 |
| David Brinkerhoff knows exactly what big Columbia River smallmouth look like. Note the pair of beauties he shows here. David's been hammering the big river's smallmouth population now for the past quarter century. Few anglers know the Columbia better than this sharp shooting young G.Loomis Marketing Assistant. |
You Gotta Cast To Catch 'Em
By Stan Fagerstrom
The big Columbia River is best known for its runs of salmon and steelhead.
But while those runs have diminished over the years, there's another fish that continues to thrive. I'm talking about the building smallmouth bass population in that stretch where the big river divides the states of Washington and Oregon.
The best way to get the latest information on any sports fish is to find someone who's out there whacking away at them at every opportunity. Few Washington bass anglers have done more of that than the young man I told you about in last month's column.
That angler is David Brinkerhoff, a Marketing Assistant with G.Loomis Rods. David has been making life miserable for Columbia River smallmouth for the past 18 years. He's not about to stop.
David started fishing the big river with his father when he was just seven years old. Today, at 25, he's doing more of it than ever. He hesitated a bit when I asked him to tell me what he regarded as the best place to fish for smallmouth on the Columbia.
"Gosh," he said, "the Columbia has so many good spots it's hard to name just one. I guess if I had to do that I'd pick the pool about the Dalles Dam."
I also asked this likeable young plug pitcher to tell me what he considered the two best times of the year for Columbia smallmouth. "My first choice," he says, "is in May just prior to the spawn. My second choice is September when the fish get serious about feeding up for winter."
One of the first things that surfaced in my conversation with David was his concern that while newcomers may have heard about the Columbia's great smallmouth fishing, they also need to know something else. It's that this major waterway can pose really serious risks.
"There's just no doubt about it, " David says, "the Columbia can be dangerous if you don't watch what you're doing. You need to know how to read the river markers and to study your maps."
I've been on the Columbia enough myself to know just how true that is. The Columbia can get downright nasty and it may happen in a hurry. over the past half century I've fished lakes and rivers over a sizeable chunk of the world. some of the meanest water conditions I've seen during that time came one day when we were caught in one of those vicious windstorms that come sizzling up through the Columbia River Gorge.
"Fishermen get in serious trouble on the Columbia every year," David says. "Just recently there was a bass fisherman who didn't watch where he was going. He ran into some rocks and ripped the outboard right off the stern of his boat.
"Weather is another factor. There's usually less wind to deal with in the morning. I like to get out there early and I always keep in mind how far I have to go to get back to the boat ramp."
There's little wonder young Brinkerhoff has turned out to be such a capable smallmouth angler. As I mentioned last month, his father, Jim, now 61 years old, is also a cracking good fisherman. David is quick to credit his father with much of his own angling success.
"I couldn't have learned Columbia River fishing without my Dad," David says. He also credits well known bass pro Renaud Pelletier with having provided a lot of help. Pelletier, as those who follow tournament bass fishing know, has earned a deserved reputation as one of the Pacific Northwest's top bass anglers. He has fished in the Bassmasters Classic on more than one occasion.
Today young David Brinkerhoff has already won his share of Columbia River professional bass fishing tournaments. Some would say he's won more than his share.
In my next column I'll give you the details of exactly how he has done it. You'll have a chance to find out what gear he selects, the lures he chooses and how he uses both to put fish in the boat.
Watch for it because it has information you can put to good use when you get your own chance to sample the Columbia River's excellent smallmouth action. |
 |
| David Brinkerhoff has been around ardent Columbia River smallmouth anglers all of his life. His Dad started him fishing the big river when he was only seven years old. Today his boss, the guy who calls the shots at G.Loomis, is just as enthusiastic a smallmouth angler as his father. this photo shows the kind of smallmouth the Columbia and its tributaries are capable of producing. Bruce Holt, the Executive Director of G.Loomis, got this beauty not far from where Oregon's Willamette River dumps into the Columbia. |
 |
| The Columbia River continues to become known for game other than the migratory species. Today it produces some of the West's best action for both walleye and smallmouth bass. |
|
|
