by Mike Carey, September 28, 2010

One of the fringe benefits of running a fishing web site is getting to rub elbows with various writers, guides, and outdoor company reps. This year's Fish Camp put on by walleye guide Ed Iman (Ed Iman Guide Service 541-298-3753) was another great event. Four days of fishing, food, and fun at Peach Beach RV Park on the Columbia River near Goldedale, WA (509-773-4698). Aaron and I got to meet with quite a few reps and see some of the newest products coming out in the year ahead. I’ll be posting videos and reports in the coming months, but I’ll give you some preview now.

On the fish-catching front, TTI-Blakemore Company has a new bass lure called a “Rock’N Runner". This lure is a chatterbait on steroids. It features a chatter blade and also a thin needle blade and looks hot in the water. The lure puts out lots of flash and vibration to attract those stubborn bass. I’m looking forward to working the bass over with this lure. To further enhance the lure we got to use an old standby I’m well familiar with, “Smelly Jelly". It’s still the same great product with a wide range of flavors for every fishing condition.

Columbia Sportswear Company showed off their updated line of Omnitech products, with refinements from last year – lighter, more comfortable and looking good as always. Plus they’ve improved the breathability of their omnitech fabric allowing more air circulation between you and the jacket which reduces sweat building up under the jacket, keeping you drier and warmer. I will confess that from last year’s Camp and this year I am 100% sold on the quality and good value that Columbia Sportswear provides. I bought one of their pants this some for Alpine hiking and was very impressed by how the pants would quickly dry after getting wet.

A highlight of the Camp was seeing a demo of a new product from Work Sharp, a belt type blade sharpener designed for use at home. The concept is straight forward and caused one of those "huh, why didn’t someone think of this before?" moments. Flexible abrasive belts and precision guides mean a perfectly sharpened knife or tool every time. I can report after sharpening a couple of my kitchen knives that the product works as advertised. Sweet!

Steve McGrath from Camp Chef kept the camp site smelling delicious by smoking up all the salmon we caught. If you’re in the market for a real smoker, complete with temperature control and running on propane you can’t go wrong with the Smoke Vault. They carry two sizes, an 18" and a 24". Both units are big enough to do lots of salmon, ribs, and even turkeys. I didn’t get one last year, but this year is a different story, it’s on the way – yes!

And how was the fishing at Fish Camp this year? Well, the salmon fishing was hot off the White Salmon River and off the Klickitat River on the Columbia River. And the sturgeon fishing was red hot for Louis McMinds of EZ Marine Products for trophy catch and release sturgeon to nine feet long. The bass fishing, unfortunately, was only "fair" (which come to think of it spells “good" on any of the west side lakes). Aaron and I got to go out salmon fishing off the White Salmon River with Steve Leonard of Steve's Guided Adventures. Steve is a guide with over twenty years experience who knows a thing or three about all things fishy. He got us into five Chinook the day we fished with him, when many other anglers got blanked. If you aren’t familiar with the fishery – and it’s a good one – give Steve a call. He also fishes the Tillamoook area, one of my favorite spots from years past.

Whew! It was a busy four days down there at Peach Beach. Do pay the area a visit if you ever get a chance. Lots of great scenery, history, and of course some really good fishing opportunities await you. And be sure to check out our Tackle and Outdoor Sections for more great businesses that helped to make our Fish Camp a huge success again this year.