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Crayfish lure smallmouth in big numbers My, oh my - smallmouth bass certainly love crayfish. Either that or the sight of anything dark green and orange that wiggles along the bottom drives them insane. Whichever it is, I'm happy and so is bass fishing rookie Rob Gentry of Richland. On Tuesday, fishing the Columbia River above McNary Dam, we found crayfish to be the crustacean du jour. We were outfitted with the typical arsenal of crayfish imitations, including Rapala's Rattlin', Shad Rap and the Bomber Model A crankbaits, not to mention Gary Yamamoto 5-inch plastic grubs in watermelon with black and red metal flakes. But I don't think it would have mattered one iota what brand of lure we were tossing as long as it was dark green and orange and wiggled. The smallmouth were greedy for anything resembling a crayfish, almost to the point of gluttony. On one of my first casts, I hooked a headstrong 2- to 3-pounder. As I was reeling him to the boat, several other smallmouth could be seen racing around the hooked bass as if to say, "Hey, let me have some of that." We also nailed several larger bass - the largest of which we landed and measured was 17 inches - which had partially consumed crayfish stuck halfway down their craws or were regurgitating tiny baitfish while we were handling them for release. So if our outing was any indication, smallmouth bass fishing is as hot as our mid-August weather, which is no doubt one reason the fishing is so superb. As with all cold-blooded fish species, water temperature plays a key role in regulating body metabolism, including the frequency at which fish feed and the amount they need to consume. Biologists say smallmouth are the most active when water temperatures reach the high 60s to mid-70s. Above McNary Dam, the surface water temperature was almost 75 degrees. The summer feeding frenzy by bass also is influenced by two other factors, the abundance of prey and the ease of capturing it. From my observations, the Columbia is full of minnowlike fish - and obviously plenty of crayfish - both of which are primary targets of mature smallmouth. Hot summer weather also can trigger some exciting topwater action as smallmouth are suckers for injured bait fish floundering on the surface. If it looks and acts like an injured fish, smallmouth will attack it with a vengeance as we discovered until it was too dark to safely handle the smallmouth by hand, which more often than not came to the boat hooked to both sets of treble hooks following their missilelike strikes. Sunset and sunrise - when bass are less reserved about striking lures near the surface - are the best times to toss topwater lures such as the Rebel Pop-R, Heddon Zara Spook, Rapala's Skitter Pop or Storm's Chug Bug. But even as darkness overtook us - and we at last had a chance to rest our aching arms - we could still hear smallmouth slapping the surface in search of a late-night snack. Another hot prospect for the dog days of summer is hatchery steelhead fishing on several lower Columbia River tributaries, in particular Drano Lake, west of White Salmon on Highway 14. As water temperatures rise on the Columbia, migrating steelhead often will move into tributaries, such as Drano Lake, to cool off and rest. Frank Sergeant, at Critters Outdoor World in Pasco, said Drano Lake has been excellent of late, booting out steelhead ranging into the mid-teens for anglers using bobbers with prawns, sand shrimp or salmon eggs for bait. Even trolling Flatfish or flies has been productive. Joe Hymer, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist in Vancouver, said anglers at Drano have been landing an average of one fish per rod, but now that the A-run of steelhead has reached its peak, angler success has steadily improved. On Aug. 5, a single-day annual high of 8,700 fish was set at Bonneville Dam. Recent counts still show about 7,000 steelhead a day surging past Bonneville. The steelhead count at McNary Dam has topped 1,000 fish a day however, river temperatures are much too high to warrant any real chance of fishing success. Historically, fishing for steelhead above McNary usually isn't worth the effort until water temperatures start to fall back into the low 60s, which often doesn't occur until mid- to late October. So, for now, the best bets are the Columbia's tributaries. Another spot worth exploring, Hymer said, is the mouth of the White Salmon River near Underwood. However, access is more of a challenge than at Drano Lake. Boat anglers must either haul their small crafts over the river bank or cross the Columbia from a boat launch in Hood River. The upside is that there often are fewer anglers at White Salmon than at Drano, but anglers should expect large crowds with the fishing this hot. * * * Beginning Aug. 24, anglers will be required to release all white sturgeon caught between John Day and McNary dams, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The cut-off date was adopted because Washington and Oregon fish managers estimate that the harvest guideline of 165 fish will be caught by that date. The reservoirs between Bonneville and John Day dams already are closed to the keeping of sturgeon through Dec. 31. The Columbia River and tributaries below Bonneville are closed to sport retention of sturgeon through Sept. 30. For the latest fishing season and regulations, call the state's fishing hotline at 360-902-2500.
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