Oregon Fall Bass Fishing: Clouds, Rain, Sun, Rainbows and Hungry Bass

[pdxfisher]

I hit the Columbia on Saturday the 26th and what a day! There was sun, rain, clouds, rainbows, low-flying planes and plenty of hungry bass! Just a great day to be living in the PNW!!

 

The bite was great, 24 smallmouth and 3 pikiemninnows, but getting to fish in such beautiful conditions is just beyond expression. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words so here you go:

 

 

 

Does it get prettier anywhere on earth than this?

 

The past few trips it had taken me a while to catch my first fish but on Saturday there were quite a few bass stacked up on the first point that I fished. I had blanked on this point the last 3 trips but it was loaded up on Saturday. The fish were out in about 25' of water and were happy to sample my dropshot. No big ones in that group but still a lot of fun on the dropshot rod.

 

For the rest of the day I had spots that were red hot 2 weeks ago that produced very little, spots that were red hot and still red hot and spots that were dead two weeks ago that were on fire. That is fall smallmouth fishing in a nutshell. Man those fish sure do love to move around the river. I did all the damage on the smallmouth with either a drop shot or a wobblehead. The bass were set up on rocky points and humps in 15-25' of water and when I found a group they seemed eager to bite. I had some lulls but lots of back to back fish as well. 

 

One thing that was really cool was fishing the downstream edge of a hump with a drop shot. I was not marking any fish but as soon as I hooked one the sonar screen just lit up. Those fish were just hugging the bottom so tight I could not see them until I disturbed them. I ended up catching 3 bass in a row of that spot which was just really cool.

 

The only downside to this kind of fishing is that you have to be willing to pay the price in lost gear. With the drop shot it is not too bad because I just lose the sinker (pinched on hollow core lead that I cut to length) but with the wobblehead it is the jig and the bait. I think I lost about 4 wobbleheads on the day but the price was worth it! 

 

It could have been my best day ever except for some heartbreak to end the day. It was getting late in the day I was heading back to the ramp and decided to stop and make a few casts at one of the spots that was good to me earlier. On my second cast with the wobblehead I felt the thunk of a big fish. I  don't know how to describe it but there is just something different when a big fish sucks that thing in. I set the hook and whiffed but then that fish must not have like seeing that wobblehead screaming away because it came back and grabbed it. It felt like I set the hook on a boulder. That fish did not budge. I could not believe I was going to end the day with a monster. I leaned hard on that fish and after a few drag ripping runs I had it next to the kayak. I could not believe the size of that fish. It dwarfed the 5lber I caught a month ago and I think it was a fair bit bigger than my PB smallmouth (5lb 14oz). I had my net in my hand and it thrashed at the surface before diving back down and ripping drag. I tried to pull it back to the surface when POP. 

 

The battle was over and I was crushed  The loop of the knot around the eye of the hook had basically broken (looked like it had been cut). If I had loosened my drag a bit I probably would have landed that fish but I always keep the drag on the wobblehead rod mashed down pretty tight so I can get a good hookset. When I got home I did look up the Knot Wars videos on fluro and they all said you should use a know that loops around the eye multiple times. I will be doing that in the future

 

Other cool and interesting things that happened during the day. I got to see the rainbow in the above picture form. That was the first time I had seen a rainbow being born. You can watch it happen in the video. Just amazing. There was a float plane that flew past me that was very low. It was really cools watching it go by well below the top of the gorge. The last cool thing was a fishing thing.

 

After I drifted off one of the humps I noticed that I had marked some fish in 50-60' of water. I was wondering if they were walleye so I dropped a blade bait down to them and started jigging it. In short order I felt a good thump and I had a decent sized fish on. I was a little disappointed when I got it to the surface and say a big pikieminnow. I dropped down two more times and caught two more big pikieminnows. It was pretty cool catching them out of deep water like that but I decided after the 3rd fish that I could either spend the rest of the day doing that or go chase down some more smallies. The smallies won out

 

Overall it was one of the best and most interesting days I have every spent on the river. Tons of bass in the two pound range and two over 3lbs. Big bass was 19" and 3lb 9oz. I am so happy I get to live in such a paradise, remember to stop and smell the roses!

 

Here are some fish from the day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a way too long video.

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

Wow, what a trip and what a trip report! Your abundant love of bass and your beautiful home was a joy to read. So sad you lost what would have been your latest PB, but I'm glad to know that such fish swim where you fish.

[pdxfisher]

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

Wow, what a trip and what a trip report! Your abundant love of bass and your beautiful home was a joy to read. So sad you lost what would have been your latest PB, but I'm glad to know that such fish swim where you fish.

 

Some days when I am out on the river I look around and I just can't believe how lucky I am to get to fish in such a beautiful place!

 

Losing that big one really hurt but I will just have to catch an even bigger one next time

[Swamp Girl]

Quote

Losing that big one really hurt but I will just have to catch an even bigger one next time 

 

That's the fighting spirit!

 

1 hour ago, pdxfisher said:

Some days when I am out on the river I look around and I just can't believe how lucky I am to get to fish in such a beautiful place!

 

Indeed. I know that river. She's a beaut.

[Fishlegs]

A bent rod under a double rainbow on a beautiful river? What a picture! I hate that you weren't able to land the big one, but thanks for sharing.

[Swamp Girl]

Say, pdx, what soft plastic do you use with your wobble head jigs? And how do you fish them? The water I fish is so shallow and weedy that I can't really bounce a jig on the bottom.

[pdxfisher]

2 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Say, pdx, what soft plastic do you use with your wobble head jigs? And how do you fish them? The water I fish is so shallow and weedy that I can't really bounce a jig on the bottom.

 

I have been using a Zoom Z-craw in GP but I think any creature bait would work just fine. I have been fishing it just slow enough to keep ticking the bottom. I go back and forth between a steady retrieve and a stop-and-go retrieve. 

 

In your kind of water I would fish a Carolina rig or a slider head (with various soft plastics) to cover water. Those were my go tos in NC and PA.