Northwest Fishing Reports

I always see people on these fishing shows catching bass in rivers are there any rivers in western washington that have bass in them? if so where are they and are they accesbile by boat with out 4WD? I live in centralia so the further south my way the better?

I have caught smallies in the Snake River up stream from Lower Granite Dam but the most fun i have had was in the Grande Ronde River in Southeastern WA. During the summer months it is not uncommon for fifty plus fish days. I bought a river pontoon specifically for that reason

Suppose to be some in the rivers that feed into the Columbia River, a short way up into those. Been way too long since I fished that one that I fished so I don't remember the name. But start at the Lower Columbia, on a map, and look for any rivers that feed into the Columbia and try them.

Chehalis River Potholes is pretty good and right in your neighborhood

All the rivers on the fishing shows are some what like the potholes resevoir warm with alot of structure. When I lived in Louisianna all we did was fish rivers and resevoirs. Don`t know of any around here although just like AMX said I`ve heard of rivers that way that do have bass. Sorry I`m no help

SMB, yes, LMB, not so much.

The Columbia and Snake are full of SMB, with a few LMB. The lower Yakima is loaded with SMB. Most of the systems around centeral Washington that get warm enough have SMB in them now as well.

Chehalis River as Kevin said. Fished a backwater/slough/beaver dammed area once and it was good. Was on HWY 12 near Porter. May not be there anymore since the flooding a few years back, but I read that most of those slow water areas hold bass. I read once in F&H News several years ago about sloughs on the Columbia near Longview having some good fishing for bass.

I fished with a guide that said the cowlitz had a good smallmouth population if you know where to get at them. it was a bit downstream from blue creek but i never tried.

Dustin07 wrote:I fished with a guide that said the cowlitz had a good smallmouth population if you know where to get at them. it was a bit downstream from blue creek but i never tried.

Good call,I've heard the same but never tried it and don't know anyone who has but
certainly not surprising. My best guess would be anywhere in there with slack water.

I help run a smolt trap for salmon on the Snoqualmie and we get juvenile SMB in out trap pretty frequently up there. It is deep, slow, and FULL of structure towards the mouth... I wouldn't be surprised if there is a pretty decent population in that system. I also doubt that ANYONE fishes for them there, so who knows, it could be the next "big place" or "secret gem" you decide

The Pend Orielle River has both LMB and SMB bass. The river is most fun in the spring after run off when it drops down and the slews are still full of water.
As previously mentioned the Columbia and Snake both have LMB and SMB.

thanks guys will have to look into these this year

Mikeel1987 wrote:thanks guys will have to look into these this year

I grew up fishing the Chehalis and we would catch a lot of bass out of the chehalis. I don't think they're in giagantic numbers, but from borst park we'd paddle down to around the high school. I never caught any of substantial size though, but we weren't really targeting them. Pizza hut lake has some really big ones in it though.

kevinb wrote:

Dustin07 wrote:I fished with a guide that said the cowlitz had a good smallmouth population if you know where to get at them. it was a bit downstream from blue creek but i never tried.

Good call,I've heard the same but never tried it and don't know anyone who has but
certainly not surprising. My best guess would be anywhere in there with slack water.

my understanding is that bass in rivers tend to be predatory of our prized natives, steelhead/salmon, etc. so I am guessing that while the greater bass community is mostly Catch & Release, your average cowlitz fisherman would not mind you keeping them.

Bass are extremely predatory anywhere. It's an opportunistic feeder and will eat almost anything. I keep a few now and then to eat. Nothing wrong with that, as long as it's legal. Keep in mind the slot limit..tho I've "heard" (and this is hear-say)people catching and killing fish within the slot. People need to educate themselves on things like this and not have the "they're not native and killing our smolts" mentality. A lot of other factors involved with smolt mortality. Not to hi-jack the thread

What about the snohomish and related sloughs? Anybody pull any bass out of it?

JWS wrote:What about the snohomish and related sloughs? Anybody pull any bass out of it?

I've caught bass out of the Sno.

I've only heard of a couple bass being caught in the Snohomish. One at Thomas Eddie by a steelheading friend about 15 years ago (he said smallmouth?) and I caught a 6" largie jigging for Pinks. Caught it on a pink jig where Ebey Slough comes into the Snohomish River on Lowell Rd. Most of the bigger ponds along Lowell have largies in them. The last couple years when I was done Salmon fishing and came off the river I'd throw a spinnerbait in one and nail a couple of smaller largies. These are the same ponds that flood into the river every year. I've never specifically targeted or know anybody that has in the river for them but they are there.

lower Chehalis... Rochester 'n south has bass...lots of pilings barges 'n such...any place that floods out and has relief from current and structure of some kind...if there's little 1s in that big of a river system and there's no 1 eat'n 'em...there must be some big 1s ...i've heard stories from the satsop hillbilles...but they arnt give'n up the where 'n the how of it...i squak in here every once in a while when there's a "WHERE'S THE FISH?" in the reports/forum that that dang Chehalis is hot...the stretch from the Satsop to the Nooch can get crowded but there's a lottttt of river besides that area...when the river is right the Skookemchuck fish flyyyy up that thing...nice bright fish rrright there in town...bk to bass...so in the summer when the sloughs 'n ponds 'n flood'd farm land all dry up...those fish have to move bk into the river...only so many places to hide when the river gets so low you can walk across it...great fishery ...i saw reports of guys drive'n right bye Chehalis (and it and the skookemchuck are stuff'd with bright fish) to go down to the Cowlitz/Blue creek even tho the reports have been bad/slow...
a P.S. that river flows though lots of farmland and along roads (Google is your friend)...you might be surprized how easy access is if ...ya dont look like a freak,drive slowly,and dont run over the dog when you pull in and you ask politely...
hope this..that ^ ....i dont know, help'd ?....LOLOL...DOG