Umatilla or(and) bust...

So, Nutted up and decided to head out EOBassers way to try for some SMB and Walleye. The drive over on HWY 84 very nice, the first time i have ever driven along the Columbia River, wow it is sure massive!

Got there Wednesday evening and set up camp in time to go check out the Hat Rock launch where i planned to go and fish for some SMB. It was a nice night, but i could tell it was gonna be a scorcher the next two days.

I launched pretty early, but not as early as i wanted to, about 6:30 am into the unknown of the Columbia River and started casting  a small leadhead with a 3 inch Kalins grub on it at points and ledges. Wasn't have any luck at first as the morning wore on the temp started to tick up and the sweat started running off my head. I got snagged on a rock for the twentieth time it seemed and as i went back to get it dislodged a nice 17 3/4 inch SMB slammed it as it came loose from the rock. My biggest SMB to date! I was stoked, half the mission accomplished, now onto a Walleye! It was crushingly hot by then so i had to go hide or melt. I couldn't do much in the heat of the day!

I got in touch a Brian and we met Thursday afternoon and he showed me the spot and some gear he uses for Walleye. We met back at the spot a couple hours later and i was all fired up reday to catch my first Walleye. we drifted for a quit a while, trying a few different techniques with nothing to show for it on my part but a little SMB. EO caught a decent Walleyea nd a few SMB, he was amazed out how the fishing had shut down, it was awesome up until today!

I had one more morning on Friday to get a Walleye and i thought , one Walleye! how hard can it be to get one Walleye? Well, Friday i did get a Walleye on, a nice one but it came off before i could get it to the boat and i didn't even get another strike from a Waleye or even a SMB. Brian did manage a nice upgrade Walleye but said it was two of the worst days he's seen in a while...Of course.

Drove 700+ miles for a nice SMB, A nice sunburn and some great scenery. Pretty dissapointed on not getting a Walleye and if it wasn't for the 98 degrees in the shade i would have stayed until i got one but i had to get out there, used up my quota of oven hot days, this coastie cannot handle the heat!

It was good to meet Brian and try some new water, i'll be back...

Here's some pics, got a little vide from the new camera but need to figure ouit how to edit . My program i used before wont open these vids now i need to learn a new program i guess...

Shot through the window, driving down the highway..



Island in the Columbia shot out window driving, i hate stopping.



A fenced off rock that looks like a hat..



Home base



My personal best SMB!



Brian with his nice Walleye and a smaller one

The Columbia Gorge should be listed as one of the great Wonders of the World.  So scenic, yet can be wicked hot, wicked cold, and crazy windy. 

The hills around the river look so naked without the trees we have on the west side. 

Good to hear you were able to finally wash some of the salt water off your kayak out there. 

Nice job on the SMB!

that island actually has a little house on it. It was up for sale a few years ago.

Wonder if that fence was put up to keep climbers out.  Stupid fences.

Wonder if that fence was put up to keep climbers out.  Stupid fences.

there is also house's and property around three sides of it too.