Way downriver, smallmouth bass fishing is good to excellent but fairly lightly tapped near the population center around Vancouver (across the river from the larger Portland, Oregon). Our first day’s fishing on the Columbia River, we stayed east of Portland. With shoreline ranging from pastoral to rugged and wildlife abounding, few places look as spectacular under a bright blue sky as the Columbia. John Day River. That’s the title of my post after the other day on Celilo pool of the Columbia River. My schedule won’t allow any throw outs.

The Columbia River is a smallmouth bass factory. Actually it was a much more important launch,.. I’ve got a club tournament Aug 30th and I’m in contention for AOY. Not surprisingly, the Columbia River also is on our list of Best Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Washington. But this also is the river of 100-fish days, and the river where rumors of double-digit bass persist. This is a famous smallmouth bass river, with a very dense population of small to mid-sized fish and a reasonable chance at a fish of 20 inches or more. For the free-flowing section above Tumwater Falls, boaters can put in at Kimberly, Spray, Service Creek, Twickenham and Clarno (taking out at the Cottonwood Bridge on Highway 206).

Its varying currents, rocky habitats, and plentiful food sources are tailor-made for this river-loving bass.

Smallmouth bass can be found throughout the Columbia River system, including in the eastern half of the state. Columbia River Smallmouth Bass Fishing Photo courtesy of the Oregon Bass & Panfish Club. The timing was perfect for us because Renaud had just won a tournament on the Columbia a few days before we arrived so he had some big smallmouth dialed in. In short, this is heaven on earth for smallmouth anglers. Also check out Columbia River Fishing to learn what else you might catch here.

His approach was usual for river situations, it was all about fishing the backside of structure in the river, but the fish weren’t everywhere. As for locations, smallmouth bass are present in the John Day in good numbers from the mouth at the Columbia River (and in the Columbia itself) well up to Kimberly and some beyond. Celilo Pool Hot August Bites. Columbia River Smallmouth Bass Fishing Report Category: BASS FISHING REPORTS. My best five have to be enough!

Columbia River. Look for natural and man-made rocky structure below Bonneville Dam from the Columbia River Gorge down into these cities, especially along the shorelines, islands and other places outside the main channel, and you’ll find bass. Here in the western (lower) section of river, as elsewhere, smallmouth bass prefer rocky structure and will often be out in the main river.