Bass Masters only Trolls not need apply The Lower Yakima Smallmouth Fisheries

[swedefish4life1]

Many years ago we would dump 2 or 3 drift boats in the lower Yakima river just before the big Heat of Summer came.

We would float about a 6 mile stretch of the river and I never see a post or a word of this area and there are many (Bass Master Baiters):-$ on here who are studs and yes I played this game !

If it swims I killed it!

My question is this why are not any of you guys pounding the Lower Yakima System I liked Smallmouths for the fight alone 2x over the Bucketheads and we did this on light gear and longer lighter rods.

On any given day 2x guys in a drifter both were guides and not for bass we could hook 60 plus nice Bass Small mouthers in this 5 mile drift with shorts on and sunshine.

Do any of the studs , nail drivers ever fish these waters????
We had so much fun many floats we were hitting doubles every hundred yards of water.

We threw everything at them and the best part Cock/bird pheasants, sound dogs, coyotes, hawks were are only friends on these floats having the whole river to ourself and nature.=d>

I also found a few spots on the Columbia River like this for smallmouth awesome fishing!:thumright

The reason I ask this with Grace is this was 20 plus years ago but my 2nd cousin on the farm called and said Swede we floated the lower Yak last weekend and murdered them.=p~

That put a wide smile on my old Nord mug! ???

This is a simple question of a system and area I once loved and pressed is there anyone else who has ground and pounded these waters?

If not search and destroy this time of year the weather is 2nd to none!!!

Tight Lines Fish on..

I have seen much passions on the Bass thread Good work guys=d>

This is a 3 hour pull max and we pulled so many smallmouth off these waters are ribs hurt from laughing and myself KOing my fishing partners with head butts and over the top high fives!](*,) :viking:

[davidwat1]

Hey Big Swede, the Yak definitely get's jacked up with Smallies, but man ya gotta have some big cajones to take a 21' bass rig into there. There is a slot you can run at the entrance of the mouth of the yakima down by kennewick, where you can get on plane and then make a few quick turns get back into the Yak under the bridge, but dude, it scares me to think of the damage it could do if you make a mistake! That said, I know alot of local bass guys down there who have jet sleds and they will absolutely hammer the huge smallies right about NOW! I've also seen guys get DQ's for coming in late because they sucked stones into their jet drives, and then had to dump 20lb bags as a result! Going up the reach is kinda the same deal. I've run up there to F-Slough area, but that's about as far as I'll go, and even that can be pretty hairy at times. I've seen guys run from Columbia Point Marina all the way up to the Vernita bridge area and win the tourney, but again, you better damn well know what you are doing, or you are in for a bad day! See ya! -Dave

[Bigbass Dez]

dave will not say it but i will " I FEAR THE RAFT OF THE RIVER" it's out my comfort zone and the last thing i can imagine dealing with is going over water only to come back and find that there is no longer any water to get back .. NOW WHAT ?????

NOPE , i will take small baby steps with the river .. roosevelt is as close as i come thus far ! and im okay wit that ! lmao

[BentRod]

Hey Swede, you're bringing up some good memories!:cheers:
This is my home turf. My dad taught me to bass fish below Horn Rapids damn. He was raised on that corner of the river. My grandpa manned the irrigation flood gates/ditch on the dam. Didn't use a boat in that area until I was in high school. Until then we'd just wade into the rocks, catch a few crays and wade out into the rapids pressing the boulders and rocks until we were chest deep in the holes.....caught a lot of fish and kept cool in the hot summer to boot. Awesome memories!
There are a number of places in that river you can just wade across. After my brother got a boat, we'd drop in above the dam and hit that area for smallies (never have caught a LM out of the Yak) and we'd also put in at Bateman Island and push up the channel into the lower Yak below the Richland by-pass. Unless you know the channels or have a boat that doesn't draw much water (a drift boat works great), its a scary river to run. Have drifted from Horn Rapids down to the West Richland bridge a couple of times in a float tube and enjoyed every minute of it, but recieved a few good bruises on the shins for my efforts.

[swedefish4life1]

Computer blew just after this post!#-o LOL
Glad you guys at least knew of her!:-$

We hammered the smallies and time and day mattered little and only 2 drift boats on the river back then .

We would dump a song dog or 10:colors: as well feeding on the cock bird chicks[-( great days great memories and I was a albino Blackman:thumleft: :viking: in those days and weathers just call me skin cancer Kid!=d>

That Kinger I am holding:cyclopsan :chef: just outside the orchard and crops right outside Union Gapper!!!

Fish on!

[Desertcreek]

I have some buddies that live down there and they make that float a lot. I talked to a guy today at Moses who was up there yesteerday in a jet. He said they waked em. Moses was ridiculous today. Bedded small mouth everywhere! We didn't catch any donkeys but a lot of 3's and 4's.

[delyakguy]

The Lower Yakima is great this time of year for SM. They chase the Salmon frye up the river from Columbia. Best to fish from Benton City down to Tri-Cities. Any further up river from Benton City, you need jet sleds. It gets dangerous past the Benton City bridge. But also some great fisihing above bridge just wading river along shore.

[ZaraSpook]

blabber mouths, keep it quiet, good grief

[swedefish4life1]

= Chrome bass are swell eating as well on the lower Yak-itat:cheers:

[WCCT]

It is great fishing on the lower end. It can be dangerous in a big bass rig as previously posted. I was pre fishing for a tournamnent there last year and tore my prop up beyond repair. After getting one next day aired so I could have it for the tournament, we headed back up there on tournament day because we were on them pretty good. Well go figure, I tore up my new prop in a different place farther up the river. So that was a very expensive couple of trips up that river for me. Will I go back up there? You bet!!!! I will just go a little slower next time.

[sharpshooter223]

was considering doing that this weekend but homework got in the way of that. might float it next weekend in pontoon boats. i know in the summer theres a lot of people who just use 20 dollar inflatable tubes and fish reclined.