 

[Aervax]

Nice fish and pic by the way. Everybody on here loves a little bit of fish porn. Thanks for sharing. Keep'em coming.

 

[Enginear]

One of the challenges to catching bass right now is that the water temperature is still on the low side for them. That depends on the body of water of course. For example, the Columbia is just now bouncing around 50F, which is a rough cutoff for accelerating the bass activity. On days where it is over 50F the bass are starting to bite. Take a cheap pool thermometer with you to measure the water temp where you are.

Below 50F, most of the fish will be in deeper water, many times schooled up on point or other structure. Tough to find them without a boat and fishfinder. At 50F they start to move shallower, say 10-20 feet in general. Above 55F you will start to catch quite a few in water 5-15 feet deep. 55-60F is where you will start seeing them on spawning beds and then it is really on.

These are general rules that most of the fish are going to behave around. There are always a few of them responding to the cues differently than others. An example, the other day I found a shallow wind protected cove where the water temp was 4F higher than the main body of water. Couldn't buy a bite on the main body, but got hit twice in 3 feet of water in that cove, one was a couple of pounds. That was a reservoir at 4000 ft at the beginning of March, it was really cold. The calm waveless cove was letting the sun penetrate to the bottom and warm things up, including a couple of fish that were sunning themselves.

This time of year temperature is key. Keep honing your skills. When the water temp hits 60F you'll be nailing multiple fish every time you go out. And you know bass like structure and cover. The fish you are catching now are a limited number of earlier arrivers moving from deep water to shallow structure where bank anglers can catch them. Look for similar structure to where you are having success, and also go back to the areas where you had success to repeat. As things warm up more fish may have moved into the area for the same reasons the others were there last time around.

Thanks for the info Aervax. This pretty much echoes all that I have been learning about over the winter. I'll admit it, hundreds of Youtube hours logged trying to understand one aspect or another fishing for bass.

I just started fishing again last summer for the first time in 20 years, in 80+ plus degree water temps, on an urban concrete lake. It was hard, but I figured some things out. I missed the fall feeding frenzy due to moving and work stuff so I am pretty excited about fishing the entire season. Yesterday was a good experience because I caught fish by paying attention and using what I've learned. That felt pretty good

Knowing where to fish and when that where is the place to be, that pretty much says it all without saying anything. Thanks for the info!

 

[Aervax]

I may have short changed you in that quip. It should really say, "Knowing where to fish and when that where is the place to be is all dependent on using the right bait for those conditions."

I don't have much luck with spinner baits when the water is this cold. If I do, it is on a steady retrieve intermixed with erratic jerks followed by letting it flutter and sink. Sometimes they'll pick it up off the bottom when it is sitting still. I am mostly fishing suspending jerkbaits and Senkos rigged weedless right now. Deep diving crankbaits some of the time too. These are all baits that can be fished alternating between wild erratic movements to get attention, and then go nearly still to entice a lethargic cold bass into striking. The crankbaits can be tricky to get the hang of because the goal is not cast and crank, it is to swim that bait into an obstacle and leave it still for a few seconds like it is stunned. Crash into rocks deep, then hesitate and let it float back off the rocks, then rip the rod half a foot like it is trying to get away. Same as what Shaun said in his post. Tangle it in weeds, hesitate, then rip it out, and hesitate again. The strike usually comes when it is sitting still.

My go to color in the spring is chartruese or bright yellow or orange, anything that mimics the bright markings on bluegill; which are bass prey and hated by bass for raiding eggs from their spawning beds. As water warms the crawdads start to activate, too. Check the color of crawdads in your water. Red is the general go to color for them, but in some areas they can be more green or bluish. There most people fish red, but it might not produce consistently. The guy fishing the most correct color gets it done with crawdad baits.

I am going to shut up and go get my fly gear together. I am teaching a friend how to fly fish today. We are fishing the Kloan Road/Deschutes River for Redside Trout. Today's fishing pal is sweeter and more attractive than most of my fishing buddies, so I am looking forward to it more than usual. Haha.