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My last fishing trip of summer 2010 in Washington state had to be something different from what I normally encounter in California. So, I went after Micropterus dolomieu . The Columbia River has a world-class fishery for them, even in the heavily-developed parts near Vancouver and Portland, Oregon. Got to my spot a little later than usual, sun was fading fast and I didn't have much time to fish. I wasn't expecting much, as evening always seemed to be a bad time for smallmouth fishing for me. The heavy pleasure boat traffic wasn't really helping either. So, I was super glad to spot 2-3 fat fish tailing my jig after I made a few casts. Couldn't get them to commit, so I switched up to a the beloved Yum Dinger , shad color. Boom, fish on, second cast. These kids can FIGHT! The one pictured above was only 13 inches, but he refused to come to the shore on my 4lb test ultralight gear. Lost two more fish on the Dinger , than switched to back to the jig. Nothing. So, I grabbe...

The Columbia River has world-class smallmouth fishing, with B.A.S.S. holding at least one tournament per year on it. The best smallmouth fishing is usually upriver, in the Columbia River Gorge area, but you can still catch smallmouth closer to Vancouver and Portland. I fished on Wednesday at Wintler Park for smallmouth bass and caught this guy, plus a few others. I love how explosive smallies are and how much of a fight they put up. Even on my heavier rod, they still pulled drag and made mad runs. This was my first fish of the day, caught on my favorite watermelon Yum Dinger. He was probably a little over 1lb, 13 inches or so. More after the jump. Lots and lots of little taps kept bugging me as I was fishing a Jewel Sculpin Hypertail near the shore. I assumed it was just juvenile smallmouth, but when I set the hook, I snagged a small yellow perch! While they are not uncommon in the area, this is the first yellow perch I have caught in the Columbia River, ever. Waaay too small to eat, I...