Although I mentioned that October 1st would be my final Smallmouth Bass (SMB) excursion of the year, the weather was ideal today and I was curious to learn more about the pictographs I discovered so I decided to make one additional trip to the Columbia River, and it turned out to be a fantastic day.
After launching my kayak, I parked my car and was greeted by a park ranger who happened to be knowledgeable about pictographs and petroglyphs in the area. I showed him my photos of the pictographs I had discovered the previous week to get his opinion on their authenticity. He confirmed that they were indeed authentic, although determining their exact age was nearly impossible. He mentioned that they could range from 60 to 600 years old, but most likely dated back several hundred years. The ranger explained how Native Americans utilized local materials to create the pictographs, with the paint becoming integrated into the rock, ensuring their longevity. Encountering this park ranger was a remarkable experience, and I gained valuable insights from our interaction.
Returning to the boat launch, I launched my 12' Hobie PA 360 into the calm waters of the Columbia River on a sunny day with no wind. It was remarkable to have such beautiful weather in October. My main focus today was to search for large fish using a topwater lure. I selected a Berkley Choppo 120 in Ghost Bluegill color and began fishing along a long rocky shoreline.
The bites were few and far between, but when they hit it was electric. The first SMB to hit my Choppo came completely out of the water and knocked my lure into the air, but I never got a hook in it. A few minutes later an abloute monster crushed my Choppo but again I did not get a hook in the fish. I got a good look at this one and it was huge, I just laughed and kept on fishing, this is exactly why I wanted to come to the river today.
The third fish that crushed my Choppo got a hook in his mouth and I landed this beautiful SMB!
On the way back to the launch, I set up my video to see if I could catch one of these bites. As I worked back down the bank a SMB smacked my bait and missed it, then hit it a second time and missed it. I kept reeling to see if it would hit one more time, and I saw it swirl underneath it, and then it came up a third time and crushed it. This is why I came fishing one more time! What an amazing bite, one I will always remember. Here is a video of the bite.
It was another incredible day of bass fishing in the Columbia River and one that I will remember all winter long.
Thanks for reading
Bill