Heck of a fun day

[EWcrappie]

Is that the Snake River?

[Oregon slabman]

Is that the Snake River?

It's the Brownlee Reservoir pool of the Snake River. The picture with the boat is actually in the Powder River arm of Brownlee Reservoir. That particular day conditions were much better in the Powder. The main Snake had much more wind and algae.

[EWcrappie]

It's the Brownlee Reservoir pool of the Snake River. The picture with the boat is actually in the Powder River arm of Brownlee Reservoir. That particular day conditions were much better in the Powder. The main Snake had much more wind and algae.

Got it. I'll get down there some day. I heard it's phenomenal
in the spring.

[Oregon slabman]

Got it. I'll get down there some day. I heard it's phenomenal
in the spring.

It used to be. I would tell my clients come any day in May and we'll do really well but not lately. 2016 was the last year we had really solid Spring fishing. You can still have some good days but it's really inconsistent. The COE uses the reservoir for flood control for Portland and the lower Columbia. They draw the reservoir down during the winter then raise it quickly in the spring right when the crappie would like to be spawning. If I wanted to fish the Spring I would come in late April/early May based on the last couple years.

[longhunter]

Nice mess, and looks like your lake is a little low...

[EWcrappie]

It used to be. I would tell my clients come any day in May and we'll do really well but not lately. 2016 was the last year we had really solid Spring fishing. You can still have some good days but it's really inconsistent. The COE uses the reservoir for flood control for Portland and the lower Columbia. They draw the reservoir down during the winter then raise it quickly in the spring right when the crappie would like to be spawning. If I wanted to fish the Spring I would come in late April/early May based on the last couple years.

How about the fall, Oct/Nov. That's when I do very well at my lake near Spokane. The big ones school up really well offshore and the bite is until April that way.
Thanks for the info. Are you still guiding?

[Oregon slabman]

How about the fall, Oct/Nov. That's when I do very well at my lake near Spokane. The big ones school up really well offshore and the bite is until April that way.
Thanks for the info. Are you still guiding?

I retired this year after 19 years. The Fall is good but launching can be a problem, especially this year with the drought.The last few years the water has been below the ramp by the end of September and the loading docks will soon be high and dry. Later on ice can make it tough.

[BobC]

The western drought has been a killer. Not a pretty picture when you see the huge reservoirs so low.
Bob

[NIMROD]

Great catch . Are Crappie , Bass and Perch considered invasive there like some other western states ? A friend has a cousin in Washington state I believe . Says everyone seemed to fish Salmon and Trout but Crappie were no limit . Looks like you did well . He said all they caught were the Black Crappie but lots of them .You appear to have both .

[Oregon slabman]

Great catch . Are Crappie , Bass and Perch considered invasive there like some other western states ? A friend has a cousin in Washington state I believe . Says everyone seemed to fish Salmon and Trout but Crappie were no limit . Looks like you did well . He said all they caught were the Black Crappie but lots of them .You appear to have both .

Yes, they pretty much are. No limits on any of the panfish except bass and that's because of pressure from the bass clubs. On the Columbia River they want rid of all warmwater species, even walleye, because of predation on salmon smolts. Some would like to see the Snake River dams tore down. Before the 90's Brownlee wasn't drawn down so drastically. At that time it was 2nd to the Oregon coast in providing recreational boater hours in the state.