Bass Fishing in the Clearwater River

The Clearwater River is on the Idaho side of the Washington-Idaho boundary. The Snake River is on the Washington side. My husband Vic and I spent a bit over 2-1/2 hours today on the Clearwater in our fishing dory, Pisca-Dory, chasing bass who were chasing our lures.

For the first 30 or 40 minutes, there was just a bite and escape. In the final half hour, we approached the island where we have often walked, but this time we remained in our boat. The fish were chasing our lures as if they were desperate to come home with us.

Suddenly my rod was bowed by a biting bass.  I announced our code: “I have somebody!” I reeled him in and Vic netted the fish before it could bolt, removed the hook from his mouth, and cleaned him. This first bass was just 9-1/2 inches long. Right after Vic put #1 on ice in the cooler, I announced I had another somebody. #2 was 11-1/2 inches. Not long after #2 joined #1 in the cooler, I announced Somebody #3. This somebody was 16-1/2″ and weighed 2-1/2 pounds. Vic caught a smaller bass and released it.

The day was hot, but we had our rewards.

The launch

Chasing bass

The big one: 16-1/2 inches and 2-1/2 pounds

Back to Soldier’s Meadow Lake

My husband and I finished our chores at home this morning and headed for a return visit to Soldier’s Meadow Lake to fish for Kokanee and trout. Our first visit to Soldier’s Meadow Lake was the Fourth of July. We took Pisca Dory again so we could fish in the middle of the lake. My husband caught one trout and one Kokanee salmon; I caught two trout and one Kokanee. The day was beautifully sunny, and three good-size trout and two excellent Kokanee chose to come home with us.

Our catch: Second from top and fourth from top are the Kokanee; first, third, and fifth are rainbow trout.

Bass Fishing at Chief Timothy State Park on the Snake River

For my husband and me, Saturday afternoons are for fishing when weather and commitments permit us. Today we launched Pisca-Dory at Chief Timothy State Park on the Snake River. Bass thrive here, and the warmer weather has activated them significantly.

We caught three Smallmouth bass between us–Vic caught one and I caught two. The scenery and the pelicans added beauty and enjoyment to our excursion.

Pisca-Dory is comfortable and the scenery is refreshing.

 

We go under a railroad bridge and into a lagoon, but catch nothing there. It’s quiet and lovely, but we head back to the broader River.

 

Pelicans are so marvelous!

 

Our catch. I caught the largest and the smallest Smallmouth, and Vic caught the mid-size model. We had two more nibblers who got away–a good thing, because they were so small.

Vic took all the photos.

 

The active river: Fishing the Snake River from Couse Creek westward

My husband and I took our beautiful dory, Pisca-Dory, out fishing on the Snake River today. We had a very fine day simply being out on the river in the excellent boat my husband built, combined with the pleasant motive of fishing.

              Pisca Dory at Couse Creek Launch

The magnificent scenery along the Snake River, upriver from Couse Creek

Huh? No tourists? Really?

I caught no fish this time, and my husband caught this beauty, an 11-1/2″ Smallmouth Bass.

Saturday: Back in Pisca-Dory

We took Pisca-Dory out fishing on the river Saturday–her first outing in six weeks! The day was lovely and we were so happy to be back in our dory (my husband was recovering from surgery and hefting the boat onto the trailer was out of the question).

We didn’t mind a bit that we were skunked again. We saw a steelhead jump, his brawny pink middle and head teasing us. He was back in the water in a second, and there was no time to take his photograph.

We enjoyed the scenery along the river in our beautiful boat for 3-1/2 hours.  My husband took all the photos. I was fishing a tad obsessively.

Heading out

Basalt

Colors

Drift

Fishing

Snake River colors

 

Back to the River

After five weeks, we returned to the Snake River upstream of Asotin to fish for bass. I caught an 11-1/2 incher on my first cast, and after about an hour and a half, neither of us caught any more, though I lost two lures to hungry rocks.

The day was spectacularly beautiful: sunny, with contour and light accenting the basalt hills across the water.

My husband took all the photos.

Fields Spring State Park

Fields Spring State Park is four miles south of Anatone, Washington (pop. 38). The Park’s vistas, pleasant walking trails, and clean rest rooms ensure our return visits at least once a year.

Red vine maple, an attractive accent along the trail. . .

 Fields Spring vista

Craig Mountain Panorama

A fallen fence provides scenic entropy.

A Friday walk

My husband took a recuperative day off today, and we took an easy walk along a Snake River trail. We were a little disheartened that the river’s flooding this year caused the grassy trail to be displaced by cockle burrs, but we coped with the narrow trail and dodged the burrs.

The day started out cloudy, but our walk seemed to invite the sun out and join us. I took a couple of photos of the scenery.

Restoration. . .for now

The smoke is entirely gone! The wind dispersed the smoke–the rain never showed up. The sky is blue again, accented with white clouds, and the basalt hills are out of the smokescreen and back to their beautiful rock-brown contours.

The smoke was blown away, but fires in western Montana, central Oregon, and central Washington continue to burn. If the wind quits or blows toward eastern Washington, the smoke will return to our valley. I posit it will not be well received.

The Grande Ronde: A beautiful place to fish and be skunked again

The Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake River, winding for 182 miles along Washington state highway 129 through Asotin County in Washington, and Union and Wallowa Counties in Oregon. It’s a rocky river, but bass and trout like rocky environs.  We have caught trout and bass in the Grande Ronde before, but not today.

I lost one lure to a recalcitrant rock. The river and its canyon provided refreshing scenery even if no fish felt like departing from the river to come home with us.

The day was hot, especially in the direct sunlight. I actually experienced a touch of heat exhaustion clambering over the rocks back to our car. A small bag of Frito’s Corn Chips from Boggan’s Oasis resolved my dizziness and fatigue. It was a lovely time and a refreshing day.

The Grande Ronde and its canyon from below Boggan’s Oasis