Northwest Fishing Reports

I asked this question last year when I posted semi-frequently but I can't find the post so I'm sorry for asking again. I have been trying to catch bass with texas and wacky rigged bait and I can't even get a bite. Could I get some tips? I'm fishing on the snake river here on the east side. I've looked at the reports but most people seem to jig (myself included) but I lose a ton of jigs due to the basalt lava flows that line the bed of this area and frankly it's expensive heh. Any help you can offer is great.

You can't go wrong with a weightless texas-rigged senko. I've had great luck on smallmouth bass using 4" senkos + 2/0 gamakatsu EWG. If you're targeting largemouth bass, I'd go with 5" senkos + 3/0 gammy EWG.

If you are looking for a heavier plastic bait that has a faster sink rate than a senko, try a 4" fat IKA. They are hard to find around here but tackle warehouse has a good selection. They also offer very reasonable shipping rates and usually ship orders on the same day they were placed.

Best colors for plastics:
watermelon w/black & red flake
green pumpkin w/black flake
black w/red flake

Good luck!

Never fished the Snake if its like any other I'd use cranks. Soft plastics, have you tryed craw fish? Rivers back home, you could alawys count on a black culprits 7.5in for smallies bigger 10-12in for LMB. The SMB have a thing for tail dancers if you know what I mean.