Return to Hobie.com
Hobie Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:46 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1 post ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2020 9:25 pm 
Offline
Site Rank - Old Salt

Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:48 am
Posts: 312
Location: Portland, OR

I hit the big C on Sunday, not looking for salmon but rather in search of bronze. The salmon run is waning but the smallmouth are always there and always hungry. 

I got to the ramp close to daybreak and quickly launched. My partner was already on the water by the time I got there. He had to leave early and wanted to squeeze every minute of fishing out of the day that he could.

We headed upstream looking for the rock structures that are smallmouth magnets. I am surprised by how much more chunk rock that Columbia has compared to the Willamette. It seems to make the smallmouth a little more choosy about the rock structure that they will use. The Willamette smallmouth seem to be OK using the smoother basalt rock while the Columbia smallmouth don't seem to care for it, likely because of the better options.

We started the day fishing our way upstream. At first we were only finding smooth structures that gave way to sand. Those all seemed empty and we kept moving along, hopscotching each other looking for that right kind of rock.

I hopped past my partner to a rock formation that, on the surface, looked like all the previous rock structures, but this one had that special something. Rather than being a giant rock sticking out of a sandy bottom, this one had a nice rocky reef that trailed out to 25-30' of water. 

I was excited as I made my first cast onto the reef with a Ned rig. I slowly worked it back to me, letting the current do most of the work when I felt that weight and tug that means smallmouth. I set the hook and the fight was on. 

The fish went airborne immediately - like smallmouth love to do. I was happy to see that the hook stayed fast and I went to work on the fish. Applying pressure and letting my spinning rod wear the fish out. After a minute or two I was able to land a nice fat 2lb 15oz smallmouth!

On my next cast we doubled up and I caught a nice 1lb 13oz fish.

Image

After a couple of fishless casts I hooked a 3rd fish. After that the bite stopped for a few minutes. I went back and forth over the spot with my sonar a few times to map it out better (you have to love Quickdraw). Once I understood the spot better I decide to go back over some interesting looking rocks pile that was out a bit deeper.

I switched to a drop shot and on my second cast I was rewarded with a 3lb 1oz bass!

Image

I kept probing that deeper stuff  and was able to nab a fish fish off that structure. Not exactly kegged up like they get in the summer but still a pretty outstanding grouping of fish.

That pretty much describes how the day went for me. If there were fish on a structure I could usually pull off 3 to 5 fish. If not then I moved on. What I came to find out was that, on that day, the smaller structures were not holding fish. The best spots were good sized rock formations that had lots of chunk rock mixed in.

I still hit every rock formation I came to but I quickly moved on if they did not look right. If I caught one fish I would carefully work the structure over, switching between the drop shot and the Ned rig. 

As the day wore on and the wind picked up I concentrated on the drop shot which is easier to maintain contact with. Some times I would see them on the sonar and bop them on the head - I love that kind of fishing. It is really cool when they are suspended and you watch them follow your drop shot down until there is just one mark on the screen and then you feel that thunk!

It was just a fantastic day in a beautiful part of the Columbia. I really covered a lot of water in the kayak. I ended up more than 3 miles upstream by the end. By that point the wind reversed and the river got a little choppy. At that point I had 19 bass and really wanted that 20th.

I headed back downstream into the chop - stopping to fish the best spots I had found during the day. I am not sure if the fish moved, if they set up differently due to the wind change or whether it was just tough to fish while bobbing up and down in the small wind waves but I had to work like a dog for that last fish. 

It was a little anti-climactic since it was only a 12" fish and it basically hooked itself (no skill involved whatsoever) but I was happy to get it.

Just a great day on the river!

A couple more pics with just a beautiful backdrop:

Image
Image

I know there are plenty of much, much  bigger fish than the ones I caught but it was a pretty awesome day on new water. I also have to say how I love how the Outback handles the rough water. The entire 3 mile trip back was wave after wave breaking over the bow, but that hull just keeps slicing through the waves and shrugs them off like they are no big deal.

I can't wait to get the Columbia really dialed in.

Here is some video from the day.

 


  


_________________
Fish tremble when they hear my name :)

A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
--John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic, 1928


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 1 post ] 

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
© Hobie Cat Company. All rights reserved.
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group