We’ve been having some windy days and fluctuating water levels in the Columbia Gorge which has been making it tough on the kayak fishing for smallmouth bass. We got out on the river yesterday to find the water level has dropped by a couple feet in the Bonneville Pool, which has caused the bass to move away from the rocky shoreline, where the water is too shallow and hot, and scatter around the river, making the fishing somewhat tougher than it has been earlier in the season. The water temperature in the Columbia River has really warmed up as well. Our fishfinder thermometer showed 75° and even a bit higher in the shallower water. Not only has this caused the fish to head for deeper water, it has also caused a massive seaweed growth. The river is now choked with all kinds of plant growth, especially in water that is ten feet deep or less. With the low water levels, that means a lot of seaweed.
The best place to look for smallmouth bass now is on the outer edge of the seaweed along drop offs and underwater structure. We had our best success in water that was six to fifteen feet deep, fishing along underwater drop offs where a mild current was running. We did not have any luck in the early morning, most of the fish we caught were caught around midday. All the fish were relatively small, pretty typical for summertime fishing. The big fish are active in the spring, the smaller fish are active in the summer. You have to be pretty lucky to catch a twenty incher this time of year.
The weather has been hot and windy. Protection from the sun; sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, etc., is absolutely essential. You can get seriously sunburned in an hour or two. It is a good idea to check the weather and be aware of potentially dangerous conditions. While we were fishing today, it started out calm and sunny. The wind picked up a little and suddenly there were thunderstorms passing overhead. Later, the wind really picked up to 15 MPH or so out of the east, making for a difficult and wet upstream paddle into a headwind to get back to the launch.
It’s very windy again today, but supposed to calm down for the next few days, hopefully we will be able to find out where the fish are hiding with the changing conditions.