The weather has been pretty nice and the wind has remained calm which has allowed us to get out early this spring to do some smallmouth bass fishing on the Columbia River. The water is still on the cold side and due to the spring rain and melting snow from the local mountains, the water level is very high, which is the exact opposite condition from last year’s extra dry winter. The bass fishing was relatively poor last spring so we are hoping the return of more normal water levels will result in better fishing. The high water levels mean that the flow of the river can be very fast and strong in spots and there are dangerous currents and whirlpools that kayak fishermen need to be aware of because you can get into trouble very quickly when the conditions are like this. The biggest factor this time of the year, as usual, is the wind.
The game plan is simple; keep looking until you find the fish. If you find where the bass are hanging out, stick around until they stop biting, then start looking again. This time of the season, you have to cover some river to find the fish. So far, we’ve had the best success and caught the biggest bass, fishing lead head grubs off the bottom. We’ve had a few hits on crankbaits, but keep going back to the plastics.
The bass fishing is picking up as the water gets warmer. The early moving fish are a little larger than normal size bass and are hard fighters.
The water level in the Columbia River is going to start dropping as spring turns into summer and the wind is always a factor so you have to keep on top of the conditions to get the best fishing. Looks like a few windy days coming up so we will probably have to put the kayak fishing on hold for a while.