This was Pinot’s first trip out on the boat this weekend. We have to work on getting her to stay in the boat and out of the water but at 12 weeks, it was a good first trip. She was completely uninterested in walleye until one got loose and flopped around on the floor. Then it was great fun.

I’ll take a thin patty, put a little roasted garlic paste on the patty, and then put a nice CHUNK of mozzerella cheese in the middle of the patty. Finish it off by adding some sauteed mushrooms and then place another patty over the top. Seal the edges of the patties and you’ll have one fat burger. Grill the burger. When cheese starts melting out, the middle’s hot and your burger’s done.

My wife’s 2nd walleye ever (her first was earlier in the day). This one was a nice fat fish that weighed in right at 8lbs even.

Here’s my biggest of the year (so far): 10.4oz from the Columbia River. Caught with a Smile Blade.

I haven’t seen one that will hold their position like the AP. Really, all trolling motors should stay pointed in the direction you set them unless you change it…I wish. They probably don’t change much on flat water but they’re all over the place in any wind / current. It isn’t that the AP motor stays pointed in the same direction, its the ability for the motor to compensate for any change that makes that motor appealing. Had MinnKota bought out Pinpoint instead of Motorguide, they could have combined technologies and really had the perfect product.

I’ve been using a 24 volt Pinpoint on my ProV for years now and I pray that it never dies because I’m not completely sold completely on anything else out there.

My tournament partner just bought a Triton 205 that was rigged with a cable drive Motorguide on it. For a couple reasons, we decided that it wasn’t the best for the boat. First, both of us like having a foot pedal extension so that we can troll from behind the windshields. Second, every time the head comes out of the water (fishing in the wind on the Columbia River), the motor would turn making it very hard to control.

It is being replaced with the new Motorguide PTSv…nothing like trying out expensive, unproven technology but we’re hoping that it does the trick.

When deciding on the motor, we looked for a strong motor as there is no kicker on the boat (yet). That limited the selection substantially. I had been fishing with another friend who has an Minn Kota autopilot and it also seemed to have trouble staying on track on the river. Neither of us had any experience with the Maxxum so it was a toss-up. We hope that Motorguide adding some of the Pinpoint technology to the motor will result in a good product. (If it ever arrives, I’ll post a review after we fish it).

Yeah, I want to see that fish. I got one 10.4 on Saturday in the Portland area. I had a pretty good weekend down there. The bite was far from red hot but I got 4 fish on Saturday (totalled about 21lbs) and 6 fish on Sunday (38lbs). There are a lot more fish under 24″ than there were last year. Its nice to see another strong year class coming up.

Chris

There are areas on the Columbia to hit during that time period and there are areas to avoid. Typically in February, I’m fishing the Rufus Woods stretch (directly below the Grand Coulee Dam). Its my favorite stretch of water in the Northwest and there is a bald eagle migration in the area to go along with some great fishing.

There is a good early spring bite just around and above the Tri-Cities. The Umatilla-Boardman stretch starts getting better. The numbers might still not be great (even by Col. R. standards) but the fish are large. Later in March, the bite really starts to turn on and you can get into some great fish like this one:

The Rufus, OR / Maryhill, WA stretch is also good around this time of year. You probably won’t get as big fish (although they are in there) but numbers might be better.

I’d avoid the lower columbia until later in the year…June or July.

Another vote for Lamiglas.

By July, there should be a good bite from Portland to Canada. The Oregon Governor’s cup is held the next weekend in the Boardman / Umatilla stretch so there will be a lot of guys up there prefishing. A couple years ago Bobby Crow and WA record holder, Kimo Gabriel won the tournament with almost 64 lbs. of big fat walleye. The bite below John Day Dam should be pretty good as well. The bite in the Portland area should just start heating up around then. Its a good time to be fishing the Columbia.

A lot of the guy have begun focusing on the Washington lakes to prepare for the Washington State Circuit tourneys starting next week. The spawn is either finished or finishing up on most of the bodies of water. I fished the Rufus Woods stretch of the Columbia a couple of weeks ago and even with the water temp at 41, the males were leaving their mark all over my boat and a couple of the females caught were already spawned out. Yesterday the water temp in the dunes at Potholes reservoir was in the 60s already.

Here’s where we’ll be for the next couple of months:

2004 Tournament schedule

Washington Circuit

May 1 & 2: Potholes Reservoir

May 22 & 23: Banks Lake

June 5 & 6: Moses Lake

June 26 & 27: Kettle Falls (Lk Roosevelt)

Aug 14 & 15: Camas (Columbia R. at Portland)

Sept 18 & 19: Two Rivers (Spokane Arm area of Lk Roosevelt)

Columbia River Circuit

Mar 27-28: Spring Classic: Umatilla

July 10-11: Boardman

Sept 11-12: OR Governor’s Cup: Umatilla

We were bladebaiting. A lot of big fish are coming on jigs right now. Bladebaits are the other way to go on the river.

I spent last weekend fishing out of Maryhill. There were a lot of fish caught but nothing big. Most were between 19″ and 24″. I’m heading up to Irrigon this weekend.

–Chris

Nice fish Dan. Looks like it was a little cold out there. Luckily the temps seem to be coming up now. I’m heading to Rufus with Larry on Saturday and up to Irrigon the following weekend. Hopefully we can find a few fish.

I was up at Rufus Woods a couple weeks ago and managed a couple nice fish for the area. There wasn’t a lot of current coming through and that seemed to slow down the bite. Also attended the Walleyes Unlimited meeting in Yakima. It looks like the WA lakes are in for some tough years ahead unless the walleye populations are supplemented.

–Chris

That time of year can be slow fishing but if you catch a fish, it will probably be a big one. I was up at Irrigon last weekend: Between 3 boats on Sunday, one fish was caught…it just happened to be 13.8lbs.

What’s this ice you speak of?

Count me in!

This is a topic I have a hard time with. Personally, I feel that Church and State are already separated a little too much…hence some of the problems in the country.

As a lawyer though, I have to realize that as the laws are currently written, I believe that the inclusion of this as a practice in publicly funded schools is unconstitutional.

A little background:

1.) The main question is whether or not “Under God” is a endorsement of religion in general. As you may know “under God” was not in the original Pledge. It was added in 1954 after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus. Why? During the middle of Cold War, we wanted to differentiate ourselves from “those godless Communists”. The main purpose of the inclusion was to recognize a “Supreme Being”.

2.) The original Pledge was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a baptist minister and Christian Socialist. He was also an advocate for separation of church and state.

3.) At an initial glance, “under God” would seem to exclude Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, Deists, Humanists, and many religions who do not support any connection between church and state.

4.) President Eisenhower acknowledged religion in the country’s history and his hope for religion in the future when “Under God” was added: “in this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spriritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.” Is this promoting a connection between Church and State?

5.) “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion…” 1st Amendment

6.) Here’s where the courts have historically drawn the line: If the item in question does not promote religion but is instead a part of our “historical tradition”, it can past Constitutional scrutiny. Therefore, the Senate can have a chaplain, legal tender can include “In God We Trust”, etc. On the other side, reciting a prayer at the beginning of a school day or school event (including football games or graduation), moments of silence for purpose of meditation or individual prayer, or even student votes to allow prayer have all failed the test due to the perceived promotion of religion. I’d be interested to hear in which side you all think this falls.

Now, perhaps unfortunately, the Court will not follow emotional arguments. Instead, they must base their decision on the laws that currently exist. If “under God” is to remain in the Pledge, I believe that the First Amendment will have to be edited. I don’t believe that this will happen as although it has already been stated that 90% of all Americans believe in some type of Supreme Being, the Federal Govt can not exist for 90%.

Something to ponder anyway. I’ll be running for cover now.

I’ve been running the Trojan SCS225s for a couple years now and if they ever go, they will be replaced with another set of the same. I have gone 3 days fishing fairly hard, long days without a need to charge. One of the best purchases I have ever made for the boat.

Well, I’m relatively new to the river but starting to get the hang of it. I finally got a weekend free and the forecast is calling for more wind and rain. Oh, I’m going to head down to Portland for the weekend anyway, I’m just going to be a little wet.

Dan, you’re killing me. HAHA. Those are some great fish. I’m still having a hard time learning Ough Reef but its starting to come together. One of these days I’ll find one of those fish. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to make it down until the first weekend in December. Hopefully, I can find a couple of those fish then. Lets hear about Sunday night.

Great Fish Dan. Glad to hear you had a good trip. I’ll be glad to help you net those big fish any time.

Hooks!!! I should have known.

Actually, I usually put Gammi 4s on them.

Its a Luhr Jensen…very popular out here.

I couldn’t find the big girls either. I needed an 11+ just to make it back on to the LCWClub’s top 10 list. I didn’t get anything over 6.5. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it down there before Friday night and gave up early on Saturday due to the rain. I was just using cranks…mostly trolling model hotlips but there wasn’t a great bite at Ough Reef. Next time, I’ll have to try upriver a little further.

I agree with Dan about the Indian nets but down around portland I think it is more than just the Indians. Commercial nets have been in and any walleye caught accidentally by salmon anglers are guaranteed to be bonked.

Have you guys heard anything on Bennett’s return to what will be a very crowded Vikings backfield? I was in heaven out here in Seattle as they actually aired the last Vikings game….it just doesn’t happen very often.

GH,

We jig the bladebaits anywhere from 15 – 45 feet deep. Usually its as vertical as possible: Cast them out and jig them back to the boat until we find fish and then we just sit on top if the water’s not too clear.

The first Columbia River tourney is the last weekend in March at Umatilla. There are usually some fat fish during that time. Last year’s big fish were 15.8 and 13.0. Its not the place to fish if you’re looking for numbers but its great if you’re trophy hunting. Early spring should be a good jig / bladebait bite. I’m not sure what won the tourney this year but its usually a whistler jig show.

After that weekend, there isn’t another tourney until the end of May so there will be a lot of us around to help show you the way.

–Chris

COUNT ME IN!!!!

Rufus Woods is my favorite place to fish. Its incredible in February when the bald eagles migrate through there. Banks has been rough this year. We had a rough tournament in May and it hasn’t really turned on ever since. (You were at the tourney weren’t you RJMontana?) I’ve managed a few out of there but nothing great. Potholes has been fairly consistent. The bite has moved around alot but the number of fish caught has been pretty good. Moses is hot for 10 minutes and then off for an hour….typical. I haven’t fished Roosevelt lately, but I know that Don Hall and Gordon Steinmetz who usually guide on Banks have been driving up to Roosevelt for their trips. I’m heading to Banks in a couple weeks. Its been almost 2 months because I’ve been spending every available minute on the Columbia. RJ: If you’re ever over and see a cranberry ProV 1890 with walk-through (used to be Don Hall’s and then Kimo’s) stop me and say hi. The winning weight at Camas was actually:

1st Place: Mike Davis and John Legg with 11 fish, 4 over 24 inches, big fish Saturday was 12.45 pounds and big fish for Sunday was 10.39 pounds for a total weight of 73.99 pounds.

2nd Place: Bobby Jones and Nick Puryear with 11 fish, big fish on Sunday was 8.71 pounds. They had 4 fish over 24 inches and weighed 60.41 pounds.

3rd Place: Doug Allen and Dave Gallagher weighed 10 fish with a big fish of 8.87 on Saturday and 10.60-pound walleye on Sunday and had 4 fish over 24 inches. They weighed 58.30 pounds for third place.

4th Place: John Grubenhoff and Steve Hockaday weighed 9 fish, 3 over 24 inches including an 11.40-pound walleye on Sunday for a total weight of 48.73 pounds.

5th Place: Dave Wolfe and Gerald Cochran weighed 8 fish and only two fish was over 24 inches including an 8.88-pound walleye on Saturday and a 12.18 pounder on Sunday for a total weight of 47.27 pounds

6th Place: Ron Fear and Kurt Sonderman weighed 9 fish and had 4 over 24 inches with their big fish of 6.50 for Saturday and 9.46 on Sunday for a total weight of 46.69 pounds.

7th Place: Brett Sorenson and William Pyper weighed 7 fish of which 3 were over 24 inches. Big fish on Saturday was 9.86 pounds and on Sunday 11.36 pounds for a total of 46.66 pounds.

8th Place: Jeff Warila and Robert Warila weighed 6 fish, 3 over 24 inches with a 9.67 pounder on Saturday and a 10.0 pounder on Sunday for a total of 46.56 pounds.

9th Place: Cal Burkhardsmeier and Larry McClintock weighed 4 fish all over 24 inches with a big fish of 11.59 pounds on Saturday and a 12.94-pound walleye on Sunday. They got 41.5 pounds, second big fish on Saturday and big fish on Sunday. 4 fish: 41 lbs. Thats how you do it

10th Place: Dave Chambers and Sandra Paine weighed 6 fish all on Saturday with a 10.48 pounder but unfortunately they could not get a fish on Sunday. They had a total weight of 39.08 pounds.