Bass in Lake River???

[pitchnboy]

I liver in Ridgefield and i live right up the road from Lake River ( tributary to the CR ). and i was woundering if anyone knows if it produces BASS??? i always see this 1 Nitro, Ranger, and Champion bassboats pulling out at the launch but i dont know if they are fishing Lake River or the Columbia. there isnt SM or LM near Batchalor island is there?? let me no please! :help:

Pitch :cheers:

[WetBait]

I take my Champion out of Ridgefield on occasion (21' white, Yamaha 250). Never seen a Nitro there. I know the owner of a Ranger boat that occasionally get's launched there as well (although not this year, that boat is collecting dust -- jab in case you're lurking ;-).

I spent maybe a total of 4 hours on Lake River looking for bass last spring but turned up empty. It was manly from the launch toward the columbia and in the slough that completes the island.

Having said that, I recently caught a 3.5 lb largemouth out on the Columbia in the area while fishing smallmouth so it might be worth further investigation.

I'm not sure how you know about the boats being launched there but I often see people fishing on the docks in the area. Might be worth asking them if they've seen any bass pulled out.

- Ray

[ScottD]

There are a few bass in Lake River. Its been quite a few years since I fished there, but I did catch a couple largemouth there. Those guys you see are most likely fishing the Columbia, the Multnomah Channel or Scappoose Bay.......all of which are real close to the Ridgefield launch. So, Lake River does hold bass, but they are tough to figure out IMO.....and there are better places to fish close to there.

[sbasser]

I've put my canoe into Lake River twice, once off the gravel bar that you access by going under the railroad bridge, and once from the ramp down by Lk. Vancouver. Not sure it's still there, but there used to be an abandoned steel boat beached along the East shore, and I got a 2 lb 9 oz LM off it. On another trip, my buddy and I poled the canoe up the creek toward the golf course, about 1/2 way down Lake River. We got into an area with a lot of "Lilly Pads" that were pointed, and caught a bunch of LM up there, 1 to 1.5 lbs, by guess. Roland Martin calls those pads "Mother-inlaw's Tongue".

There is a nice sandbar with a good drop at the mouth of the creek, and it should hold bass. We didn't fish it, because some guy and his wife had their runabout stuck on it, and were wading around in the water, trying to get it loose. The folks down at the ramp with the houseboats didn't seem to appreciate us fishing the pilings there. They have a lot of telephone wires and such cluttering up the place, so it may be a problem. I have not been able to determine if there is water flow from Lake Vancouver into Lake River. But any place there is inflow is a good place to fish for bass. The best thing about it, is we didn't see but the one boat, no jet skiis, no ski boats, nothin'. There used to be a tackle shop in Ridgefield, and the guy was pretty enthusiastic about the bass fishing in Bachelor Slough. I'd sure give Lake River and Bachelor Slough a shot, if I lived there. :idea: C&R, Steve

[pitchnboy]

ya i ll have to check it out for sure!!!! i have never been out on the river really but i no this great place a couple miles up from the ridgefield launch that is loaded with standing timber and pads, its right down from some railroad tracks. ill give it a shot thou, perhaps towmmarow!!!

pitch