I hit the Columbia river out of Stevenson WA on Sunday the 26th with my good friend (@MichaelJarvisFishing  on youtube). Mike and I have been trying to get back out there together for a while but things just kept getting in the way. I was really excited when he said he was gong to make it out on Sunday! Water temp was ~53F, visibility was about 4' or 5'. Just perfect conditions.

I ended up getting to the river quite a bit earlier than Mike. I thought it was a good chance for me to see if the patterns from the previous trip were still holding before he got there. I was so psyched when I felt a bass blast my bladed jig StealthBlade (JH SB) on my 3rd or 4th cast. I knew it was going to be a good day. I ended up catching 7 bass from that first area including a really nice 3lb 11loz chonker that set the mood for the day!

After that I headed downstream a ways since I figured Mike would want to do that when he got there. I picked up a fish here and a fish there and by the time Mike got there I had 15 bass already! I pedaled back up near the ramp where I saw him fishing and told him the bite was pretty much on fire. He had just got there and had already caught a 17" bass himself!! It was going to be a good day.

For most of the day we fished in 6-10' of water. The bass weren't everywhere but when you found one you usually found a bunch! Mike was trying a variety of new baits out and was slaying them on a Vision 110 jerkbait. I mostly kept the JHSB in my hand because it was working so well and is a pleasure to cast.

Occasionally, I would pick up another rod and fish it for a bit to keep my other rods from getting jealous. A jealous rod will gladly make you lose a fish   So over the course of the day I did pick up some fish on a 1.5 squarebill, spy bait, 3" swimbait and drop shot. I also caught a nice sized perch on a blade bait and that stupid thing milted all over me and my kayak while I was unhooking it. Pretty gross but it was worth a good laugh.

By the end of the day I had 49 bass (I am not sure how many Mike had but it was a bunch) and my best 5 went 18lbs 5oz and 92" which is a pretty respectable bag of smallmouth. My heaviest fish of the day was a 4lb 2oz fatty and my longest of the day was 19". Overall it was about as good of a day with about as good company as one could have. We even got to watch an otter chomping on a salmon on the shoreline of an island. Just a magical day.

When I finally left Mike was still hammering them, even as I turned to head to the ramp I looked back and saw Mike putting one on the board. Just an epic day.  Anyway, here are some pics from the day and my video.

A day that starts like this

and this

is destined to be a great day!

Excellent

Nice fishing.

I’ve been thinking about trying the Stealth version just for a little more finesse approach.

2 hours ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Nice fishing.

I’ve been thinking about trying the Stealth version just for a little more finesse approach.

That's why I started using them! They work great for me out here. Definitely my go to bait in the spring.

2 hours ago, pdxfisher said:

That's why I started using them! They work great for me out here. Definitely my go to bait in the spring.

Makes sense, I would think you have some pretty clear water out there. At least that's the way it looks.

47 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Makes sense, I would think you have some pretty clear water out there. At least that's the way it looks.

Yep, last trip visibility was around 5'.

What a year you're having!

You caught some nice ones!

6 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

What a year you're having!

It has been a really good year for me so far!