I recently met Dave, a caretaker at Crow's Butte State park down on the Mid Columbia and he was all abuzz about recent catches of big Walleye near the Park. Of course after hearing that I was ready and willing to give it a shot Wedsday morning. My fishing buddy Dan Hiatt and I launched my Jon Boat at Crow's Butte and imediately started trolling Smiley Blades, Squiders and Double Whammys behind 1 oz bottom bouncers. We fished hard and methodically for nearly 2 hours, with several nipped crawlers and a single perch to show for our efforts. I was itching to break in my new Loomis GL3 6 1/2 ft light jigging rod, so we turned our efforts to fishing for Smallmouth Bass. My first two fish picked up a pumpkin and smoke Outlaw baits tube jig in front of the cause way dike culvert pipe. They hit hard and after my second 13" smallie, I was ready for more! We drifted the northern side rip rap, picking up a bass here and there, but they lacked any size. That was untill I pitched my new prototype 1/8th oz mottled sculpin jig in smoke/ chartruse tail. I watched a three pound smallie pounce on it on my first cast between two boulders with my polorized sunglasses! Dan and I got on a bonafied fish producing pattern by targeting isolated large boulders and we keyed our casts on the shady sides of the rocks. Dan and I had several simultaneous big fish hookups with hard fighting Bronzebacks. Dan commented that the fish had to be on "crack" or steroids cause they went airborn at the hook set (and more than once!) He tossed a 5" chartruse/pepper Kalin's grub rigged on a snagless spinner bait head. It worked for him, but time after time- nice sized Smallies smashed my sculpin, until I could barely re-rig it and keep it from falling off the hook. I think that I'm on to something with this protoype. It looks so much like the real thing, i'm gonna try dying my sculpins green/pumpkin and possibly watermelon. We ended up catching 17 bass, all released, with most fish pushing 2.5 pounds. Can't wait to see if Banks or Moses fish like my prototype jig too!!! I will be concentrating on getting some awesome bass pictures on this site tomarrow. Wish me luck... The Jigmiester

Denman

6/11/2009 8:21:00 AM

great report...thanks. I felt like I was there.

aguynamedmike

6/11/2009 10:59:00 AM

Sounded intense but it a best way, fishing this good makes one forget about beer thirty o'clock!
Great job and nice report!

bob johansen

6/11/2009 4:20:00 PM

Is Crow Butte still a state Park?

The Jigmiester

6/11/2009 11:58:00 PM

Bob J and guys. I got a usb cord to try to get my fish pics from my friends camera....only he hasn't been home all day today. Maybe tomarrow. As far as I know Crows Butte IS still a state Park. The fishing is still good and I saw two good stringers of huge yellow perch hanging off of a boat that pulled up to fish the boulders where we caught the Smallies. I'm gonna fish the Chelan county's Fish Lake this weekend. I'll keep ya posted. TJM

oneifisher

9/11/2011 5:46:00 PM

Forget the pics of the fish, I'd like one of your prototype!! Great report, and tight lines!

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