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summer bass fishing on the
R C I O V L ER UMBIA
By Tyler Brinks
Photos Ben Hanes
T
he Pacific Northwest is home to numerous
lakes and rivers that are capable of
producing monster largemouth and smallmouth bass. The entire region offers excellent
bass fishing, unbeknownst to most of the country,
as it is mostly known as a mecca for salmon and
steelhead. The Columbia River provides excellent
opportunities to those species, but it also offers some
of the best bass fishing.
During the summer months, the fishing ramps up
with the warming weather and catching a trophy bass
is possible with every cast.
COLUMBIA RIVER LAYOUT
The Columbia is a beast of a river at 1,243 miles, and it enters from Canada and eventually serves as the border between Washington and Oregon. Along this stretch are multiple dams and each pool between two dams can seem like a completely different body of water. The pools share some similarities, but they also have their quirks.
The majority of the tournament bass fishing happens on Lake Wallula, which is the water that is upstream of McNary Dam. It includes the Tri-Cities, WA as well as parts of the Snake and Yakima rivers.
For this article, we’ll dissect summer bass fishing on this stretch of the Mighty Columbia.
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