The conditions were favorable for kayak fishing on the Columbia River so we spent a couple days fishing for smallmouth bass.
The first day we went out, a series of thunderstorms and rain showers had passed through the area. The wind was calm but it was overcast as we launched the kayaks at Rowena, Oregon.
The fishing conditions were pretty much the same as they were a few days ago; low water levels, seaweed and the bass holding in 8-10′ of water, maybe a little deeper. We only caught a couple bass, but they were good sized fish. One was a really good size fish, probably 18-19″ or so, the other was a bit smaller.
It rained intermittently while we were fishing, nothing too heavy and by the time we headed in, it had turned out to be a pretty nice afternoon.
The next day, we headed east to Maryhill State Park in Washington, across the Columbia River from Biggs Junction, Oregon. This is an area well known for great smallmouth bass fishing, we were hoping to have a little more success than we’d been having closer to home. We got out on the river just before sunrise.
It was windier than we had been expecting, and like at Rowena, the water was choked with seaweed. To make matters worse, the fish were not biting. Usually, we catch something, but not today. We quit fishing about noon and drove around looking for alternative places to launch the kayak.
Think we’ll try it again here in the spring.