Northwest Fishing Reports

whether i go bass fishing or trout fishing. i have a small pontoon boat to use, oars and fins and anchor, no motor. my current ideas are rufus woods or the lenice/nunnally area for trout or going local for bass. any ideas what should be good this weekend out of those three.

Rufus woods probably is not the best idea for a pontoon boat....

Try a lake for trout...Water is still real cold for bass to be even moderately active...

Good luck out there and post a report when you get back!

Please don't mind the noob question, but why not on Rufus for pontoon boat?

I'm running a 10-ft Acquapod and am looking for Washington lakes to fish. Probably won't even buy an Oregon license this year.

Rufus is big water and pontoons start cruising with a little wind. Better to try a smaller lake atleast until you are completely comfortable out there...

well im comfortable in a pontoon and ive seen a few reports of people using pontoons on the lower section because its supposed to have less current. my question is what do you think would have the best bite. if i were to do bass fishing it would be on the columbia river for smallmouth. if theres much wind on any water though i dont think i would be fishing from a pontoon, i learned that opening day last year on lenice.

Carl762 wrote:Please don't mind the noob question, but why not on Rufus for pontoon boat?

I'm running a 10-ft Acquapod and am looking for Washington lakes to fish. Probably won't even buy an Oregon license this year.

No worries on the question, everyones got em and thats why we got a community here to answer em...

Rufus isn't much of a lake. The water can flow when they release it from the dam, and I'm pretty sure it can be a stiff current...Too stiff to row. I know folks don't even usually take out aluminum boats with electric motors...Need more HP to fight the current....

Good luck out there and let us know how your trip turns out

G#-o REAT LUCK ON THE RUNS DOWN TO THE NETS IN THAT APPLICATION AND CURRENT#-o
ABOUT 9:30AM DAILY THEY RELEASE MUCHO GRANDE WATERS AND THE FLOWS WILL SMOKE A TOON:cheers:

I would have to think that the pontoon that they are talking about are the party barg pontoon, just a guess though.

no im talking about an inflatable pontoon, i have been told that the part just above chief jo dam is fairly stillwater which is where i would be fishing. no runs to the net pens, i would be trolling the can line or brandts landing. my question is how good would one expect the bite to be this weekend.

Quote from Joe Heinlen - Rufus Woods Fishing Guide
"Chicken one day Feathers the Next"…

The water is starting to warm slightly and the more it warms the better the bite will be on Rufus Woods.
Good luck.

Big D:-$ I say 2 to 3 weeks max Smoking hot!!!:cheers:

I give it a couple weeks, water temp was 37 degrees this weekend. That was near the shore and out in middle. No change in temp at depth as shown on the sonar.

sharpshooter223 wrote:well im comfortable in a pontoon and ive seen a few reports of people using pontoons on the lower section because its supposed to have less current. my question is what do you think would have the best bite. if i were to do bass fishing it would be on the columbia river for smallmouth. if theres much wind on any water though i dont think i would be fishing from a pontoon, i learned that opening day last year on lenice.

Say high to my cable barrier/log boom on RW for me. Ya, I ran the contract to replace it last year and I know a thing or two about the current there. ROFLOL

I have seen flows at the point just before the last debris cove exceed 3 mph; a little fast for pontoons. I saw a back flow wave when one of the generators crashed and went off line, shutting down the water, that flowed upstream at over 6' high, washing over the deck of our 80' barge.

Now I have also seen pontoons, and tubes, that dared the area and did just fine. Just be prepared to be washed down into the log boom if, and I mean IF, the flows pick up. Normally the flows are just fine for a toon or tube.

sharpshooter223 wrote:no im talking about an inflatable pontoon, i have been told that the part just above chief jo dam is fairly stillwater which is where i would be fishing. no runs to the net pens, i would be trolling the can line or brandts landing. my question is how good would one expect the bite to be this weekend.

The can line should be just fine right now. I did well there last year this time of year. It will be cold though.

Brandts landing is more shallow, and probably safer for toons or tubes, and it can be real hot right now. I fished it with a fly, normally a black or olive woolly bugger.