Typical Summer Day on the Willamette River

[pdxfisher]

I hit the Willamette out of 10th street in West Linn on July 30th for a pretty average day of summer smallmouth fishing. Lots of small fish with a handful of decent-sized fish. My "big" fish was 1lb 14oz. Overall I caught 26 smallmouth and 2 pikieminnows. Most of the damage was done on a Ned rig and a drop shot.

 

Here is the "big" one :)

 

 

 

There were two memorable things for the day. First, I met up with @campsean  which was fun. We had been chatting for a while trying to find a time when we would both be on the water. Getting to meet in person was a blast I just enjoyed talking with him while we fished.

 

Second thing that was cool was that I hooked up on a double. I had hooked a pikieminnow and when I got it next to the yak I saw a decent smallmouth with it trying to get the spybait that was hanging off its jaw. After steering the pikiemnnow back and forth for a minute or two (trying to get a double on the one lure) I decided to take advantage of my two rod endorsement and drop my Ned rig down by the bass. On my second drop down he grabbed it and I landed a nice 1lb 12oz bonus smallmouth. Here is a Youtube short of that event:

 

 

 

 

Here is the full video from the day:

 

 

 

 

 

[RHOS68]

Great video and an enviable day of smallie fishing! The two-rod double was exciting!  Thanks for sharing!!

 

I fish out of 10th street about once a week this time of year - very early - and the first-light topwater bite has really slowed the last few times out.

 

My recent experience experience seems to match your day here: after the early topwater stuff you have to search and find the fish out in mid river around the humps/drops and stay on them with the Ned, drop shot, Carolina etc. Current helps so much. Weeds/moss turn into such a pain as summer lengthens... 

 

My only decent success last time out (Tuesday a.m) was up around the snags/buoy downstream of Rock Island. Strangely, hard baits were crushing them there all June to mid-July but much less so recently. Soft baits only last time.

 

Anyway, loved your video. Good luck out there.

 

Cheers!  

 

p.s. I had one of your pikeminnow-smallie doubles on a Plopper a month or so back (pic here). Crazy

[pdxfisher]

I think what happens is that once the Willamette warms to the point that the smolts won't be near the surface that the topwater and hard bait bites really slow down. I miss chasing the bass as they chase bait.

[Swamp Girl]

I always enjoy your trip reports. The next best thing to actually fishing is ready about others fishing. Like @RHOS68, I've had two smallies on a single lure. I've also had two smallies on two lines at the same time. I rented an ancient, heavy rowboat on the Whitefish River in Michigan's U.P. and trolled with two worms dangling off the stern. One rod would go down and then the other and the trick was to keep them from tangling.

 

The strangest double of my life happened below a waterfall in northwestern Ontario. I hooked a smallmouth and as I played the fish, another bass darted around the hooked fish. No biggie, right? We've all had that happen many times. However, when I landed the hooked bass, the other bass didn't disappear. She sidled up to my canoe...and here's where the story goes from ordinary to extraordinary:

 

On a hunch, I reached into the water, cradled the hovering bass with one hand, and lifted her out of the water, making it the strangest two-bass at once catch of my life. In my hand, she was as calm as a fish can be, as if she wanted to visit me. She was about 18 inches and so was her friend. They were both released, of course.

 

#freethefightersevenifonedoesn'tfight