Thread: I Need Crappie

I have 10' BassTender with an electric on it for the smaller lakes. There's a "grey area" on some the smaller lakes though. If it's not listed as "electric only" in the WDFW regs you can leave your motor up and use the electric. It's still a gamble though...if a warden wants to write you up they will. I heard the ticket is up to $325 this year. Best bet is to pull your motor off if you can....or get a pontoon.

guys! follow up. there are a few dangers on the big river cargo ships, barges, current, tidal changes and wind storms and hidden rocks and logs. Many times you will catch 4 to 6lb largemouth all day without ever seeing another Bass fisherman. sometimes you will see salmon and sturgeon guys staring at wondering why you over close to shore this river has so many sloughs bays and coves with crappie and bass water. My favoite spots for smallmouth are the many wing jetties up and down the river fav slab spots are the thousands of pilings sticking up from the 15 to25 foot sloughs and backwaters. I mainly use rocket shad and roadrunners as a crappie search lure, then when I find them I switch to straight jigs or slip bobbers with 1/32 jigs usually a crabbie nibble on the hook. My new favorite slab bait is the YUM wooly beavertail in 2" on a 1/8 jig head or 1 and1/2" on a1/16" jig. I tried my fav color at Brownlee witch is black and pink on the columbia and killed them. THe bass like all the standard bass plugs in shad and crawdad colors. my best ramps are kalama, willow Grove Beach
, and Elochoman Slough Marina. possible starting points to start with Coal creek slough, Brooks Slough, Puget Island, Fisher Island Slough,Crims Island
Tenasillahe Island. Don't let the darn sea lions scare you!:D Hey Brokentrail I've never caught a walleye farther down stream than Longview, but I don't know why they wouldn't be closer to the mouth by now. Later

hey koke, you still going out for perch tonight? i did okay last night down at seward park.

Hey Spud,

Thanks for sharing and at least giving me an idea on where to start. I'm gonna have to head thay way I think and give it a go. I've only heard tell of Walleye in the lower Columbia and have never caught one either but I have to imagine they are there, somewhere. How often do you fish down there? I'd be up for splitting gas and such if you ever wanted to go and needed some company. I've got an 18ft Skeeter (aluminum) and we could use my boat too, whatever works. I'd love to find some crappies on the river as that is how I grew up fishing except where I am from you can use minnows. ;-)

Brokentrail hey I fish the lower columbia about 3 or4 times a year. My favorite part of fishing is exploring and finding new areas . so I usually fish new water most of the time, but the whole lower river is productive. the key here is understanding the tidal influences, largemouth move around during the different tides and smallies just slide out a little deeper during low tide. the best crappie bite seems to be about 3 to 2 hours before high tide- i'm not sure why. caution- you need a good river map and tide chart, sometimes you can end up trapped in a shallow slough at low tide. one time I had to wait almost 4 hrs to get out. Thanks for the great offer to share your boat! now the bad news a recent medical condition won't let me fish for quite awhile!- Does anyone know how to fish with only one good arm?

no i did not make it out and i am not sure when I will be able to, I went down to green lake last night at about 11:30 and fished the pads for some cats, nothin.