I'll be heading up the CR Gorge this week (WA side) on a 3-day road trip through central WA and back over I-90 with the wife. Not a "fishing" trip but it's my 60th, so I should catch something dammit. Figured I'd make a few stops along Hwy 14 to bank it at some of those bassy looking lakes. Not looking for "stand on this rock, use this exact fly" stuff, but some general tips would be great to have for a 20 minute stop. I've caught a couple incidentally, but only targeted them specifically once or twice. If nothing else it's a good excuse to tie bass flies instead of yard work.
@SilverFly, honestly without a float tube (for any of the backwaters), I'd just pull up google maps and look at stopping by anything accessible above the Dalles that looks like it has rocky structure. I never fish over on that side, but perhaps I should. I like what I see every time I pull it up on G Maps.
prepare for hot spotting.... but no one fishes these so who cares besides me right?
Locke Lake the first lake past Bingen.. fish both ends of the lake between the the highway and the rr tracks skip the middle
Rowland lake park in the big turn out between the two lakes and work eastward on the lake between the Hwy and the Tracks watch for poison oak..
Spearfish lake, fish the closest lake to the River fish the far side of the lake across from the parking lot all the way to the tracks, you can also cross the tracks and fish in the river in a couple spots
Avery Park.. fish just upstream of the boat ramp , there is a rocky point that usually holds plenty of fish
Maryhill just before you cross the bridge to Biggs Junction there is a gravel road that parallels the rr tracks for couple miles downstream of the bridge, there are many access points along there with lots of fish.
Also, there is a road that goes upstream through the orchards and along the river all the way to the John Day Dam with some good access points.
all these places you should be wearing sturdy hiking boots and I advise against shorts no matter how warm it is..
Good list from Rob, but no matter which of those road-side lakes you hit, if there is a pipe, culvert or inlet/outlet to the Columbia (or incoming river) make sure you fish it! Good luck!
I really can not add to the advise given. Float tube would give you much more water to fish. Fish Buggers, Simiseal Leeches, and/or baitfish patterns. Water temperature was 56 degrees in the Columbia above The Dalles Dam on Saturday. Best of luck to you!!!
Thanks all. She's got an actual itinerary and has us getting into E-burg around noon. Depending when we leave that gives me maybe an hour or two tops to rock-hop and toss flies. Baitfish patterns is what I'm hearing. Think I'm covered there, I have plenty of those in my saltwater boxes.
I've never fished for smallies in Washington but out here in MN, in the rivers particularly, they can't pass up crawfish imitations. They love em.
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