As June quickly approaches, which I tend to consider summer, I was reflecting on spring time on the Columbia River. Since buying a boat three years ago I have shifted 90% of my fishing to exploring the Columbia, lower Snake, and lower Yakima Rivers from running 2 to 2.5 hours to fly fish for trout on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. Now I hit the river after a 5 – 15-minute drive with a boat full of spinning and casting gear, ready to cast or troll for smallmouth bass or walleye.
Even though I grew up fishing for bass in upstate NY, I have found the techniques required here, by natural circumstance and regulation, are different and my success has been slow in coming. I fully expect my learning curve to flatten out some with my employer’s demand for my time decreasing and Buddy now in school full time. I am free most days I can convince my wife to skip a day working on house projects, of which there are many in the works.
Anyway…this year has included interesting sights of nature at it’s best and worst, so the following are some of the views I’ve had since March.
There have been many things I have not bothered or been able to take pictures of including spotting the Loon I saw in the fall, an amazing number of Western Grebes this year, and, yes, a couple of large bass I found this week. Will try to be more rigorous in getting interesting pictures of the many things that can be seen on the rivers.
Landing In The PNW 