Columbia River Bass Are On The Bite

Although often buried in the shadow of the Steelhead and Salmon runs, Columbia River Smallmouth Bass are gaining well-deserved notoriety.  Five and six pound bass are landed regularly and finding a place to fish is not a problem on this giant, coveted waterway.

Here is what resident Bass Fishing Guide, Gregory Darling, recently had to say about conditions out there:

"Fishing has been good on fly. A lot of fish are up shallow and ready to spawn. The males are very territorial right now. They fan out a nest and concentrate on keeping it clean to attract the females. Fly patterns working well for me include sculpin leech in black, large wooly buggers and I have a good black/red articulated steelhead pattern with no name that has worked well. Due to water clarity, Blacks and dark colors are working best."


Here are a few shots taken from this past week...

For any questions regarding Smallmouth Bass fishing on the Columbia please contact Greg at Gorge Fly Shop