Walleye on the Columbia

[Damon]

Have a few days off and am debating on where to fish. Finally am able to "brave" the Columbia. Problem: I've never fished them on a river. Have fished lakes for them "bottom bouncing" and jigging. What's the popular method on the river? Am willing to drive as far east as I need to find fish. I'm thinking about fishing near the mouth of the John Day. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[j.d.smallie]

At the first of the month we fished the Columbia straight across from the Rufus landing. Just drift a jig and trailer hook with a nightcrawler. Also caught fish with bottom-bouncers and worm harness slow trolling down river. "Use any color as long as it's chaurtruce."

[Damon]

That's sounds like a plan I think I'll try...Chartreuse? :smile:

[Hunt'nFish]

Damon,
Thinking about heading up myself this weekend.
Watching the forcast & barameter.
Don't want to waste the fuel is a low comes in.
I'll let you know if we go up, maybe we can grab a bite of breakfast at Bob's T-Bone around 6am, & team up on'em.
I'll let ya know, about Friday 11pm!! Ha, ha :laugh:
Tracker

[Damon]

Sounds like a great idea I'll make sure to check in on Fri. :cheers:

[bucketmouth]

If the walleye are not biting. Try the bass. Good area for them and they should be turning on bout now on the Columbia.

[bassin]

Maybe a 3 some. I may show up myself. Waiting for a last min. wind report.
:smash:

[Walleyed]

Damon
Fish are there but thing have been slow if it looks like the day is turning into a bust try for some crappie.
Went to a meetting of the oregon bass and panfish last night and a guy brought in some live black crappie he had got and cooked them up. mmmmmm good. Fish were 8"-12"
Walleyed

[trap50]

I fished a lot of eyes in Mn. We went with a guide the first time at Rufus no fish then we got up there on our own. 8 walleye. Been years since I ate them. doesn't get much better. We fished right arount the corner from the ramp. Drifted worm harness and bottom walker.

[shalom]

Walleyed,
Be sure to look me up at the next meeting . I will be introducing the guest speaker . There are several i-fishers that are members of the Ore. Bass And Panfish Club . I hope that you had a good time and will return .
:angel: :jester: :yay: :dance: :dance: :angel1:

[Hunt'nFish]

Damon, Bassin....
Weather forcast is shaping up ok.
But it looks like my uncle is going to have to work Sat. :whazzup:

SO I think we'll be going up Sun instead. :yay:
If your up there look for a red Duckworth or a white/green Crestliner w/ 150hp Merc Mariner.

From what I've heard they've started to spawn, but we picked up some good smaller eatters about this time last year.

PM for cell#.
Walleye Tracker

[bassin]

Look for the Dark Ranger 519 with a 225 optmax. White Ram 2500.

[bucketmouth]

Walleyed, I saw you at the meeting last night. Glad you could come.

The guy who brought the balck crappie, Bob, was doing the carppie table last night. He caught them on the John Day up by the boat park.

The radio personality, Hobart Manns, was the guy fileting the fish. Bill Egan was the guy cooking the fish.

[Walleyed]

Well thanks for the hello's
Had a real good time at the meeting and I'm shure you will be seeing me around. Said hi to bill and bob nice guys.
headed out of rooster rock about 7:00 saturday, If anyone is aroung give a howdy.
I'll be the one with the new OBPC hat on :cool:
Walleyed

[Walleyed]

OK Here it is,
7hr walleye trip from the power lines in troutdale to horsetail falls.
Bust
Did see a Crestliner giving me the wave but was in high persute and planed on stopping on my way back down but it was gone.
Looks like it’s a toss up on pikeminnow and bass tomorrow.
So anyway howed you do today?

[Hunt'nFish]

Walleyed,
Crestliner wasn't I. I was taking care of some last minute kicker placement mods today (Sat. Just checked weather for Rufus Sun and it looks like a go!! Wind 5-10, partly cloudy, high near 75F. Whoya!!
Will report on Monday!
Tracker

[Hunt'nFish]

Sunday 5/1/05 Rufus report:
Weather was fantastic, fishing was poor.
No bite at all, nada.
Fished the willows, covert, and car body holes several times at differant depths from 30-15ft. The went up to big eddy and fished around the island, nada.

Water temp was 52-53F with visability ~3-4ft.
We did foul hook a salmon w/ bladebait and came back with only a scale.

VERY VERY SLOW. No one else w/ any fish either.
Maybe next time.

Still with the great weather, it was much better than sitting at home WISHING I was fishing. Got in a good shake down of the boat too.
Tracker

[shalom]

I had a friend that took the lower unit off his outboard just above Preachers Eddy . He said that he was in 40-feet of water on a plane when the bottom came up quickley . I hope that this post will prevent this from happening again .
:angel: :jester: :yay: :dance: :dance: :angel1:

[Hunt'nFish]

Yea, the reef above the island is not the place to be if you don't know it well. There's a lot of current to push you right into and over it. It takes more than a depth finder to stay out of trouble. It's surprising how many people don't look at the surface for hints about what's underneath. A transition from smooth to ripples usually means a shallow reef or bar has suddenly come up. Boils, are another danger sign that this may not be the place to be, because there's probably an obstruction nearby that's causing the boil.

A couple other places to watch yourself around are: Rock Island area of the Wille, and Ough Reef area over by Washougal. Last year we were up around Rock Island before they put the channel markers in for the season (which are put in ~mid May by CorpEng). Anyway one weekend, around this time last year, we saw a prop'd sled clip it and take half a skeg off. The next day we were fishing up there and a ski boat full of youngsters (Ski Centurian I think) can down river at full throttle and POW! It hit so hard it echoed through the canyon. I think they may have been taking on water. Another ski boat was coming up river and they came to their rescue. I felt bad for them, but had to chuckle at the same time. These rich brats helped put some mechanic's kids through college that day, because it sounded like they hit so hard they may have tore the transome apart.

<<<< Law requires you to assist, and we would have! Even if they are ski brats. >>>>

Anyway, yes it's wise to take it slow in strange water. Better it be a skeg or prop than the whole lower unit, or worse the transome.
Good advise Shalom!

Tracker

[bucketmouth]

Another area where shallow rocks will do damage if one is not careful is right in the middle of the channel between the two paper mills on the Willamette just below the falls.

Was idling towards the falls one day and hit the rock pile. took a chunck of my prop. Thank god I was at low speed. Some guy on the bank motioned me over to him to tell me that he has seen that happen so many times, that he felt the rock pile should be marked in some way by the corp eng.