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I hit the Columbia on Sunday the 16th in search of smallmouth. I had not been out on the big C in two months so I was starting with no idea whether the fish were going to still be deep, up shallow or in between. I got to the ramp around sunrise and was on the water fishing by about 8am. I was pretty excited as I headed out in search of my quarry.
I started fishing the general area I had done well on in December and January. I fished around for an hour and a half without so much as a sniff. That's OK I thought, they must have moved up shallow so I fished a nice little point from the shoreline out to 30' without, once again, not so much as a sniff.
Over the next few hours the skies darkened, the wind picked up and the rain started falling. I tried spot after spot, shallow, deep, mid-depths, without anything to show for it except a couple of lost Ned rigs. At this point I started practicing those sayings that I hate to have to use:
"At least its nice to be out on the water"
"Beats staying at home and watching TV"
"That's why they call it fishing and not catching"
etc, etc (you all know the phrases I am talking about).
I finally made my way downstream a fair bit to a spot that often produces in the spring. I had seen a boat on it earlier but they had left which did not leave me with a great feeling but it was the best idea for a spot that I could come up with. At least the rain had stopped and the wind had died off and I was no longer on the verge of shivering.
Anyway, I started carefully dragging a Ned rig around in about 25' of water. Controlling my drift so that I was moving about the same speed as my lure. I was focused really hard on my rod when I felt what I thought was a thump but I set the hook on nothing. "Probably a rock" I said to myself. I made another short cast and felt another thump and had a fish on for just a second. That was definitely a bite!! I did not reel up but just let it drop back down and about 10 seconds later I got thumped again and this time it stuck. Woo hoo! I carefully played that fish, the skunk removal fish are always extra hard to land, and I was elated when I scooped up a nice 2lb 12oz bass into my net.
I think my kayak gained about 6" of freeboard as the weight of the skunk was lifted of my shoulders. Next cast I was dragging the Ned but snagged up. After retying my leader and a new Ned rig I dropped back down and picked up a nice 2lb 6oz. Next came another snag. After retying I got my third bass (1lb 15oz). Then snagged again.
After that I decided to switch to a drop shot rather than try to drive the recovery of the entire economy through purchases Ned rig jigs
That ended up being a smart call since the bass hit that at least as well as the Ned rig and all I would lose when I hung up was a little piece of hollow core lead I had pinched on for my weight. Much more fiscally sound way to fish
First bass on the drop shot was my smallest (1lb 6oz) but after that came a bunch of quality fish. I was not getting bit on every cast but I was catching a bass every 10 minutes or so which seem wicked fast after the slow morning. Off that same general spot (20-35' rocky flat) I picked up in order a 3lb 2oz, 2lb 6oz, 3lb 4oz, 1lb 4oz, 3lb 9oz and then a 20.5" 4lb 5oz beast. The last two came on back to back casts but then after that I could not buy a bite.
I think I probably could have stayed on that spot and scraped some more fish off but I thought that perhaps the bite had picked up everywhere and that the fish I was on had become spooked enough from me catching 10 of them. It was getting towards mid-afternoon so I figured I would pedal my way back upstream to the ramp and stop and fish a few spots along the way.
The first couple of spots did not produce anything. I was starting to think that perhaps the bite window was just over and that I should be thankful for the 10 I had caught. Eventually I made it to a spot I have fished many times without ever catching anything on it. It is a dining room sized table rock that sticks up about 10' off the bottom in about 27-28' of water. It looks good but just never produced. I am not even sure why I gave it a try.
I dropped my drop shot down along side the rock when I felt a thump! I set the hook on what felt like a big fish but the hook pulled out after 10 seconds or so. I was so bummed. I figured that was probably my last chance of the day. I dropped back down and then a minute or two later I felt another "pop" as a fish sucked in the drop shot. I set the hook and this fish felt big. The battle was not long in the cold 43F degree water but that fish did make one pretty decent run. I carefully worked the fish to the surface and saw one of the fattest smallmouth I have ever seen. I was shaking as I slid the net under that pig!
The bass was only 19.5" but weighed 4lb 13oz. An inch shorter but a little more than 1/2lb heavier than the earlier beast. After releasing that piggy I kept fishing that little spot and managed to catch a 3lb 1oz and then ended the day with a 3lb 5oz.
I did stop and try one more spot without success on the way back to the ramp but that spot (usually good this time of year) seemed barren. Overall, I was thrilled with the day. 13 smallmouth caught, 11 of them over 2lbs, 7 of those over 3lbs and 2 of those over 4lbs. It was my heaviest 5 smallmouth bag to date, 19 4oz and 94.75" total length. To say I was happy would be the understatement of the year. It has been 3 days and I am still smiling. Here are picks of my 5 best (plus the long fish on the measuring board).
And here is a video of the day:
I started fishing the general area I had done well on in December and January. I fished around for an hour and a half without so much as a sniff. That's OK I thought, they must have moved up shallow so I fished a nice little point from the shoreline out to 30' without, once again, not so much as a sniff.
Over the next few hours the skies darkened, the wind picked up and the rain started falling. I tried spot after spot, shallow, deep, mid-depths, without anything to show for it except a couple of lost Ned rigs. At this point I started practicing those sayings that I hate to have to use:
"At least its nice to be out on the water"
"Beats staying at home and watching TV"
"That's why they call it fishing and not catching"
etc, etc (you all know the phrases I am talking about).
I finally made my way downstream a fair bit to a spot that often produces in the spring. I had seen a boat on it earlier but they had left which did not leave me with a great feeling but it was the best idea for a spot that I could come up with. At least the rain had stopped and the wind had died off and I was no longer on the verge of shivering.
Anyway, I started carefully dragging a Ned rig around in about 25' of water. Controlling my drift so that I was moving about the same speed as my lure. I was focused really hard on my rod when I felt what I thought was a thump but I set the hook on nothing. "Probably a rock" I said to myself. I made another short cast and felt another thump and had a fish on for just a second. That was definitely a bite!! I did not reel up but just let it drop back down and about 10 seconds later I got thumped again and this time it stuck. Woo hoo! I carefully played that fish, the skunk removal fish are always extra hard to land, and I was elated when I scooped up a nice 2lb 12oz bass into my net.
I think my kayak gained about 6" of freeboard as the weight of the skunk was lifted of my shoulders. Next cast I was dragging the Ned but snagged up. After retying my leader and a new Ned rig I dropped back down and picked up a nice 2lb 6oz. Next came another snag. After retying I got my third bass (1lb 15oz). Then snagged again.
After that I decided to switch to a drop shot rather than try to drive the recovery of the entire economy through purchases Ned rig jigs
That ended up being a smart call since the bass hit that at least as well as the Ned rig and all I would lose when I hung up was a little piece of hollow core lead I had pinched on for my weight. Much more fiscally sound way to fish First bass on the drop shot was my smallest (1lb 6oz) but after that came a bunch of quality fish. I was not getting bit on every cast but I was catching a bass every 10 minutes or so which seem wicked fast after the slow morning. Off that same general spot (20-35' rocky flat) I picked up in order a 3lb 2oz, 2lb 6oz, 3lb 4oz, 1lb 4oz, 3lb 9oz and then a 20.5" 4lb 5oz beast. The last two came on back to back casts but then after that I could not buy a bite.
I think I probably could have stayed on that spot and scraped some more fish off but I thought that perhaps the bite had picked up everywhere and that the fish I was on had become spooked enough from me catching 10 of them. It was getting towards mid-afternoon so I figured I would pedal my way back upstream to the ramp and stop and fish a few spots along the way.
The first couple of spots did not produce anything. I was starting to think that perhaps the bite window was just over and that I should be thankful for the 10 I had caught. Eventually I made it to a spot I have fished many times without ever catching anything on it. It is a dining room sized table rock that sticks up about 10' off the bottom in about 27-28' of water. It looks good but just never produced. I am not even sure why I gave it a try.
I dropped my drop shot down along side the rock when I felt a thump! I set the hook on what felt like a big fish but the hook pulled out after 10 seconds or so. I was so bummed. I figured that was probably my last chance of the day. I dropped back down and then a minute or two later I felt another "pop" as a fish sucked in the drop shot. I set the hook and this fish felt big. The battle was not long in the cold 43F degree water but that fish did make one pretty decent run. I carefully worked the fish to the surface and saw one of the fattest smallmouth I have ever seen. I was shaking as I slid the net under that pig!
The bass was only 19.5" but weighed 4lb 13oz. An inch shorter but a little more than 1/2lb heavier than the earlier beast. After releasing that piggy I kept fishing that little spot and managed to catch a 3lb 1oz and then ended the day with a 3lb 5oz.
I did stop and try one more spot without success on the way back to the ramp but that spot (usually good this time of year) seemed barren. Overall, I was thrilled with the day. 13 smallmouth caught, 11 of them over 2lbs, 7 of those over 3lbs and 2 of those over 4lbs. It was my heaviest 5 smallmouth bag to date, 19 4oz and 94.75" total length. To say I was happy would be the understatement of the year. It has been 3 days and I am still smiling. Here are picks of my 5 best (plus the long fish on the measuring board).
And here is a video of the day: